EP3675659B1 - Smoking article and method for cooling a heated particle-loaded gas - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a smoking article with a mouthpiece for sucking in a particle-laden gas, the particle-laden gas being heated. In addition, the invention also relates to a method for cooling a heated particle-laden gas in a smoking article.

A smoking article, typically a cigarette, includes at least one column of tobacco wrapped by a wrapping material. In many cases, smoking articles are also equipped with filters to affect the type and amount of substances in the smoke. Such filters, mostly made of cellulose acetate or paper, can reduce the particulate content of the smoke. Filters can also contain other substances such as activated carbon or flavorings.

It is well known that the combustion of tobacco in smoking articles produces many harmful substances. There is therefore an interest in the industry to produce smoking articles whose smoke contains significantly fewer harmful substances.

In the meantime, electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes for short, but also electronic vaporization devices are also widespread in the prior art. These are known in various embodiments in the prior art and are used as a substitute for conventional tobacco cigarettes that are burned off. Compared to tobacco cigarettes, they are healthier because the liquid intended for vaporization means that there is no combustion, which would otherwise release a larger number of pollutants, which means that they are considered to be less harmful to health.

In the case of the known electronic cigarettes, a liquid or liquid contained in a tank is supplied to an evaporator in which it is vaporized. The vapor is then directed via a flow channel to an outlet opening in a mouthpiece and can be inhaled by the user. Carrier materials are usually used to transport the liquid to the vaporizer. These can be formed, for example, from glass fibers, cotton material formed like cotton wool, stainless steel screens or the like.

In addition, so-called "heat not burn products" are becoming increasingly popular. Unlike a conventional cigarette, the tobacco is not burned, but only heated up with an additional electronic device. This prevents the formation of harmful substances that would be produced by thermal decomposition of the tobacco when it is burned.

All of the aforementioned products, as well as conventional smoking articles, generally have the disadvantage that the vapor or smoke inhaled by the user is absorbed at a high temperature. This is sometimes uncomfortable for the user.

the US 3,547,130A discloses a method for cooling the smoke of a cigarette and a corresponding cigarette, in which capsules containing liquid are arranged in a filler of the cigarette.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of specifying a smoking article and a method for cooling a heated particle-laden gas, in which the temperature of the gas, aerosol or vapor taken up by the user of a smoking article can be reduced.

This object is achieved with the smoking article mentioned at the outset according to patent claim 1 in that at least one cooling device for cooling the particle-laden gas is included, that the particle-laden gas flows through the cooling device when it is sucked in, that the cooling device has a cooling material that cooling is carried out by the Cooling device is realized by means of an endothermic process of the cooling material and that the endothermic process is activated by the heated particle-laden gas. According to the invention, the cooling device has an elongate carrier material which comprises the cooling material, the cooling material being applied to the surface of the carrier material. It makes sense for the cooling material to be printed or painted on. This enables the cooling material to be applied over as large an area as possible, as a result of which the particle-laden gas can be cooled better. The carrier material can also form the cooling device at the same time.

The aforementioned object is achieved in an alternative embodiment of the invention according to claim 3 in that the cooling device an elongate support material comprising the cooling material, the support material being folded multiple times. In this way, the largest possible surface area is created, past which the particle-laden gas flows or through which the particle-laden gas flows.

The carrier material can consist of a thin material so that as many folds as possible and a correspondingly large surface can be realized without disproportionately increasing the dimensions of the smoking article. The folds can also be designed in such a way that the carrier material is rolled or cut and placed one on top of the other in parts. The cooling material can be printed or painted on the carrier material beforehand. In this way, the cooling material can be applied over as large an area as possible, as a result of which the particle-laden gas can be cooled better.

A particle-laden gas is generally understood to mean gases that contain another component, especially aerosols with solid and/or liquid components, as well as vapour, mist and smoke. When consuming a smoking article, the user typically sucks in air through a mouthpiece. The air flows through the smoking article. In a conventional cigarette, tobacco smoke is also sucked in, which first flows through the tobacco rod and possibly through a filter before it exits the mouthpiece and can be inhaled by the user.

In the present invention, a cooling device is additionally provided, through which the sucked air and, for example, tobacco smoke must flow before the gas flow, i.e. the mixture of the sucked air and the tobacco smoke, or wet vapor of an e-cigarette, hereinafter generally referred to as particle-laden gas, can escape from the mouthpiece. The cooling device comprises a cooling material which the particle-laden gas can flow past and/or through. The particle-laden gas is heated due to an evaporation or a combustion process. This amount of heat serves to activate an endothermic process in the cooling material. In an endothermic process, energy must be supplied from the outside so that the process can start and run. This energy is supplied by the heated or heated particle-laden gas. As a result, when leaving the cooling device, the particle-laden gas has a lower enthalpy than before entering it cooling device. Lower enthalpy means lower temperature. The particle-laden gas consequently exits the nozzle at a significantly lower temperature than it would have had if the endothermic process of the cooling material in the cooling device had not been activated.

The manner in which the endothermic process occurs depends on the type and nature of the cooling material. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is therefore provided that the endothermic process is implemented by means of desorption. It has proven to be advantageous to use substances as cooling material that can release absorbed water to the environment. In particular, silica gel and/or zeolite can therefore be used as coolants.

In a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the endothermic process is realized by melting and/or evaporating the cooling material. Energy is also introduced into the cooling material when it melts or evaporates. The required melting or vaporization enthalpy, i.e. the amount of energy required to melt a substance sample at its melting point at constant pressure or to vaporize it at its boiling point, i.e. to convert it from a solid to a liquid or from a liquid to a gaseous state of aggregation , which is introduced from the outside, ensures that the particle-laden gas cools down before it exits the mouthpiece. Both inorganic and organic substances are suitable as cooling material.

A further additional or alternative possibility of designing the endothermic process provides that the endothermic process is realized by releasing water of crystallization of an inorganic salt. Therefore, in particular, Glauber's salt, ie sodium sulphate hydrate, and Epsom salt, ie magnesium sulphate hydrate, can be used as coolants. Sodium sulphate is sometimes used in the tobacco industry to inhibit the smoldering of wrapping material so that the wrapping material does not burn off too quickly. These and correspondingly similar inorganic salts exist as crystalline solids under standard conditions. The crystal water or water of hydration is bound by the crystalline lattice structure within the solid. In contrast to desorption, in which the water molecules do not participate in the crystal lattice, in these salts the water molecules become coordinative bound to ions or via hydrogen bonds. Energy is required to release the crystal water. The energy is provided by the heated, particle-laden gas. During this process, the particle-laden gas cools down before it can exit the mouthpiece.

The cooling device can be arranged at different points of the smoking article. In one embodiment of the invention, it is provided that a filter element is included, that the filter element is arranged in front of the mouthpiece in the direction of flow of the particle-laden gas, and that the filter element includes the cooling device. By arranging the cooling device in the filter element, the smoking article, for example if it is a conventional cigarette, can be designed almost without any changes. A cigarette with a filter element already has structures in which the cooling device can be introduced with the cooling material.

The carrier material can be introduced into the smoking article in such a way that the folds are arranged transversely to the direction of flow of the particle-laden gas. In this way, the particle-laden gas must flow through the carrier material. For this configuration, it is advisable to select a carrier material that does not cause too great a pressure loss when the user sucks on the mouthpiece, so that the user does not perceive the sucking as strenuous or uncomfortable. The carrier material must therefore be air-permeable.

The carrier material can also be introduced into the smoking article in such a way that the folds are arranged in the direction of flow of the particle-laden gas. In this way, the particle-laden gas flows against the carrier material, but does not flow through it. Air permeability of the carrier material is therefore not absolutely necessary in this configuration.

In addition, it can be provided that the carrier material is part of the cooling device and the filter element at the same time. If the folds are arranged in or transversely to the direction of flow of the particle-laden gas, filter material for filtering the particle-laden gas can also be introduced into the spaces between the folds. It is also conceivable that the carrier material is already made of filter material. Besides, they can alternative arrangements of the folds of the carrier material in the smoking article can also be realized at the same time. The smoking article then has a section in which the folds of the carrier material are aligned in the flow direction of the particle-laden gas and a section in which the folds are aligned transversely to the flow direction of the particle-laden gas.

In addition, it can be provided that the cooling material is introduced into the carrier material. The cooling material can already be incorporated into the paper pulp during the manufacture of the carrier material, which can be made from paper, for example.

In addition, in a further embodiment of the invention, the cooling material can be introduced into the cooling device in small particles. In addition to the configuration described above, the small particles can, for example, be introduced into the spaces between the folds of the carrier material in order to further improve the effect of the cooling device. If the smoking article has a conventional filter which also includes the cooling device, the cooling material can also be sprinkled into the filter material. The filter element then takes on a dual function, since it filters toxic substances from the particle-laden gas and at the same time ensures the cooling of the particle-laden gas. In addition or as an alternative, the cooling device can also be provided directly in the tobacco mixture in a smoking article with a tobacco mixture, with the small particles then being introduced into the tobacco mixture. The size of the particles also depends on the nature of the cooling material. In general, all particle size distributions that do not disproportionately increase the dimensions of the smoking article are conceivable. Disproportionate in this context means a strong deviation from the dimensions of a conventional smoking article.

A further embodiment of the smoking article according to the invention provides that the cooling device is arranged as a separate segment in the direction of flow of the particle-laden gas in front of the mouthpiece. The separate segment can have a variety of shapes. A preferred cylindrical shape is described as an example, to which the invention should not be limited. Conventional smoking articles are mostly configured essentially in the form of a cylinder. The separate segment can also be in the direction of flow of the particle-laden gas can be arranged in front of a possible filter. The cooling device as a separate segment can, for example, consist entirely of the cooling material. It is also conceivable that the separate segment has a type of housing, so that the cooling material can be encapsulated as a porous material or as a powder in the housing. The housing has an inlet opening and an outlet opening for the particle-laden gas, through which it flows as a result of being sucked in through the user's mouthpiece. The cooling device can also optionally be attachable in or on the smoking article. In this way, a user has the option of only cooling the particle-laden gas if they deem it necessary.

The aforementioned object is achieved in a method for cooling a heated particle-laden gas in a smoking article with the features of claim 10, as described at the outset, in that the particle-laden gas is passed through a cooling device when it is sucked in, that the cooling device has a cooling material that the cooling is realized by the cooling device by means of an endothermic process of the cooling material and that the endothermic process is activated by the heated particle-laden gas.

In the method according to the invention, the cooling material can be selected in such a way that various endothermic processes can be started. On the one hand, it is planned that the endothermic process will be realized by means of desorption. Another possibility is that the endothermic process is realized by melting the cooling material. In addition, it is possible that the endothermic process is realized by releasing crystal water of an inorganic salt.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Darstellung eines Ausführungsbeispiels eines Rauchartikels mit einer Kühleinrichtung,

Fig. 2

eine schematische Schnittdarstellung eines Rauchartikels mit einer Kühleinrichtung,

Fig. 3

eine schematische Darstellung einer Kühleinrichtung für einen Rauchartikel und

Fig. 4

eine schematische Schnittdarstellung einer gekapselten Kühleinrichtung in einem Rauchartikel.

In detail, there are several possibilities for embodying and developing the smoking article according to the invention and the method according to the invention. For this purpose, reference is made both to the patent claims subordinate to patent claims 1, 3 and 10 and to the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the drawing. Show in the drawing

1

a schematic representation of an embodiment of a smoking article with a cooling device,

2

a schematic sectional view of a smoking article with a cooling device,

3

a schematic representation of a cooling device for a smoking article and

4

a schematic sectional view of an encapsulated cooling device in a smoking article.

1 shows a smoking article 1 with a mouthpiece 2 through which a particle-laden gas 3 can flow when sucked in at the mouthpiece 2 . The smoking article 1 in the form of a cigarette has a cooling device 4 , the cooling device 4 including a cooling material 5 . The cooling device 4 is arranged in front of a filter element 6 in the flow direction of the particle-laden gas 3 (represented by the arrows). A carrier material 7 is arranged inside the cooling device 4 (cf. 3 ), on which particles 8 of the cooling material 5 are scattered in the interstices of the folded carrier material 7 . The cooling device 4 is designed as a separate segment 9 in the cylindrical arrangement of the cigarette. The filter element 6 with the mouthpiece 2 adjoins one end of the cooling device 4. An encasing material 10, which encases a tobacco rod 11, adjoins the other end. If the smoking article 1 is lit at the end of the tobacco rod 11, the tobacco with the wrapping material 10 burns at approx. The smoke is no longer so hot for the user, but still has a high temperature, which the user finds uncomfortable. The tobacco smoke or generally the particle-laden gas 3 flows through the smoking article 1 and accordingly through the cooling device 4 in which the cooling material 5 is arranged. The high temperature of the particle-laden gas 3 is sufficient to activate an endothermic process in the cooling material 5 . In this endothermic process, energy is required, which is extracted from the gas 3 laden with particles. The extracted energy results in a decrease in temperature of the particle-laden gas 3, which then flows further into the filter element 6 and exits the mouthpiece 2 at a temperature that the user finds comfortable.

2 shows a detail of a sectional view of a smoking article 1 with a cooling device 5. The cooling device 5 is of a multiple folded carrier material 7 formed. The folds 12 are aligned transversely to the direction of flow of the particle-laden gas 3 . The carrier material 7 is designed to be air-permeable so that the user can suck it up without any problems. The carrier material 7 is coated with the cooling material 5 . The cooling material 5 was previously printed onto the carrier material 7 during production. In this exemplary embodiment, the cooling device 4 simultaneously represents the filter element 6, filter material being interspersed between the folds 12 of the carrier material 7 in order to filter out pollutants in the particle-laden gas 3 formed by the burning tobacco rod 11.

3 shows a cooling device 4 for a smoking article 1 in a sectional view. A carrier material 7 is shown which is folded several times. The carrier material 7 is coated with the cooling material 5 by prior printing of the carrier material 7 with the cooling material 5 . In addition, small particles 8 of the cooling material 5 are arranged between the folds 12 of the carrier material 7 in order to maximize the cooling effect of the cooling device 4 . The carrier material 7 of the cooling device 4 is not made of an air-permeable material. The folds 12 of the carrier material 7 must therefore be aligned in a smoking article 1 in the flow direction of the particle-laden gas 3 so that the particle-laden gas 3 can easily flow through the cooling device 4 when the user sucks it. The surface of the carrier material 7 is only flowed against, but not flowed through.

4 shows a detail of a smoking article 1 in a sectional view with a separate cooling device 4. The cooling device 4 has a housing 13 in which the cooling material 5 is arranged in small porous particles 8. FIG. The housing 13 serves to enclose the cooling material 5 so that it cannot be distributed in the smoking article 1. The housing 13 of the cooling device 4 has a perforated inlet opening 14 for incoming particle-laden gas 3 and a perforated outlet opening 15 . The particle-laden gas 3 can flow through the inlet opening 14 and through the outlet opening 15 and thereby comes into contact with the cooling material 5, whereby the cooling of the particle-laden gas 3 is activated due to the high temperature of the particle-laden gas. The cooling device 4 as a separate segment 9 can be removed from the smoking article 1 and used if necessary. In this way, a user can decide for himself when he thinks it makes sense to cool the particle-laden gas 3 emerging from the mouthpiece 2 .

Reference sign

1

smoking articles

2

mouthpiece

3

particle laden gas

4

cooling device

5

cooling material

6

filter element

7

carrier material

8th

particles

9

segment

10

wrapping material

11

tobacco rod

12

folds

13

Housing

14

entry opening

15

exit port

Claims (13)

1. Smoking article (1), having a mouthpiece (2) for drawing in a particle-loaded gas (3), wherein the particle-loaded gas (3) is heated,

   wherein at least one cooling element (4) is included for cooling the particle-loaded gas (3), that the particle-loaded gas (3) flows through the cooling element (4) during the drawing-in action, that the cooling element (4) has a cooling material (5), that the cooling by the cooling element (4) is implemented by means of an endothermic process of the cooling material (5) and that the endothermic process is activated by the heated particle-loaded gas (3),

   characterized in

   that the cooling element (4) has an elongate carrier material (7), that the elongate carrier material (7) comprises the cooling material (5) and that the cooling material (5) is applied to the surface of the carrier material (7).
2. Smoking article (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the carrier material (7) is folded several times.
3. Smoking article (1), having a mouthpiece (2) for drawing in a particle-loaded gas (3), wherein the particle-loaded gas (3) is heated,

   wherein at least one cooling element (4) is included for cooling the particle-loaded gas (3), that the particle-loaded gas (3) flows through the cooling element (4) during the drawing-in action, that the cooling element (4) has a cooling material (5), that the cooling by the cooling element (4) is implemented by means of an endothermic process of the cooling material (5) and that the endothermic process is activated by the heated particle-loaded gas (3),

   characterized in

   that the cooling element (4) has an elongate carrier material (7), that the elongate carrier material (7) comprises the cooling material (5) and that the carrier material (7) is folded several times.
4. Smoking article (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the endothermic process is implemented by means of desorption.
5. Smoking article (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the endothermic process is implemented by melting and/or vaporizing the cooling material (5).
6. Smoking article (1) according to claim 1 to 5, characterized in that the endothermic process is implemented by releasing water of crystallization of an inorganic salt.
7. Smoking article (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a filter element (6) is included, that the filter element (6) is arranged in front of the mouthpiece (2) in the flow direction of the particle-loaded gas (3) and that the filter element (6) includes the cooling element (4).
8. Smoking article (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the cooling material (5) is incorporated in the carrier material (7).
9. Smoking article (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the cooling element (4) is arranged as a separate segment (9) in front of the mouthpiece (2) in the direction of flow of the particle-loaded gas (3).
10. Method for cooling a heated particle-loaded gas (3) in a smoking article according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
    characterized in
    that the particle-loaded gas (3) is guided through a cooling element (4) during the drawing-in action, that the cooling element (4) has a cooling material (5), that the cooling by the cooling element (4) is implemented by means of an endothermic process of the cooling material (5), and that the endothermic process is activated by the heated particle-loaded gas (4).
11. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that the endothermic process is implemented by means of desorption.
12. Method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the endothermic process is implemented by melting the cooling material (5).
13. Method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the endothermic process is implemented by releasing water of crystallization of an inorganic salt.

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