Inductive Heating Assembly with Localized Susceptor for Aerosol Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aerosol-generating systems using induction heating often fail to produce a consistent quantity of vaporized aerosol-forming liquid per puff due to excessive heating, which can alter the liquid's properties and lead to inefficiencies and undesirable effects such as bubble generation and power consumption issues.
Innovation Solution
A ring-shaped inductive heating assembly with a susceptor element having inductively heatable material confined to an inner ring portion, reducing the heated volume and minimizing heat propagation, combined with a coaxially arranged liquid retention element, ensures localized heating and efficient vaporization directly into a central airflow passage, thereby enhancing reproducibility and preventing property alterations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the susceptor element heats the aerosol-forming liquid within the retention element, then vaporization occurs, but excessive heating causes bubble generation and alters liquid properties
Solution Approach 1:
The susceptor element is designed with an inner ring portion that is inductively heatable and an outer ring portion that is not, creating localized heating zones. The inductively heatable inner ring portion has an outer radial extension of at most 50% of the retention element's outer radial extension, concentrating heat generation in a specific region to vaporize liquid efficiently while preventing excessive heating and bubble formation in other areas.
2Quantity of substance
If the susceptor element heats a large volume of liquid, then more vapor is produced, but power consumption increases and heating efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By confining the inductively heatable susceptor material to an inner ring portion with limited radial extension, the system targets only the necessary volume of liquid for vaporization. This localized approach reduces the heated volume compared to heating the entire retention element, thereby decreasing power consumption while maintaining sufficient vapor production for aerosol generation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the susceptor element is made entirely of inductively heatable material, then heating is more uniform, but heat propagation causes liquid property alterations
Solution Approach 1:
The susceptor element is segmented into an inductively heatable inner ring portion and a non-heatable outer ring portion. This segmentation allows the inner portion to generate heat for vaporization while the outer portion acts as a thermal barrier, preventing excessive heat propagation that would alter liquid properties. The segmented design balances uniform heating needs with heat containment requirements.
4Quantity of substance
If the outer radial extension of the inner ring portion exceeds 50% of the retention element, then more liquid is heated, but bubble generation increases and capillary transport is adversely affected
Solution Approach 1:
The design specifies that the outer radial extension of the inductively heatable inner ring portion be at most 50% of the retention element's outer radial extension. This parameter constraint optimizes the balance between heating sufficient liquid volume for vaporization and maintaining reliable capillary transport by preventing excessive heating that would generate bubbles and disrupt the capillary action in the retention element.
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 solution achieves a highly reproducible quantity of vaporized aerosol-forming liquid, reduces power consumption, and prevents undesirable alterations in aerosol properties by confining the heating process, improving the efficiency and stability of aerosol generation.
Implementation Method 1
induction source generating an alternating electromagnetic field for inducing heat generating eddy currents and/or hysteresis losses in a susceptor element
Implementation Method 2
inducing heat generating eddy currents and/or hysteresis losses in a susceptor element
Implementation Method 3
inducing heat generating eddy currents and/or hysteresis losses in a susceptor element
Implementation Method 4
inductive heating assembly for generating an aerosol from an aerosol-forming liquid
Implementation Method 5
aerosol-forming liquid which is capable of releasing volatile compounds upon heating
Data Source
AI summary
An inductive heating assembly is provided for generating an aerosol from an aerosol-forming liquid, the assembly including: a ring-shaped liquid retention element configured to hold and to transport the aerosol-forming liquid; and a ring-shaped susceptor element coaxially arranged at an axial end face of the ring-shaped liquid retention element and being configured to heat the aerosol-forming liquid within the ring-shaped liquid retention element, the ring-shaped susceptor element including an inductively heatable susceptor material exclusively confined within an inner ring portion having an outer radial extension of at most 50 percent of an outer radial extension of the ring-shaped liquid retention element. An aerosol-generating article including the inductive heating assembly is also provided.