Search

KR-102963863-B1 - Apparatus for Collecting Condensate and Manufacturing Method thereof

KR102963863B1KR 102963863 B1KR102963863 B1KR 102963863B1KR-102963863-B1

Abstract

The condensate collector of the present invention comprises: a first region in which water droplets are collected from steam; and a second region located above the first region, which exposes a plurality of microstructures that are part of the first region and repels water droplets collected by the exposed plurality of microstructures, wherein the exposed plurality of microstructures and the second region form a certain pattern in which free fall of the water droplets is induced by gravity increasing with the growth of the water droplets collected by the exposed plurality of microstructures and by the repulsive action of the second region.

Inventors

  • 김흥락
  • 박병락
  • 이경일
  • 전형진

Assignees

  • 재단법인 포항산업과학연구원

Dates

Publication Date
20260511
Application Date
20191126

Claims (14)

  1. delete
  2. delete
  3. delete
  4. delete
  5. delete
  6. A first region in which water droplets are collected from steam; and It includes a second region located below the first region and repelling water droplets moved from the first region, The boundary surface of the first region and the second region forms a certain pattern in which the free fall of water droplets moved from the first region is induced by gravity increasing with the growth of water droplets captured in the first region and the repulsive action of the second region. The first region is coplanar with the second region and is composed of a hydrophilic surface, and A condensate collector patterned with one selected from a group of multiple inverted triangles or multiple wave curves whose cross-sectional length narrows in the direction of gravity, so as to induce free fall by reducing the length of the area where surface tension acts on a water droplet.
  7. delete
  8. delete
  9. delete
  10. delete
  11. delete
  12. delete
  13. delete
  14. delete

Description

Apparatus for Collecting Condensate and Manufacturing Method thereof The present invention relates to a condensate collector capable of continuously collecting condensate by promoting the collection of condensate in a saturated moisture environment and removing the collected condensate, and a method for manufacturing the same. Condensate is a small polar liquid, similar to water, formed by the condensation of gaseous steam. Polar liquids are attracted by hydrophilic surfaces and repelled by hydrophobic surfaces. The sensible heat of condensate circulating in a plant accounts for 10 to 30% of the total process heat. Although effectively utilizing this hot condensate—for purposes such as boiler feedwater, preheating other heat exchangers, and cleaning hot water equipment—could effectively leverage water resources and heat energy, there is a lack of research regarding surfaces or methods capable of generating condensate. Meanwhile, there is a technology that maximizes condensate generation by hydrophilizing the condensate collector to control condensate; however, while this technology affects the initial amount of condensate generated, it has the disadvantage that the amount of condensate generated actually decreases compared to a normal surface because it loses its ability to promote condensate generation once the condensate collector becomes covered with moisture. To improve these drawbacks, there are technologies that allow hydrophilic surfaces to simultaneously exhibit hydrophobicity, but most of these technologies are based on semiconductor processes, so the processes are very complex, production time is long, and high costs make commercialization difficult. Figure 1 is an example diagram to explain the concept of the force acting on condensate. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the contact shape of condensate on a general metal surface, a hydrophilic region, and a hydrophobic region, respectively. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the contact shape of condensate in a condensate collector in which hydrophilic regions and hydrophobic regions are patterned on a substrate according to one embodiment. FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating a condensate collector patterned with a plurality of rectangular microstructures according to one embodiment. Figure 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of Figure 4. FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating a condensate collector with a plurality of circular microstructures patterned according to another embodiment. FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating a condensate collector patterned with a plurality of inverted droplet-shaped microstructures according to another embodiment. FIG. 8 is a drawing illustrating a condensate collector patterned with a plurality of inverted triangular microstructures according to another embodiment. FIG. 9 is a drawing illustrating a condensate collector in which the boundary surface between the upper hydrophilic region and the lower hydrophobic region is patterned as a straight line according to another embodiment. FIG. 10 is a drawing illustrating a condensate collector in which the interface between the upper hydrophilic region and the lower hydrophobic region is patterned with a plurality of wave curves according to another embodiment. FIG. 11 is a drawing illustrating a condensate collector in which the boundary surface between the upper hydrophilic region and the lower hydrophobic region is patterned with a plurality of inverted triangular lines according to another embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a condensate collector according to another embodiment. Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Identical or similar components are assigned identical or similar reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and/or "part" for components used in the following description are assigned or used interchangeably solely for the ease of drafting the specification and do not have distinct meanings or roles in themselves. Furthermore, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a detailed description of related prior art could obscure the essence of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, such detailed description will be omitted. Additionally, the attached drawings are intended only to facilitate understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification; the technical concept disclosed in this specification is not limited by the attached drawings, and it should be understood that they include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and technical scope of the invention. Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components are not limited by said terms. These terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from