Hydrated Humidity Control Agent Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing humidity control methods for enclosures, such as those used for medicinal, nutraceutical, or pharmaceutical products, face challenges in maintaining a desired humidity range due to limitations of desiccants and saturated aqueous salt solutions, which require multiple raw materials and increase costs and complexity, especially in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical sectors.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a humidity control device with a water vapor permeable envelope and a hydrated humidity control agent, where the agent's moisture content is adjusted to achieve a targeted equilibrium relative humidity level, allowing for two-way humidity control by absorbing or releasing water vapor, using materials like superabsorbent polymers, silica gel, or clay, and preparing the agent in situ within the envelope to optimize cost and quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If saturated aqueous salt solution pouches are used for two-way humidity control, then humidity can be maintained within a given range, but multiple raw material supplies are needed for different humidity ranges, resulting in increased costs and more complex validation processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a universal desiccant material (such as silica gel or molecular sieve) that can function across multiple humidity ranges by simply adjusting the amount of water added during activation. This single material can be activated to provide different equilibrium relative humidity levels (e.g., 33%, 55%, 75% RH) without requiring different salt solutions, thereby eliminating the need for multiple raw material supplies while maintaining reliable humidity control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of water content in the desiccant to achieve different humidity control levels. By controlling the amount of water added during the activation process, the same desiccant material can be adjusted to provide various targeted equilibrium relative humidity levels. This parameter adjustment approach replaces the need to change the chemical nature of the humidity control agent, simplifying raw material management while maintaining effective humidity control across different ranges.
2Reliability
If saturated aqueous salt solution pouches are used for two-way humidity control, then humidity can be maintained within a given range, but liquid-tight envelope materials are required, increasing manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a disposable desiccant packet system where the desiccant is activated with a controlled amount of water and sealed in a conventional envelope. The envelope does not need to be liquid-tight because the water is already absorbed by the desiccant during activation before sealing. This approach uses conventional, easier-to-manufacture envelopes instead of specialized liquid-tight materials, significantly simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining effective two-way humidity control.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional envelope materials are used for desiccant capsules, then manufacturing is simpler, but liquid-tight envelopes are required for saturated aqueous salt solutions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the water addition and absorption action before sealing the envelope. The desiccant is activated with the required amount of water while the envelope is still open, allowing complete absorption to occur. Only after the desiccant has fully absorbed the water and reached the desired moisture content is the envelope sealed. This preliminary action eliminates the need for liquid-tight sealing during the filling process, enabling the use of conventional envelope materials while ensuring reliable liquid containment of the activated desiccant.
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
This approach allows for precise control of humidity within a broad relative humidity range (10% RH to 100%) using conventional envelope materials, reducing quality risks and costs by eliminating intermediate product storage and mixing steps, and enabling flexible adaptation to different humidity requirements.
Implementation Method 1
a hydrated humidity control agent arranged inside the envelope, wherein the hydrated humidity control agent has an adjusted moisture content so selected as to provide a targeted equilibrium relative humidity level (ERHi) in a sealed container
Implementation Method 2
maintaining the relative humidity in an enclosure within a given range by absorbing or releasing water vapor
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a humidity control device including the steps of: a) providing an envelope in an open configuration; b) introducing in at least one part of the open envelope a given weight of a humidity control agent having a known moisture content lower than the moisture content corresponding to a targeted equilibrium relative humidity level (ERHi); c) introducing a given weight of water in the at least one part of the open envelope; and d) repeating steps b) and c) until a desired weight of hydrated humidity control agent is received in the at least one part of the open envelope.