Monolithic 3D-Printed Structures for Low-Pressure Fluid Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional chromatography systems require high pressures to maintain fluid flow due to the need for high surface area contact between the fluid and packed powders, which impedes fluid flow and is also a challenge in heat exchangers and other applications.
Innovation Solution
The development of monolithic structures formed by additive manufacturing, comprising tiled unit cells that create high surface area for fluid flow with low resistance, suitable for applications like chromatography, heat exchange, and catalytic conversion, allowing for efficient fluid direction and containment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If packed powders are used to increase fluid-solid surface area contact, then the surface area for contact is increased, but the fluid flow is impeded and high pressures are required to maintain desired flow rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a monolithic porous structure with interconnected channels and pores that provides high surface area for fluid-solid contact while maintaining open pathways for fluid flow. The porous architecture allows fluid to permeate through the structure with reduced resistance compared to packed powders, thereby decreasing the pressure drop required to maintain a desired flow rate.
Solution Approach 2:
The monolithic structure is segmented into a network of channels and pores of varying sizes, creating multiple flow paths that distribute fluid evenly throughout the structure. This segmentation increases the effective surface area for contact while preventing flow channeling and reducing overall flow resistance, resolving the contradiction between surface area and pressure drop.
2Productivity
If high surface area contact is required for chromatography or heat exchange, then separation or heat transfer efficiency is improved, but fluid flow resistance increases requiring high pressures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a traditional packed bed configuration to a three-dimensional monolithic structure with channels and pores extending throughout the volume. This dimensional transformation creates high surface area for separation or heat transfer while providing direct flow paths that minimize resistance, allowing efficient mass or heat transfer without requiring high operating pressures.
Solution Approach 2:
The porous monolithic structure provides extensive internal surface area for chromatographic separation or heat exchange while the interconnected pore network maintains low flow resistance. The porous architecture enables efficient contact between fluid and stationary phase or heat transfer surfaces without the flow channeling and high pressure drops associated with packed powder systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Additively manufactured monolithic structures for containing and directing flows of fluids are described herein, which can achieve high contact area between fluids and solids while maintaining uniform flow conditions and requiring low applied pressures to yield desired flow rates, for use in heat exchangers, chromatography columns, catalytic converters, etc. An exemplary monolithic structure comprises a plurality of tiled unit cells having a same shape, where the tiled unit cells are integrally formed as a single component. The tiled unit cells are arranged to define one or more interior regions of fluid flow, one or more inlets to each interior region of fluid flow, and one or more outlets to each interior region of fluid flow. The structures and methods of tiling herein are suited to additive manufacturing technologies such as projection stereolithography, multiphoton lithography, etc.