Spiral Wound Fuel Stabilization Unit for De-oxygenation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel deoxygenation systems face challenges in efficiently removing dissolved oxygen from hydrocarbon fuels to prevent coke formation, as they are difficult to manufacture, scale, and optimize for space and weight, while current solutions are costly and limited in performance.
Innovation Solution
A spirally wound membrane system is designed with permeable membranes wrapped around an exhaust tube, utilizing a partial pressure differential to remove dissolved oxygen, featuring membrane spacers and fuel channel spacers to enhance oxygen removal efficiency and scalability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a gas-permeable membrane is used to remove dissolved oxygen from fuel, then oxygen removal effectiveness is improved, but manufacturing difficulty and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane assembly is segmented into multiple individual permeable membranes arranged in parallel, each contributing to the overall oxygen removal capacity. This segmentation allows for easier manufacturing of individual components that can be assembled together, reducing the complexity of producing a single large complex membrane structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The permeable membranes are nested within a structured assembly framework that includes support structures and spacing elements. This nested configuration allows the membranes to be manufactured separately and then assembled into the final device, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining the required permeability and structural integrity.
2Reliability
If membrane bundle size is increased to improve oxygen removal capacity, then deoxygenation performance is improved, but space and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The permeable membranes used in the assembly are thin-film structures that provide high surface area for oxygen removal while minimizing the weight and space occupied. The thin-film construction allows for high deoxygenation performance without the bulk and weight associated with thicker or more extensive membrane structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The membranes are arranged in a three-dimensional configuration within the housing, utilizing vertical and radial spaces efficiently. This dimensional arrangement increases the effective membrane surface area for oxygen removal without proportionally increasing the overall device footprint or weight, as the membranes are packed into the available volume rather than expanding it.
3Productivity
If membrane spacing and geometry are optimized for performance, then oxygen removal efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Spacing elements and support structures are introduced as intermediary components that maintain the required distances and geometries between membranes without requiring complex manufacturing or assembly processes. These intermediaries simplify the overall device design by providing standardized spacing solutions that achieve optimal performance without intricate custom geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows for adjustment of key parameters such as membrane spacing, orientation, and arrangement to optimize oxygen removal efficiency. By changing these parameters within reasonable ranges rather than requiring precise fixed values, the system achieves high performance while maintaining manufacturing simplicity and reducing design complexity.
4Productivity
If high pressure is applied to drive oxygen through the membrane, then oxygen removal rate is improved, but membrane construction and safety concerns increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system utilizes pressure differentials created by vacuum or gas flow on the exhaust side of the membranes to drive oxygen through the permeable membranes. This pneumatic approach allows for effective oxygen removal without requiring high pressures on the fuel side, as the pressure differential is maintained across the membrane assembly rather than applied as absolute high pressure to the fuel.
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 system effectively reduces dissolved oxygen levels in fuels to suppress coke formation, optimizing space usage, reducing weight, and enabling economic manufacturing while maintaining predictable performance.
Implementation Method 1
oxygen molecules in the fuel dissolve into the membrane and then diffuse across it and are removed
Implementation Method 2
A vacuum or oxygen partial pressure differential across the permeable membrane drives oxygen from the fuel
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A deoxygenator (10) includes a plurality of permeable membranes (22) spirally wound about an exhaust tube (14) for removing dissolved oxygen from a hydrocarbon fuel. The permeable membrane (22) is spirally wrapped about the exhaust tube (14) and defines fuel passages (28) and exhaust passages (30). The fuel passages (28) and exhaust passages (30) alternate such that each fuel passage (28) is bounded on each adjacent side by an exhaust passage (30). An oxygen partial pressure differential is generated across the permeable membrane (22) to draw dissolved oxygen from fuel in the fuel passage (28). The dissolved oxygen is then communicated through openings (34) about the circumference of the exhaust tube (14) and out the deoxygenator (10).