Passive Microparticle Capture Device Using Oil-Coated Structured Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current air purification systems for capturing microparticles in urban and underground environments require electrical power and mechanical ventilation, making them unsuitable for areas without electricity access and prone to releasing captured particles due to directional airflow issues.
Innovation Solution
A device with a structured support having large openings and a high void ratio, coated with a capture medium like vegetable oils, that operates without active ventilation or electrical energy, allowing air to flow through without pressure drop and capturing microparticles by sticking or partial penetration, ensuring consistent performance regardless of airflow direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If filter media with pores are used to retain particles, then particle capture efficiency is improved, but pressure drop increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a porous capture medium coated on the structured support to retain microparticles through adsorption and absorption mechanisms. The porous structure provides sufficient surface area for particle capture while maintaining adequate airflow, resolving the contradiction between capture efficiency and pressure drop.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines a structured support with a capture medium coating to create a composite device. The structured support provides mechanical strength and airflow pathways, while the capture medium provides particle retention capability, achieving both low pressure drop and effective particle capture.
2Reliability
If electrostatic precipitation is used to capture microparticles, then capture efficiency is improved, but electrical power requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces electrostatic precipitation (which requires electrical energy) with a passive capture medium coating that uses physical adsorption and absorption mechanisms. This substitution eliminates the need for electrical power while maintaining particle capture efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The capture medium is designed to passively capture particles through its inherent adsorption and absorption properties without requiring external energy input. The medium self-regulates the capture process through its material properties, eliminating the need for electrical power supply.
3Reliability
If directed air flow is used to ensure consistent capture performance, then capture reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to mechanical ventilation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The device uses the natural airflow in the environment to provide consistent capture performance. The capture medium is designed to effectively capture particles regardless of airflow direction, eliminating the need for mechanical ventilation systems while maintaining reliable capture operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operational parameter from requiring directed airflow to functioning with any airflow direction. The capture medium's adsorption and absorption properties allow it to maintain consistent particle capture efficiency regardless of the direction or speed of airflow, simplifying the device design.
4Reliability
If filter media are used to retain particles, then particle capture is improved, but ease of maintenance deteriorates due to frequent replacement requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The capture medium can be regenerated by removing accumulated particles through washing or heating processes, allowing the medium to be reused multiple times. This recovery process reduces maintenance frequency and improves ease of maintenance while maintaining particle retention capability.
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 reduces microparticle concentrations in urban spaces and underground transport networks, maintaining capture efficiency without electrical power or mechanical ventilation, and prevents particle release due to its non-directional airflow design.
Implementation Method 1
the structured support being coated with a medium for capturing microparticles in suspension in an air flow
Implementation Method 2
capturing microparticles by sticking or partial penetration
Data Source
AI summary
The present application is directed to a device which serves to capture microparticles in suspension in the air and which has no active means of ventilation and no means of electrical energy supply. The device comprises a structured support traversed by a large number of openings with a minimum dimension of between 1 millimetre and 15 mm, the structured support having a void fraction of greater than 80%, the structured support being coated with a medium for capturing the microparticles in suspension in a flow of air, the medium being chosen from among: vegetable oils, mineral oils, synthetic or semi-synthetic oils, water-soluble lubricants, silicone oils, animal fat, the structured support coated with the capturing medium being configured to be traversed by a flow of air at a linear speed of between 0.1 and 5 m/s without causing a pressure drop of more than 300 Pa, preferably without causing a pressure drop of more than 250 Pa. The present application is also directed to a method for capturing microparticles in suspension in the air and to the use of the device, more particularly in an underground network for transporting passengers by rail.