Membrane Humidifier Seal Between Housing and Potting Portion

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional membrane humidifiers face issues with cohesion between the housing and the potting portion due to thermal strain differences, leading to potential separation or breakage in extreme temperature environments, resulting in gas leaks.

Innovation Solution

Incorporation of a sealing member between the housing and the potting portion, which can be a combination of solid-state and liquid-state sealing elements, to absorb thermal deformation differences and ensure a hermetic seal, using materials like silicon, acryl rubber, or urethane, and forming a sealing body with protruding portions and ribs to resiliently contact the potting portion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a potting portion is used to fix the hollow fiber membrane bundle to the housing, then the membrane humidifier can be assembled and sealed, but thermal strain differences cause separation or breakage in extreme temperatures

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveassembly and sealing capabilityVSAvoidcohesion between housing and potting portion

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A sealing member comprising a flexible sealing ring is introduced between the housing and potting portion. The sealing ring can elastically deform to accommodate thermal expansion and contraction differences, maintaining the seal under varying temperature conditions without causing separation or breakage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The sealing member is designed with material properties that allow it to change its physical parameters (such as elasticity and dimensional stability) in response to temperature changes. This enables the sealing member to adapt to thermal strain differences and maintain effective sealing across extreme temperature ranges.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If the housing and potting portion are tightly coupled, then gas leakage is prevented, but thermal deformation differences cause structural failure in extreme temperatures

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveair-tightnessVSAvoidstructural integrity under thermal stress

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing member acts as an intermediary element between the housing and potting portion. It provides the necessary sealing function while simultaneously serving as a buffer that absorbs thermal deformation differences, preventing direct stress transmission that would lead to structural failure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The sealing member is pre-installed between the housing and potting portion to provide beforehand cushioning against thermal stress. This protective measure ensures that when temperature extremes occur, the sealing member has already been positioned to absorb and distribute thermal strains, preventing structural failure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Device complexity

If conventional sealing methods are used, then assembly is simple, but thermal strain causes separation in low-temperature or high-temperature environments

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesealing structure simplicityVSAvoidseal cohesion under temperature variation

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing member uses a flexible sealing ring that can elastically deform to accommodate thermal expansion and contraction. This flexible element maintains the seal under varying temperature conditions without requiring complex structural modifications, preserving assembly simplicity while improving reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The sealing member effectively maintains air-tightness across varying temperatures, ensuring stable operation of the membrane humidifier in extreme environments by absorbing thermal deformation differences between the housing and potting portion, preventing leaks and maintaining cohesion.

Implementation Method 1

heat strain of the potting portion, however, is larger than that of the housing, the potting portion may be separated from the housing

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal expansion: Thermal Expansion

Implementation Method 2

a sealing member interposed between a housing and a potting portion fixing an end portion of a hollow fiber membrane bundle to the housing

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentUS9190677B2Membrane humidifier

Publication Date: 2015.11.17 HYUNDAI MOTOR CO LTD

AI summary

A membrane humidifier is disclosed. The membrane humidifier may include: a housing in which a hollow fiber membrane bundle is mounted, the hollow fiber membrane bundle being formed by integrating a plurality of hollow fiber membranes; a potting portion fixing an end portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle to the housing and coupled to an end portion of the housing so as to hermetically seal the housing; and a sealing member disposed between the housing and the potting portion and hermetically sealing the housing.