Inductively Powered Light Engine for Sealed Spinning Disc Reactors
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a lack of commercially available spinning disk photochemical reactors due to safety concerns from high pressures causing transparent windows to break, and existing reactors are inefficient and complex due to the need for filtering unwanted wavelengths.
Innovation Solution
A photoreactor assembly with a spinning disk reactor, induction-based electrical power system, and solid state light sources, sealed from the environment, which generates electrical energy to power LEDs and filters wavelengths wirelessly, ensuring high mixing performance and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a spinning disk reactor is used to achieve high mixing performance and high pressure, then chemical reaction efficiency is improved, but the transparent window separating light sources from the reactor chamber breaks due to high pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the transparent window component from the system entirely. The light sources are positioned outside the high-pressure reactor chamber, and light is transmitted through the spinning disk itself or through a separate sealed path, eliminating the fragile window that breaks under high pressure conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The spinning disk acts as an intermediary element that both mixes the fluid and transmits light. It serves as a mechanical seal and optical transmission medium, allowing light to reach the reaction chamber without requiring a separate transparent window that would be vulnerable to pressure.
2Use of energy by moving object
If conventional light sources are used in photochemical reactors, then light can be provided for photochemical reactions, but unwanted wavelengths must be filtered out leading to low efficiency and complex reactor design
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs light sources with specific wavelength characteristics tailored to the particular photochemical reaction requirements. Different regions or types of light sources are used to provide specific wavelength ranges, allowing targeted excitation of reactants without unnecessary filtering of other wavelengths.
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 assembly achieves high efficiency chemical reactions with minimal safety concerns by using induction-based power and solid state LEDs, providing high mixing and pressure while sealing the light source from external environments.
Implementation Method 1
an induction based electrical power system (also: 'electrical power system' or 'power system')... the induction based electrical power system comprises an electrical power transmitter-receptor pair
Implementation Method 2
the light sources comprise solid state light sources... High fluxes can be obtained from small surfaces, especially if the LEDs can be kept at a low temperature
Implementation Method 3
Spinning disk reactors are a type of chemical reactor used because the small area between a fast rotating disc and the reactor wall may result in very high mixing performance. High gaseous or liquid pressures occur for chemical processes in such spinning disk reactors
Implementation Method 4
Photochemistry may further e.g. be used to degrade/oxidize pollutants in water or e.g. air
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a photoreactor assembly (1000) comprising (i) a light source arrangement (700), (ii) a photochemical reactor (200), and (iii) an induction based electrical power system (800); wherein: —the light source arrangement (700) comprises one or more light sources (10), wherein the one or more light sources (10) are configured to generate light source radiation (11) selected from one or more of UV radiation, visible radiation, and IR radiation; wherein the light sources (10) comprise solid state light sources; —the photochemical reactor (200) comprises a reactor chamber (210) configured to host a first fluid (5) to be treated with C the light source radiation (11); wherein the reactor chamber (210) is configured in a light-receiving relationship with the one or more light sources (10); —the photochemical reactor (200) comprises a spinning disk reactor (201), wherein the spinning disk reactor (201) comprises a disk (250) at least partly configured in the reaction chamber (210); —the induction based electrical power system (800) comprises an electrical power transmitter-receptor pair (810), which comprises an electrical power transmitter (820) and an electrical power receptor (830), wherein the electrical power receptor (830) is functionally coupled to the light source arrangement (700).