Microdoser Nozzle Capillary Retention for High-Speed Additive Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Static microdosers are inadequate for high-speed applications in filling containers with liquid products due to limited injection time, leading to splashing and variability in additive quantity, which affects product quality and increases the risk of contamination.
Innovation Solution
A nozzle with a large orifice opening area and specific orifice configurations that utilize capillarity and surface tension to retain additive within the nozzle, preventing splashing and ensuring consistent dosing, even at high speeds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a static microdoser is used to introduce additive into a container at high speed, then productivity is improved, but the quantity of additive introduced becomes variable due to limited injection time
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle is designed with a specific orifice configuration that dynamically adapts to high-speed operation. The orifice geometry (with no circle larger than 1.6mm inscribable) creates capillary retention that maintains consistent dosing regardless of the brief injection window at high speeds, effectively making the dosing system responsive to varying operational conditions while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the nozzle orifice to resolve the contradiction. By specifying that no circle larger than 1.6mm can be inscribed within the orifice opening, the design alters the flow characteristics and capillary retention properties, enabling precise dosing at high speeds where traditional nozzles would fail due to insufficient injection time.
2Productivity
If additive is injected at high flow rate to compensate for limited injection time, then productivity is improved, but splashing occurs causing loss of liquid and variability in additive quantity
Solution Approach 1:
The orifice geometry is specifically designed to change the flow parameters of the injected additive. The constraint that no circle larger than 1.6mm can be inscribed creates a specific flow regime that reduces splashing while maintaining high injection speeds, fundamentally altering how the liquid exits and enters the container.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potentially harmful high-velocity jet that causes splashing into a beneficial controlled flow. By using the capillary retention effect created by the specific orifice geometry, the system harnesses the high speed necessary for productivity while the surface tension and capillary forces prevent the harmful splashing effect.
3Productivity
If a large orifice area is used to increase injection flow rate, then productivity is improved, but additive is not retained in the nozzle due to reduced capillarity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the orifice in a specific way: while increasing the total opening area to allow high flow rates, it constrains the shape such that no circle larger than 1.6mm can be inscribed. This parameter change maintains large area for productivity while preserving capillary retention for reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The orifice may be segmented into multiple smaller openings rather than one large opening. This segmentation allows the total area to be large enough for high flow rates while each individual opening remains small enough to maintain capillary retention, effectively dividing the function between total area (for flow) and individual opening size (for retention).
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 effectively limits splashing and maintains additive within the nozzle, ensuring consistent dosing and reducing contamination risks, allowing for efficient introduction of additives into containers at high speeds without compromising product quality.
Implementation Method 1
A nozzle with a large orifice opening area and specific orifice configurations that utilize capillarity and surface tension to retain additive within the nozzle
Implementation Method 2
A nozzle with a large orifice opening area and specific orifice configurations that utilize capillarity and surface tension to retain additive within the nozzle
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a nozzle for a microdoser, the nozzle (1) comprising one orifice (4) or a plurality of orifices (4), the nozzle having a total orifice opening area of at least 10 mm2. Each orifice (4) is configured so that no circle larger than 1.6 mm in diameter can be inscribed within the opening of said orifice. The nozzle has an opening configuration that allows injection of a large quantity of additive at a low outlet speed, which limits splashing, and that allows the additive to be held by capillarity in the nozzle when the injection stops. The invention also relates to a system for introducing an additive into a container comprising a static microdoser having such nozzle (1) from which at least one jet of an additive issues upon passage of an opening of the container in proximity to the nozzle to introduce the additive into said container.