Spray Nozzle Body with Asymmetrical Flow Channels for Microjet Deflection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spray devices fail to maintain a narrow droplet size distribution and precise control over the angle of deflection of microjets, especially when miniaturized, leading to undesirable coalescence and broadened droplet size distribution due to air streams and manufacturing tolerances.
Innovation Solution
A spray device with a nozzle body featuring a support body, a membrane layer, and asymmetrical fluid flow channels that impose a lateral impulse on the microjets, allowing for precise control over the angle of deflection and droplet size distribution through the strategic placement of nozzle orifices and micro-valves, utilizing semiconductor manufacturing techniques for high accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If spray nozzle units are miniaturized to reduce droplet size, then droplet size distribution narrows, but microjets exhibit disordered trajectories due to induced air streams leading to coalescence and broadened droplet size distribution
Solution Approach 1:
A sheath gas flow is introduced as an intermediary medium between the microjets and the ambient air. This sheath gas creates a protective cocoon around each microjet, preventing direct interaction with ambient air streams that cause trajectory disorder and coalescence. The sheath gas acts as a buffer that maintains jet stability while allowing miniaturization to continue.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pneumatic control through sheath gas delivery systems to stabilize microjet trajectories. By using controlled gas flows surrounding the liquid microjets, the system achieves reliable trajectory control without increasing jet diameter, thus maintaining narrow droplet size distribution while preventing coalescence.
2Reliability
If complex mechanisms such as charging, ultrasound and heating are used to manipulate and deflect individual liquid jets, then trajectory control improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the trajectory control function from complex active manipulation mechanisms (charging, ultrasound, heating) and replaces it with a passive aerodynamic approach. By removing the need for these complex subsystems and using only sheath gas delivery, the device achieves trajectory control with significantly reduced complexity while maintaining reliability.
3Reliability
If a forced co-flow of air via additional nozzle(s) is used to prevent coalescence of parallel liquid jets, then coalescence prevention improves, but device complexity and air flow control requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sheath gas delivery system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it prevents coalescence of parallel jets, stabilizes individual jet trajectories, and provides protective isolation from ambient air. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate co-flow control systems, reducing device complexity while improving coalescence prevention through integrated design.
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 device achieves a narrow droplet size distribution and controlled spray cone profile, preventing coalescence and ensuring reproducibility, making it suitable for sophisticated applications requiring high precision.
Implementation Method 1
said fluidic flow channel being configured to impose a lateral impulse on the fluid in said cavity
Implementation Method 2
spraying a fluidic microjet spray... operating in the Rayleigh breakup regime. As a result, consecutive droplets may have a same size
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
Figure 7~9
AI summary
The present invention relates to a spray of microjets emanating at an inclined angle from nozzles comprised in a substantially planar membrane layer (4). A spray nozzle unit for spraying a plurality of fluidic microjets from a pressurized liquid comprises a substantially planar (semiconductor) support having an upstream surface and a downstream surface, and a spray membrane layer (4) arranged on the downstream surface of the support. The spray membrane layer (4) comprises a plurality of nozzle orifices (9) each configured for spraying a fluidic microjet in a Rayleigh regime.