Magnetic Susceptor Evaporator for Volatile Materials
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for evaporating volatile materials, such as fragrances or pesticides, face issues with high power consumption and slow response times due to residual heat, which can degrade the quality of the material and pose safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
The use of a refill with a gas-permeable membrane and a magnetic susceptor that heats primarily through magnetic hysteresis, reducing the need for high temperatures and minimizing residual heat, along with a volatile material transport means to control evaporation efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If an electrical heater is used to heat the volatile liquid in the wick, then the evaporation rate is improved, but the power consumption increases and the device housing retains residual heat for a prolonged period
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the electrical heating system with a mechanical ultrasonic vibration system. The ultrasonic transducer generates high-frequency vibrations that directly agitate the volatile liquid in the wick, enhancing evaporation without requiring high temperatures or excessive power consumption. This mechanical vibration approach eliminates the residual heat problem associated with electrical heaters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the heating parameter from thermal energy (electrical heater) to mechanical energy (ultrasonic vibration). By using ultrasonic frequencies to vibrate the liquid molecules, the system achieves efficient evaporation at lower overall temperatures, reducing both power consumption and residual heat retention in the device housing.
2Productivity
If the entire reservoir is heated to increase evaporation rate, then the evaporation rate is improved, but the device takes longer to reach operating temperature and retains residual heat longer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies ultrasonic vibration locally to the volatile liquid in the wick rather than heating the entire reservoir. The ultrasonic transducer is positioned to directly vibrate the liquid at the evaporation point, achieving rapid evaporation enhancement without the time penalty of heating large masses of liquid or the residual heat problem of heating entire reservoirs.
3Productivity
If high temperature is used to heat the volatile liquid, then the evaporation rate is improved, but the quality of the fragrance degrades over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces thermal heating with mechanical ultrasonic vibration to enhance evaporation. This substitution allows the volatile liquid to evaporate through molecular agitation from high-frequency vibrations rather than thermal energy, preventing the degradation of fragrance quality that occurs with prolonged high-temperature exposure while maintaining high evaporation rates.
4Productivity
If the susceptor is exposed on the edge of the refill, then the heating efficiency is improved, but the safety is reduced due to ease of finger access to hot components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds the ultrasonic transducer and susceptor assembly within the structure of the refill cartridge, nesting the heating components inside the reservoir housing. This nesting arrangement maintains close proximity between the susceptor and volatile liquid for efficient heating while enclosing the hot components within the refill structure, preventing direct finger access and improving safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the refill cartridge structure as an intermediary barrier between the user's fingers and the hot susceptor components. The refill housing acts as a protective intermediary that allows efficient heat transfer to the volatile liquid while preventing direct contact between the user and the heated components, thus maintaining heating efficiency while improving safety.
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 reduces power consumption, enhances safety by minimizing accessible hot components, and allows for precise control of evaporation rates, improving the quality and longevity of volatile materials while ensuring rapid attenuation of fragrance saturation.
Implementation Method 1
the magnetic susceptor(s) is arranged, in use with a device according to the third aspect of the present invention, to heat up in response to the induced magnetic field from the device to heat the volatile material predominately by magnetic hysteresis when the refill is exposed to a changing magnetic field
Implementation Method 2
The refill is provided with a membrane to substantially liquid-tight seal the reservoir. The membrane may be a gas-permeable membrane.
Implementation Method 3
The device comprises an induction coil configured to pass an alternating current through the induction coil to generate an induced magnetic field
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An assembly for evaporating a volatile material is described, the assembly comprising a device (1) and a refill (2) which are detachable from one another: wherein the device comprises a magnetic induction coil (103) configured to operate with an alternating current passed therethrough at a frequency of between substantially 20KHz to substantially 500KHz; and wherein the refill comprises at least one magnetic susceptor (204) having a coercivity of substantially 50 ampere/metre (He) to substantially 1500 ampere/metre (He) and a substantially liquid-tight sealed reservoir (201) containing the volatile material; wherein, in use, the magnetic susceptor(s) is arranged to heat the material predominately by magnetic hysteresis when the magnetic susceptor(s) is at least partially positioned in the induced magnetic field generated, in use, when said alternating current is passed through the induction coil. Refills, devices and methods of use are also described.