Induction Heater Fluid Channels for Direct Cryogenic Nitrogen Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nitrogen heating and vaporization devices are inefficient, large in size, and pose environmental and safety hazards due to reliance on diesel engines or water bath heat exchangers, lacking direct heating efficiency and requiring intermediate process media.
Innovation Solution
An electrical induction heater with fluid channels and an electric coil wound around a conducting body, inducing eddy currents for direct heating of nitrogen, utilizing magnetic fields to generate thermal energy within the heater body and transferring it to the fluid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If diesel engine or water bath heat exchanger is used for heating nitrogen, then heating function is achieved, but device size becomes large and efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical heating systems (diesel engines, water bath heat exchangers) with an electrical induction heating system. The induction heater uses electromagnetic fields to directly heat the nitrogen gas through induced eddy currents in a conducting heater body, eliminating the need for intermediate mechanical processes and achieving more compact, efficient heating without requiring large device volumes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent eliminates the intermediate process medium (water in water bath heat exchangers) by implementing direct heating of nitrogen through induction. The electrically conducting heater body acts as a direct heat transfer medium, allowing electromagnetic energy to be converted to thermal energy that directly heats the nitrogen without requiring water as an intermediate heat transfer fluid.
2Power
If intermediate process medium is used for heating, then heat transfer is achieved, but heating efficiency is reduced due to indirect heating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the intermediate process medium (water) from the heating system. By removing the water bath heat exchanger, the system achieves direct heating of nitrogen through the induction heater, simplifying the heating process from a multi-step indirect heating mechanism to a direct electromagnetic heating process that heats nitrogen without requiring intermediate heat transfer fluids.
Solution Approach 2:
The induction heater enables self-heating of nitrogen through electromagnetic induction. The conducting heater body generates eddy currents that produce heat directly within the heater structure, which then directly transfers thermal energy to the nitrogen flowing through fluid channels, eliminating the need for external intermediate heating media and reducing process complexity.
3Power
If diesel engine is used for heating, then heating power is achieved, but environmental harm and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the diesel engine mechanical heating system with an electrical induction heating system. This substitution eliminates combustion processes that generate harmful emissions (CO2, NOx, particulates) and removes fire hazards associated with diesel fuel storage and combustion, providing equivalent or superior heating power through clean electromagnetic energy conversion while significantly reducing environmental harm and safety risks.
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 induction heater efficiently raises nitrogen temperature to 200-350°C, achieving rapid vaporization and heating with reduced size and environmental impact, suitable for high-volume nitrogen processing.
Implementation Method 1
an electric coil to receive an a/c current, the electric coil being wound about the heater body
Implementation Method 2
inducing eddy currents for direct heating of nitrogen
Implementation Method 3
transferred it to the fluid
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical induction heater for heating a cryogenic liquid or gas is disclosed. The heater comprises a heater body, defining a plurality of fluid channels. Each channel is open at each end with at least one of said channels having a fluid inlet and at least a second channel having a fluid outlet. The heater body is formed of an electrically conducting material. An electric coil to receive an a/c current is present, the electric coil being wound about the heater body. One or more connector channels fluidly connect, pairwise, the open ends of the fluid channels such that the channels and the connectors form a fluid path between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet.