Parallel Passage Fluid Contactor with Embedded Conductive Filaments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior art parallel passage fluid contactor structures suffer from poor thermal characteristics, including high thermal mass and low thermal conductivity, leading to increased costs and limited efficiency in thermal regeneration and chemical separations or reactions.
Innovation Solution
A parallel passage fluid contactor structure with axially continuous and transversely oriented thermally and electrically conductive filaments embedded within cell walls, providing enhanced thermal conductivity and independent thermal control, is developed. This structure includes active compounds for adsorption or catalysis processes, allowing for efficient thermal energy transfer and management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional parallel passage fluid contactor structures are used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the thermal conductivity is low and thermal mass is high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by embedding thermally conductive filaments (such as metal or carbon fibers) within the cell walls of the ceramic honeycomb structure. This creates a composite material system that combines the mechanical strength and chemical stability of ceramic with the high thermal conductivity of metal or carbon filaments, thereby improving overall thermal conductivity while maintaining structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by selectively adding thermal conductive filaments only to the cell walls where thermal management is needed, rather than making the entire structure uniformly complex. The filaments are embedded locally within the ceramic matrix to create zones of enhanced thermal conductivity at specific locations, allowing targeted thermal management without globally increasing device complexity
2Use of energy by moving object
If conventional parallel passage fluid contactor structures are used, then the structure is simple, but the thermal mass is high requiring large thermal energy flux
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure of ceramic matrix with embedded thermal conductive filaments creates a material system with optimized thermal properties. The filaments provide efficient thermal pathways that reduce the overall thermal mass effect, allowing faster thermal response and reduced energy requirements for thermal regeneration processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thermal parameters of the cell wall material by incorporating high thermal conductivity filaments. This fundamentally alters the thermal properties of the cell wall composite, reducing thermal resistance and enabling more efficient heat transfer, thereby decreasing the thermal energy flux required for regeneration
3Temperature
If conventional parallel passage fluid contactor structures are used, then manufacturing is simple, but temperature uniformity within the structure is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The embedded filaments create a composite cell wall structure that acts as an internal heat distribution network. This composite design naturally promotes temperature uniformity by conducting heat laterally across the cell walls, eliminating hot spots and ensuring more uniform temperature distribution throughout the monolith structure
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal conductive filaments act as intermediary elements within the cell walls, facilitating heat transfer between different regions of the structure. These filaments serve as thermal bridges that mediate heat distribution, ensuring uniform temperature across the cell walls and throughout the overall structure
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 enhanced thermal conductivity and control capabilities reduce thermal energy requirements, improve temperature uniformity, and increase the efficiency of chemical separations and reactions, thereby lowering costs and enhancing process performance.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of axially continuous conductive filaments embedded within said cell walls. Said axially continuous conductive filaments are at least one of thermally and electrically conductive... and are operable to transfer thermal energy between said at least one active material and said conductive filaments
Implementation Method 2
thermally and/or electrically conductive filaments oriented in a transverse direction and extending transversally across the structure. Such transverse filaments are embedded within the cell walls of the structure, such as to provide thermal conductivity capacity to the structure in a transverse direction
Implementation Method 3
each cell wall comprising at least one active compound... for adsorption or catalysis processes
Data Source
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AI summary
The structure (102, 302, 402, 502, 602, 702, 802, 902) comprises one or more segments (404, 604) having axially oriented substantially parallel fluid flow passages (110, 304, 410, 510, 610,710,810,910); cell walls (112, 312, 412, 512, 612, 712, 812, 912) between adjacent fluid flow passages, each cell wall having at least two opposite cell wall surfaces, and comprising (in or on a cell wall surface) at least one active compound that can interact with a fluid contained within or passed through the passages; and a plurality of axially continuous, axially oriented, filaments (114, 314, 414, 514, 614,714, 814,914) that are thermally and/or electrically conductive for transfer of thermal energy from the active compound. According to the invention the filaments are embedded within the cell walls in direct contact with the active compound on or in the cell wall surface, and can transfer thermal energy between the active compound and the conductive filaments.