I-Corps: Rapid Heating and Cooling Technology for Liquids

I-Corps：液体快速加热和冷却技术

• 批准号: 2228384
• 负责人: Marissa Rylander
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Austin
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-08-01 至 2024-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2228384&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; Rapid; Heating; Cooling; Technology

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a technology that rapidly and uniformly heats or cools liquids to the desired temperature. Conventional methods for heating or cooling liquids (e.g., breast milk/formula, wine, coffee, pharmaceuticals, intravenous fluids, blood, or chemicals) are not satisfactory for certain applications due to the extended timeframes required to reach the desired temperature. A primary application for this technology is warming of baby formula and breast milk, which is relevant to households, child development centers, nurseries, and neonatal care facilities in hospitals. The proposed device may be used to both heat and cool liquids rapidly and uniformly, which broadens the opportunities for a wide range of commercial applications. Such a device may have applications in the restaurant industry, pharmacies, drug companies, chemical industries, and military applications.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a heat exchanger technology that rapidly heats and cools liquids uniformly to the desired temperature. Compared to traditional methods that rely on heat conduction through the vessel containing the fluid, the proposed technology directly heats or cools the target liquid. The proposed technology leverages the on demand hot or cold temperatures and steady flow rate of a conventional household water faucet to expedite the heat transfer process when coupled with an efficient and rapid circulation of the target/primary liquid through the proposed heat exchanger system. Existing technologies for warming beverages, including breast milk and formula, focus on boiling water in a stagnant bath and subsequent heat conduction through the bottle comprised of insulating plastic or glass. The proposed technology may be used to heat from refrigerator temperatures of 36 degrees Fahrenheit to the desired temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit in less than 30 seconds compared to traditional bottle warmers that require approximately 10 min, decreasing heating time by a factor of 20. Similarly, the proposed technology may be used to chill a standard liquid volume of 750 ml from a room temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit to 55 degrees Fahrenheit in one minute compared to traditional methods that require significantly longer time periods.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该 I-Corps 项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种能够快速、均匀地将液体加热或冷却到所需温度的技术。用于加热或冷却液体（例如，母乳/配方奶、酒、咖啡、药品、静脉注射液、血液或化学品）的传统方法对于某些应用来说并不令人满意，因为达到所需温度需要较长的时间。该技术的主要应用是加热婴儿配方奶粉和母乳，与家庭、儿童发育中心、托儿所和医院的新生儿护理设施相关。所提出的装置可用于快速均匀地加热和冷却液体，这拓宽了广泛的商业应用的机会。这种设备可能在餐饮业、药房、制药公司、化学工业和军事应用中得到应用。I-Corps 项目基于热交换器技术的开发，该技术可快速均匀地加热和冷却液体至所需温度。与依赖通过含有流体的容器的热传导的传统方法相比，所提出的技术直接加热或冷却目标液体。所提出的技术利用传统家用水龙头的按需热或冷温度和稳定流量，与目标/主要液体通过所提出的热交换器系统的有效和快速循环相结合，以加速传热过程。现有的加热饮料（包括母乳和配方奶）的技术主要是在静止的水浴中煮沸水，然后通过绝缘塑料或玻璃制成的瓶子进行热传导。与需要大约 10 分钟的传统暖瓶器相比，所提出的技术可在不到 30 秒的时间内从冰箱温度 36 华氏度加热到所需温度 100 华氏度，将加热时间减少 20 倍。同样，与传统技术相比，所提出的技术可用于在一分钟内将 750 毫升的标准液体体积从 68 华氏度的室温冷却至 55 华氏度该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。