Pyramidal Pipe Filter Apex Deflects Debris
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pipe filters, particularly in aircraft fuel systems, face issues such as pressure drop, efficiency loss, and ice formation due to mesh screens, which can lead to blockages and are difficult to clean, posing health and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A filter with a pyramidal surface featuring a pointed apex that deflects and breaks up large debris particles, reducing the likelihood of blockages and ice formation, and incorporating a mesh screen for further filtration, with a design that maintains efficiency even if one face is blocked.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mesh screen is used to filter the pipe inlet, then debris particles are filtered, but the pipe inlet area is blocked causing pressure drop and efficiency loss
Solution Approach 1:
The filter surface is divided into multiple segmented faces (typically 3-6 faces) arranged around the pipe inlet. Each face can be independently blocked by debris without preventing flow through the other faces. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining overall flow capability while still providing filtration coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter transitions from a traditional flat 2D mesh screen to a 3D pyramidal structure with faces angled relative to the pipe inlet. This dimensional change allows the filter surface to present less obstruction to the incoming flow while maintaining filtering capability, reducing pressure drop while still capturing debris.
2Reliability
If a mesh screen is used to filter the pipe inlet, then small debris is filtered, but large debris particles can block the inlet completely when held against the screen by suction pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The pyramidal filter surface is divided into multiple segmented faces. When a large debris particle blocks one face, the suction pressure is distributed across the remaining unblocked faces, preventing complete inlet blockage and maintaining flow productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter geometry changes from a flat surface to a pyramidal structure with specific face angles. This parameter change allows the filter to withstand higher suction pressures without complete blockage, as the pressure is distributed across multiple faces rather than concentrated on a single flat surface.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If larger-holed mesh screens are used to prevent ice formation, then ice crystals can pass through, but larger debris particles can pass through the filter causing blockage in the system
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the filter (different faces) can have different hole sizes or mesh densities. This allows optimization for local conditions - some faces can have larger holes to prevent ice formation while others maintain smaller holes for debris filtration, resolving the contradiction between ice prevention and debris filtering.
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 filter effectively prevents blockages by deflecting and breaking up debris, reduces ice formation, and maintains flow efficiency by ensuring that partial blockages do not significantly impact pressure drop, thus addressing the limitations of existing mesh screen filters.
Implementation Method 1
The pointed apex deflects large debris particles away from the filter and prevents large debris particles from 'sitting' on the filter surface
Implementation Method 2
Large debris particles impact the pointed apex and any frangible debris, including ice, is broken up into smaller debris particles
Implementation Method 3
flow into the pipe inlet is accelerated along the sides of the filter surface from the apex, giving a higher local fluid velocity along the sides of the filter surface. This helps to prevent ice crystals attaching to the filter surface
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a filter for a pipe, the filter comprising an attachment portion for attaching to the pipe, and a filter surface for presentation to and filtering of an oncoming flow of the pipe, wherein the filter surface has at least one pointed apex for protruding into the oncoming flow. The invention also provides a pipe for transporting an oncoming flow, wherein the pipe is provided with a filter surface across the cross-sectional area of the pipe and wherein the filter surface has at least one pointed apex protruding along the longitudinal axis of the pipe. The invention also provides an aircraft with such a filter or pipe and a method of filtering an oncoming flow of a pipe.