Ice Blasting System Using External Bulk Ice and Particle Sizing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice blasting systems are complex, heavy, and require internal ice production, which limits their portability and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A single-hose ice blasting system that uses bulk ice supplied from an external source, featuring a particle sizer to crush the ice into smaller particles and mix them with compressed air, increasing the kinetic energy and efficiency of the blast media.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If internal ice production is used, then ice supply is self-sufficient, but system weight and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the ice production function from the blasting system, using externally supplied bulk ice instead of internal generation. This eliminates the ice maker, storage freezer, and associated complex mechanisms, significantly reducing system weight and complexity while maintaining continuous ice supply capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a particle sizer as an intermediary device between the external ice source and the blasting mechanism. This mediator crushes bulk ice into appropriate particle sizes, enabling the system to use simple external ice supply while achieving the required particle characteristics for effective blasting
2Ease of operation
If two-hose system is used, then ice and fluidizing agent are delivered separately, but outlet velocity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the ice particle delivery and fluidizing agent delivery into a single hose system. The particle sizer delivers crushed ice particles directly into the fluidizing agent stream within the hose, allowing both materials to be transported together at high velocity through a single converging-diverging nozzle, eliminating the velocity loss associated with post-nozzle mixing
3Device complexity
If bulk ice is used, then external ice supply is simpler, but particle size control is more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary particle size reduction by crushing bulk ice into smaller particles before delivery to the blasting mechanism. The particle sizer pre-processes the bulk ice, breaking it down into appropriate size ranges, which simplifies the overall system while ensuring adequate particle size control for effective blasting operation
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 system achieves more effective blasting with increased outlet velocity and reduced weight and complexity, allowing for more portable and efficient ice blasting operations.
Implementation Method 1
a particle sizer configured to produce the water ice particles for the pressurized blast cleaning media from the supplied water ice
Implementation Method 2
A single-hose system may be used to increase the outlet velocity of the ice acting as the blast cleaning media and to decrease the weight and complexity of the blasting outlet
Implementation Method 3
A single-hose system is able to further increase the velocity of the blast ice as it is mixed with the fluidizing agent prior to a converging-diverging nozzle
Implementation Method 4
A single-hose system may be used to increase the outlet velocity of the ice acting as the blast cleaning media
Data Source
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AI summary
A blast cleaning system has a nozzle configured to deliver a pressurized blast cleaning media. The blast cleaning media includes a pressurized fluid and water ice particles as the primary blast cleaning component. The system includes an input hopper configured to accept supplied water ice in bulk form from an outside source. The system further includes a particle sizing module configured to produce the water ice particles for the pressurized blast cleaning media from the supplied water ice after the supplied water ice has been accepted into the input hopper.