Porous Heat Diffuser for Uniform Aerosol Substrate Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aerosol-generating systems face challenges in evenly heating aerosol-forming substrates due to localized hot spots caused by conductive heating, which can lead to inconsistent aerosol characteristics, especially when using liquid aerosol-forming substrates that may deplete and cause overheating.
Innovation Solution
A heat diffuser with a non-combustible porous body that absorbs and stores heat from an electric heating element, allowing air to be heated through convection, thereby providing more even and consistent heating to the aerosol-forming substrate, and is designed to be removably coupled to an aerosol-generating device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conductive heating is used to heat the aerosol-forming substrate, then heating efficiency is improved, but temperature uniformity deteriorates due to localized hot spots
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a heat diffuser as an intermediary component between the heating element and the aerosol-forming substrate. The heat diffuser absorbs heat from the heating element and redistributes it uniformly across the substrate, eliminating localized hot spots while maintaining heating efficiency. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by decoupling the heat source from direct contact with the substrate.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat diffuser is constructed from porous material that enables heat distribution through its structure. The porous nature allows heat to spread uniformly through conduction within the material matrix while maintaining thermal contact with the aerosol-forming substrate, thereby achieving both efficient heat transfer and uniform temperature distribution.
2Productivity
If direct heating of liquid aerosol-forming substrate is used, then aerosol generation speed is improved, but overheating risk increases when substrate depletes
Solution Approach 1:
The heat diffuser acts as a thermal buffer that stores excess heat when the aerosol-forming substrate is abundant and releases it when the substrate depletes. This beforehand cushioning approach prevents overheating by smoothing out temperature fluctuations, ensuring reliable operation throughout the product lifecycle while maintaining aerosol generation speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat diffuser changes the thermal parameters of the system by introducing thermal mass and heat capacity. This transforms the heating process from direct, rapid heating to a more controlled, buffered heating process that maintains consistent temperature even when substrate levels change, preventing overheating while sustaining productivity.
3Power
If heat is concentrated in specific areas for efficient heating, then heating efficiency is improved, but heat distribution uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The heat diffuser serves as a mediator that receives concentrated heat from the heating element and redistributes it uniformly. The intermediary structure transforms localized high-power heating into distributed uniform heating, resolving the contradiction between maintaining high heating power and achieving uniform heat distribution across the substrate.
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 heat diffuser ensures more uniform and efficient heating of aerosol-forming substrates, reducing the risk of overheating and maintaining consistent aerosol characteristics by acting as a heat reservoir and absorbing heat fluctuations, thus improving the performance of aerosol-generating systems.
Implementation Method 1
a non-combustible porous body configured to absorb heat from an electric heating element
Implementation Method 2
the porous body including a heat storage material such that, in use, air drawn through the porous body is heated by the heat absorbed by and stored in the porous body
Implementation Method 3
air drawn through the porous body is heated by the heat absorbed by and stored in the porous body
Data Source
AI summary
The method includes establishing a porous body to absorb heat from an electric heating element and emitting at least some of the absorbed heat into an airflow that is drawn through the porous body, the porous body being non-combustible, and configuring an aerosol-forming substrate to be exposed to the airflow from the porous body.