METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CREATING AEROSOLS

摘要

Aerosols can be created by filament stretching and breaking of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids by applying a strain to and stretching the fluid. The fluid is stretched along a strain pathway and forms a fluid filament between diverging surfaces. The stretched fluid filament breaks into droplets that can be harvested to form a mist or aerosol. The aerosol creation systems can include one or more pairs of counter-rotating rollers that are positioned adjacent to each other that stretch the fluid or a pair of pistons that move toward and away from each other to stretch the fluid. Some aerosol creation systems can include multiple pairs of counter-rotating rollers that are positioned in a circular, oval, or linear pattern. The aerosol creation system with multiple pairs of counter-rotating rollers can generate mist is one or more directions and can be positioned between two concentric rings or linearly, among other configurations.

主权项

1. An aerosol creation system, comprising:
a first roller; a second roller spaced apart from the first roller; a ring within which the first roller and the second roller are positioned; a first nip defined between a surface of the first roller and an interior surface of the ring, the first nip having an upstream side and a downstream side; a second nip defined between a surface of the second roller and the interior surface of the ring, the second nip having an upstream side and a downstream side; a fluid source that coats the first roller and the second roller with a fluid; a driving element structured to drive the first roller and the second roller to co-rotate and to cause the fluid on the first roller to be drawn through the upstream side of the first nip to the downstream side of the first nip to be stretched between diverging surfaces of the first roller and the interior surface of the ring and to cause the fluid on the second roller to be drawn through the upstream side of the second nip to the downstream side of the second nip to be stretched between diverging surfaces of the second roller and the interior surface of the ring, and wherein the fluid stretched between the diverging surfaces of the first roller and the interior surface of the ring forms a first fluid filament that breaks into a plurality of first droplets and the fluid stretched between the diverging surfaces of the second roller and the interior surface of the ring forms a second fluid filament that breaks into a plurality of second droplets.