Modular Air Cannon Body With External Valve Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air blast devices are complex to manufacture, limit design variability, and are difficult to maintain due to their internal valve units and large pressure vessels, making them unsuitable for cost-effective and adaptable use in high-temperature process chambers.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece air blast device body with integrated piston guide, valve seat, and connections for additional units, manufactured via casting, allowing for modular expansion and easy maintenance, with symmetrical connections for accessibility and standardized dimensions for uniform components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If air blast devices are used in process chambers with high operating temperatures up to 1200°C, then the discharge nozzle can be made of heat-resistant cast material and installed in existing wall openings, but the valve unit and piston assembly become difficult to access for maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The air blast device is divided into separate modular components: the discharge nozzle can be installed in the process chamber wall while the valve unit and pressure vessel remain outside, allowing independent maintenance of each component without disassembling the entire system
Solution Approach 2:
A long discharge nozzle acts as an intermediary element that extends the air blast function deep into the process chamber while keeping the valve unit and piston assembly outside the high-temperature zone, providing thermal protection and maintenance accessibility
2Power
If an internal top-mounted valve unit with large-volume pressure vessel is used, then compressed air can be stored and suddenly discharged, but the device becomes complex to manufacture and difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The valve unit and pressure vessel are extracted from the traditional integrated design and positioned outside the process chamber, separating the high-temperature discharge function (nozzle) from the compression and storage functions (pressure vessel), thereby simplifying manufacturing and maintenance
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized air blast device body with flanged connections can be universally applied to different process chamber configurations and sizes, reducing design variability and simplifying manufacturing through standardization
3Temperature
If long discharge nozzles are provided to protect the valve unit from heat, then the valve unit is protected from high temperature effects, but the system volume and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge nozzle is extended in the longitudinal dimension to provide thermal protection, while the valve unit and pressure vessel are positioned in a different spatial dimension (outside the chamber), effectively separating the thermal protection function from the overall system volume
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 provides a compact, cost-effective, and maintainable air blast device system adaptable to various process chamber sizes, reducing complexity and enhancing maintenance efficiency while minimizing energy losses through optimized flow channels.
Implementation Method 1
a medium stored in a pressure chamber, such as air or inert gases, is suddenly discharged through a discharge opening. A forced-action pressure pulse is exerted via a valve unit, so that compressed air is abruptly blown from the air burst device
Implementation Method 2
a valve unit with a cylinder and a movable piston for the sudden expulsion of a stored medium... a control unit, which serves to vent a piston pre-chamber and thus to discharge the compressed air
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a one-piece air blast device body (2) with a pressure chamber (3) surrounding a piston guide (20) for receiving a piston (22) and a valve seat (15) for the piston (22), a connection (10) for a control unit (30) for controlling the position of the piston (22), and an air outlet opening (14). The air blast device body (2) also includes at least two further connections (12) for additional air blast devices (4) to form a common pressure chamber. The invention further relates to an air blast device (4) with such an air blast device body (2) and an air conveying and/or cleaning module (6) for a process chamber, in particular a stepped one.