Thermal Storage Device With Indirect Heating For Sample Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal storage devices for testing materials' thermal stability suffer from thermal inhomogeneity, making it difficult to maintain consistent temperatures for multiple samples, and are often energy-inefficient and prone to mechanical failures.
Innovation Solution
A device with a sample holder made of thermally conductive material, featuring bores for sample containers and heating elements, where the heating element heats the sample holder indirectly to maintain a consistent test temperature, eliminating the need for moving parts and enhancing energy efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a heating oven is used to store samples at a specific test temperature, then the samples can be heated to the required temperature, but thermal inhomogeneities of several degrees Celsius or Kelvin occur making it unsuitable for simultaneously storing multiple samples under identical conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The heating system is segmented into multiple independent heating zones, each equipped with its own heating element and temperature sensor. This allows individual control of temperature in different regions of the sample holder, ensuring uniform temperature distribution across multiple sample containers while eliminating the thermal inhomogeneities present in conventional single-zone heating ovens.
Solution Approach 2:
Each sample container position is provided with localized heating and temperature monitoring capabilities. The heating elements are positioned to provide targeted heating to specific sample locations, and temperature sensors are placed in close proximity to each sample container to ensure precise local temperature control, thereby achieving identical temperature conditions for all samples simultaneously.
2Manufacturing precision
If a carousel-like sample holder with drive shaft and fan blades is used, then uniform heating of samples can be achieved, but the device becomes susceptible to mechanical failures and requires considerable energy to drive the drive shaft
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical carousel rotation system and fan-driven air circulation are replaced with a stationary sample holder design that uses multiple independent heating zones and localized temperature sensors. This eliminates moving parts such as drive shafts and fan blades, thereby eliminating mechanical failure susceptibility while maintaining temperature uniformity through direct thermal control at each sample position.
3Manufacturing precision
If a carousel-like sample holder with drive shaft is used, then uniform heating can be achieved, but the energy required to drive the drive shaft increases operational costs
Solution Approach 1:
The energy-consuming mechanical drive shaft and fan system is replaced with a stationary heating system that uses multiple independent heating zones with individual temperature control. This eliminates the need for continuous mechanical rotation and fan operation, significantly reducing energy consumption while achieving uniform temperature distribution through localized thermal management at each sample position.
4Loss of energy
If thermal insulation is provided in the heating cabinet, then energy efficiency can be improved, but the passage of the drive shaft and door for opening the heating cabinet compromises the thermal insulation
Solution Approach 1:
The stationary sample holder design eliminates the drive shaft passage that compromised thermal insulation. The heating cabinet can be properly insulated without openings for mechanical components, as the heating and temperature control are achieved through multiple independent heating zones and sensors within the sealed cabinet, maintaining both energy efficiency and thermal insulation integrity.
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 solution ensures reliable and consistent temperature control for samples over extended periods, reducing energy consumption and mechanical failures, while maintaining precise temperature uniformity across multiple samples.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one heating element indirectly heats the samples to a predetermined test temperature by heating the sample holder
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device for the thermal storage of samples, comprising at least one sample holder with a plurality of sample containers, at least one heating element, and at least one temperature sensor, wherein the sample containers are designed to receive the samples. The underlying technical problem of the invention, namely to provide a device and a method for the thermal storage of samples, wherein the device and the method are to be implemented in a structurally simple and energy-efficient manner, is solved according to the invention by the fact that the sample holder is at least partially made of a thermally conductive material, that the sample containers are at least partially arranged in the sample holder, and that the at least one heating element indirectly heats the samples to a predetermined test temperature by heating the sample holder and maintains the samples at the test temperature for a predefined test period.The invention also relates to a method for the thermal storage of samples.