Isothermal Pipe Heating Device with Segmented Block

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional pipe heating devices face challenges in achieving uniform temperature distribution due to varying contact conditions between heating elements and isothermal materials, leading to increased energy consumption, device size, and assembly complexity, while also potentially contaminating clean environments with dust from heat insulating materials.

Innovation Solution

A heating device featuring a heat transferring block with high thermal conductivity, partitioned into sections for surface contact, and a hollow space structure with inner and outer covers to facilitate efficient heat transfer and minimize environmental contamination, using air gaps for insulation instead of traditional heat insulating materials.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If isothermal heating material is thickened to improve isothermal property, then temperature distribution is improved, but heat capacity increases leading to higher energy consumption and larger device size

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetemperature distributionVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The heating device is divided into multiple independent heating units, each with its own heating element and isothermal heating material layer. These units are arranged circumferentially around the pipe and can be independently controlled, allowing localized temperature adjustment without requiring excessive thickening of the entire isothermal layer, thus reducing overall heat capacity and energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the heating device can have different isothermal heating material thicknesses or thermal conductivities based on local heat loss characteristics. This allows optimal temperature distribution without uniformly thickening the entire isothermal layer, reducing unnecessary heat capacity and energy consumption in regions where less insulation is needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Temperature

If isothermal heating material is thickened to improve isothermal property, then temperature distribution is improved, but device size and weight increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetemperature distributionVSAvoiddevice size

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If multiple layers (isothermal heating material, heating element, heat insulating material, outer covering) are assembled sequentially, then device functionality is achieved, but assembly time and labor cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice functionalityVSAvoidassembly time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The isothermal heating material layer and heat insulating material layer are integrated into a single molded body through injection molding, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps. The heating element is pre-positioned within cavities in the molded body, and the outer covering is formed as an integral part, reducing assembly operations to simple attachment steps and significantly reducing assembly time and labor cost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The heating element is pre-positioned within cavities in the molded body during the molding process, and the isothermal heating material and heat insulating material are pre-formed with integrated structures. This preliminary positioning and formation of components eliminates the need for sequential assembly of these layers during installation, reducing assembly time and labor cost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Loss of energy

If heat insulating material is used to reduce heat loss, then energy efficiency is improved, but dust from the material contaminates the clean environment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat lossVSAvoiddust contamination

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The heat insulating material is extracted from the molded body structure and replaced with air gaps formed by hollow cavities in the molded body. This eliminates the use of particulate heat insulating materials that generate dust, while maintaining thermal insulation functionality through the air gaps. The air gaps provide heat insulation without the contamination issues of traditional particulate insulating materials.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

5Temperature

If contact conditions between isothermal heating material and pipe are adjusted to ensure uniform heat transfer, then temperature distribution is improved, but assembly complexity and adjustment time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetemperature distributionVSAvoidassembly complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The isothermal heating material layer is designed with uniform thickness and consistent thermal conductivity throughout, creating equipotential heat distribution across the pipe surface. The molded body structure ensures uniform contact pressure and heat transfer conditions between the isothermal heating material and the pipe, eliminating the need for complex adjustments during assembly to achieve uniform temperature distribution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #12Equipotentiality

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 enables precise isothermal temperature control with reduced energy consumption and assembly complexity, while maintaining a clean environment by eliminating dust from heat insulating materials and optimizing heat transfer efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

a heat transferring block of a high thermal conductivity which surrounds an object to be heated and transfer heat to the object

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

an inner cover disposed to cover an outer periphery of the heat transferring block so as to form a hollow space between the inner cover and the heat transferring block, and an outer cover disposed to cover an outer periphery of the inner cover so as to form a hollow space between the outer cover and the inner cover

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal insulation: Thermal Insulation

Data Source

PatentUS9657880B2Heating device

Publication Date: 2017.05.23 TMEIC CORP

AI summary

A heating device which transfers heat isothermally to an object to be heated. The heating device includes: a block and a base plate which surround a pipe; a first heat insulating cover which covers an outer periphery of the block and the base plate and forms a first heat insulating layer; and a second heat insulating cover which covers an outer periphery of the first heat insulating cover and forms a second heat insulating layer. The first heat insulating cover includes first heat insulating covers fixed to the block and the base plate respectively. The second heat insulating cover includes second heat insulating covers fixed to each of the first heat insulating covers respectively. The heating device further includes snap locks which detachably fixes the second heat insulating covers.