Apparatus and method for producing aerosol and a focusing part

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9987642-B2
Application number	US-201414915663-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2014
Priority date	Sep 9, 2013
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for producing aerosol. The apparatus comprising a first atomizer for producing a first aerosol jet and a second atomizer for producing a second aerosol jet, each atomizer comprising an atomizing head in which the liquid is atomized into an atomized aerosol jet. Said atomizers further comprise a focusing part arranged to restrain the atomized aerosol jet for providing a punctual aerosol jet, said focusing part extending directly from the atomizing head. The first and second atomizer form an atomizer pair such that the atomizers are aligned towards each other for colliding the aerosol jets to each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for producing aerosol, the apparatus comprising:
a first atomizer for producing a first aerosol jet and a second atomizer for producing a second aerosol jet, said aerosol jets are produced from one or more liquid precursors and discharged from a respective atomizer through a discharge opening in the atomizer, wherein
each atomizer comprises an atomizing head in which the liquid is atomized into an atomized aerosol jet,
each atomizing head is directly connected to a tubular focusing part arranged to restrain the atomized aerosol jet for providing a punctual aerosol jet, wherein
said tubular focusing part is formed of a choked flow part in which one or more flow restraints project from the inner surface of the tubular focusing part to change the hydrodynamic properties of the atomized aerosol jet discharged from the atomizing head into the choked flow part in a manner that reduces the average drop size of the aerosol jet, and a levelling part without projecting flow restraints on the inner surface of the tubular focusing part, and
said levelling part has a length of at least ten times the inner diameter of the focusing part in the levelling part,

said first and second atomizer form an atomizer pair such that the atomizers are aligned towards each other for colliding the aerosol jets to each other,
the first and the second atomizer are arranged in a substantially vertical direction such that the aerosol formed in the collection of the aerosol jets forms a substantially horizontal aerosol plane when escaping from the collision point.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the focusing part has means for restraining the atomized aerosol jet such that a total opening angle of the punctual aerosol jet is less than 10°.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein distance between the discharge openings in the opposing atomizers is in a range of 0.5-15 mm.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein distance between the discharge openings in the opposing atomizers is in a range of 1-10 mm.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein one or more flow restraints are arranged in the choked flow part such that they are placed in succession, adjacently or in a corresponding manner with respect to each other.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second atomizer are arranged coaxially.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second atomizer are arranged in the vertical direction such that the discharge openings of the atomizers are arranged substantially coaxially in a deposition chamber.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the atomizer is a gas-dispersing atomizer for atomizing liquid into aerosol by means of gas at the atomizing head of the atomizer and comprises at least one liquid conduit for feeding at least one liquid to be atomized into the atomizing head and at least one gas conduit for feeding at least one gas into the atomizing head for atomizing the liquid.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second atomizer are in a deposition chamber.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the first and the second atomizer are in a central region of said deposition chamber such that there is free space around said first and said second atomizer.

11. A method for producing aerosol, said method comprising the steps of:
arranging a first atomizer and a second atomizer opposite to each other such that a discharge opening of the first atomizer is opposite to a discharge opening of the second atomizer, said first and second atomizer comprising an atomizing head for atomizing an aerosol jet,
atomizing at least one liquid precursor into a first atomized aerosol jet in the first atomizing head and into a second atomized aerosol jet in the second atomizing head,
restraining the first atomized aerosol jet and the second atomized aerosol jet respectively into a first punctual aerosol jet and a second punctual aerosol jet in a tubular focusing part that extends directly from the atomizing head, the focusing part being formed of a choked flow part in which one or more flow restraints project from the inner surface of the tubular focusing part to change the hydrodynamic properties of the atomized aerosol jet discharged from the atomizing head into the choked flow part in a manner that reduces the average drop size of the aerosol jet, and a levelling part without projecting flow restraints on the inner surface of the tubular focusing part, wherein said levelling part has a length of at least ten times the inner diameter of the focusing part in the levelling part,
discharging said punctual aerosol jets from the discharge openings of the atomizers such that the punctual aerosol jets coming out from the discharge openings are directed substantially directly towards each other in such a manner that the first and the second punctual aerosol jets collide directly into each other in a collision point,
bringing said at least one liquid into the first and the second atomizer in such a pressure that the first and the second punctual aerosol jets when colliding each other in the collision point form aerosol which escapes horizontally from the collision point.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the method further comprising the step of arranging the first and the second atomizer in a substantially vertical direction such that the aerosol formed in the collision of the aerosol jets forms a substantially horizontal aerosol plane when escaping from the collision point.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the method further comprising the step of arranging a substrate to be coated parallel to the substantially horizontal aerosol plane such that the substrate is coated by said aerosol plane falling under gravity.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises a step of arranging the atomizers and the substrate to be coated in the same deposition chamber.

15. A focusing part for an atomizer, which said atomizer comprises an atomizing head for producing an atomized aerosol jet from one or more liquid precursors, wherein the focusing part:
is a tube formed of a choked flow part in which one or more flow restraints project from the inner surface of the tubular focusing part to change the hydrodynamic properties of the atomized aerosol jet discharged from the atomizing head into the choked flow part in a manner that reduces the average drop size of the aerosol jet, and a levelling part without projecting flow restraints on the inner surface of the tubular focusing part, wherein said levelling part has a length of at least ten times the inner diameter of the focusing part in the levelling part,
is arranged to extend directly from the atomizing head and is arranged to restrain the atomized aerosol jet for providing a punctual aerosol jet,
comprises a discharge opening for discharging the punctual aerosol jet.

16. The focusing part according to claim 15 , wherein the levelling part comprises a section having a smaller inner diameter than the inner diameter of the rest of the levelling part.

Assignees

• Beneq Oy

Inventors

• Alitalo Ville
• Asikkala Kai
• Tammela Simo
• Virtanen Sauli

Classifications

• B05D1/02

  performed by spraying · CPC title

• B05D1/34

  Applying different liquids or other fluent materials simultaneously · CPC title

• B05D3/042

  Directing or stopping the fluid to be coated with air · CPC title

• B05B7/0846 Primary

  with jets being only jets constituted by a liquid or a mixture containing a liquid · CPC title

• B05B1/04

  in flat form, e.g. fan-like, sheet-like · CPC title