Sealed Foam-Supported Reactant Package for Self-Heating Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing self-heating food packages face challenges in handling and manufacturing due to the loose granular solid reactants, which can lead to leakage and inefficiencies in the exothermic reaction process, requiring improved containment and handling methods.
Innovation Solution
A sealed package design featuring an outer container with a lower support structure of open cell foam, a layer of solid reactant, an upper structure of open cell foam, and a permeable upper layer that extends across the open top, allowing for easy handling and containment of granular solid reactants, and facilitating efficient exothermic reactions by ensuring uniform distribution and reaction with the liquid reactant.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If loose granular solid reactants are used in self-heating packages, then the exothermic reaction can proceed, but handling and manufacturing become difficult with leakage risks
Solution Approach 1:
The solid reactant is segmented into two forms: a non-granular disk shape that maintains structural integrity for easy handling, and granular form distributed within open cell foam for controlled reaction. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing the reactant to be both handleable (disk form) and reactive (granular form).
Solution Approach 2:
Open cell foam acts as an intermediary medium that distributes and contains the granular solid reactant while maintaining structural stability. The foam structure prevents leakage and facilitates uniform liquid reactant distribution, resolving the handling vs. reaction efficiency contradiction.
2Manufacturing precision
If granular solid reactant is distributed throughout the lower support structure, then uniform reaction with liquid reactant is achieved, but handling and assembly become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The granular solid reactant is pre-distributed throughout the lower support structure during manufacturing, ensuring uniform reaction capability before the package is assembled. This preliminary action eliminates the need for complex assembly steps to achieve uniform distribution, resolving the contradiction between distribution uniformity and assembly complexity.
3Reliability
If a permeable upper layer is added to contain the solid reactant, then safety and handling are improved, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
A permeable upper layer (thin film) is added to the package structure to contain the solid reactant while allowing liquid reactant to pass through. This thin film provides safety and containment without significantly increasing structural complexity, resolving the contradiction between handling safety and package simplicity.
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 sealed package solution enhances safety, reliability, and ease of handling during assembly and manufacturing, while achieving rapid heating times by ensuring the solid reactant remains contained and reacts uniformly with the liquid reactant, improving the overall efficiency of the self-heating process.
Implementation Method 1
a lower support structure (e.g., of open cell foam) within the outer container, a layer of the solid reactant above the lower support structure
Implementation Method 2
lower support structure (e.g., of open cell foam)... distributed throughout the lower support structure
Implementation Method 3
an upper layer that is permeable to liquid and that extends across an otherwise open top of the outer container above the upper structure
Implementation Method 4
a liquid reactant reacting exothermically with a solid reactant to heat a product
Data Source
AI summary
A sealed package is disclosed for a self-heating assembly that produces heat by virtue of a liquid reactant reacting exothermically with a solid reactant to heat a product. The sealed package includes an outer container, a lower support structure (e.g., of open cell foam) within the outer container, a layer of the solid reactant above the lower support structure and within the outer container, an upper structure (e.g., of open cell foam, as well) above the solid reactant and within the outer container, and an upper layer that is permeable to liquid and that extends across an otherwise open top of the outer container above the upper structure.