Crafting the Perfect Honeycomb
A strong structure for maximum efficiency
Nature is full of structures whose intricacy has provided inspiration for human creations. One example is the honeycomb, a delicate but extremely strong and space-efficient structure created by hardworking honeybees. This shape is imitated in ceramic honeycomb bodies: critical components in heat exchangers, ventilation, and emission control systems. These are given their elegant form using vacuum solutions from Busch.
Honeycomb bodies are a key part of ventilation systems in modern, eco-friendly buildings. They are found inside heat exchangers, where heat is transferred from one air stream to another without them mixing, and without the need for any further energy. The honeycomb shape is a natural choice for a heat exchanger: The large number of separate channels over a relatively small surface area makes it highly efficient.
An efficient exchange
Unlike traditional air conditioning units that rely on high power consumption to cool or heat spaces, heat exchangers operate on a principle of energy transfer, allowing for the reuse of heat that would otherwise be lost. In the separate channels, previously heated warm air from inside the building passes incoming cool air and warms it. On summer days, this same concept can even be reversed. Through these channels, the two different air streams flow – side by side but separated. The thin ceramic walls are what allow the two air streams to transfer their temperature efficiently in a way that is both more environmentally friendly and cost effective than traditional heating or cooling units.
Holey, but not porous
The fine walls of the honeycomb body can pose a challenge for traditional ceramic manufacturing techniques. Every honeycomb body begins as a wet mass. As the different components of this mass are mixed together, pockets of air and moisture can get trapped. These pose a significant risk for the integrity of the finished product; they can expand in the intense heat of the kiln, potentially causing the entire structure to burst. This is where vacuum technology from Busch plays a pivotal role. Before the mass is pushed through the extruder to give it its shape, it is degassed. To do this, vacuum is applied, drawing any bubbles and moisture particles to the surface. Once these break through, they can be extracted and pumped out, leaving just the mass behind. This can then pass through the extruder, forming the exact shape required without any defects. The result is a perfect, air-free ceramic that will retain its precision even after being subjected to the high temperatures of the final firing process.
An efficient exchange
Unlike traditional air conditioning units that rely on high power consumption to cool or heat spaces, heat exchangers operate on a principle of energy transfer, allowing for the reuse of heat that would otherwise be lost. In the separate channels, previously heated warm air from inside the building passes incoming cool air and warms it. On summer days, this same concept can even be reversed. Through these channels, the two different air streams flow – side by side but separated. The thin ceramic walls are what allow the two air streams to transfer their temperature efficiently in a way that is both more environmentally friendly and cost effective than traditional heating or cooling units.
Holey, but not porous
The fine walls of the honeycomb body can pose a challenge for traditional ceramic manufacturing techniques. Every honeycomb body begins as a wet mass. As the different components of this mass are mixed together, pockets of air and moisture can get trapped. These pose a significant risk for the integrity of the finished product; they can expand in the intense heat of the kiln, potentially causing the entire structure to burst. This is where vacuum technology from Busch plays a pivotal role. Before the mass is pushed through the extruder to give it its shape, it is degassed. To do this, vacuum is applied, drawing any bubbles and moisture particles to the surface. Once these break through, they can be extracted and pumped out, leaving just the mass behind. This can then pass through the extruder, forming the exact shape required without any defects. The result is a perfect, air-free ceramic that will retain its precision even after being subjected to the high temperatures of the final firing process.
Read More – Saving energy inside the body
Although living creatures don’t get electricity bills for their own body heat, it nonetheless costs us energy to keep warm. Just like humans, baleen whales have a body temperature of around 37 °C. But unlike humans, they live in water, which conducts heat away from the body approximately 25 times faster than air. Their thick layer of blubber is a whale’s main defense against the cold. However, even the whale’s extremities require blood flow – and when the blood reaches them, it cools down rapidly. To avoid the blood going back to the heart at dangerously cold temperatures, baleen whales have what is known as a countercurrent heat exchange – the biological version of a heat exchanger. It consists of a tight network of veins and arteries in areas such as the fins and flippers. This network is arranged in such a way that neighboring veins have blood flowing in different directions. As a result, heat can transfer across membranes from one vein to the next, warming up the blood that is returning to the body, while simultaneously cooling the blood going to the extremities. This reduces heat loss and ultimately saves the whale energy.
Although living creatures don’t get electricity bills for their own body heat, it nonetheless costs us energy to keep warm. Just like humans, baleen whales have a body temperature of around 37 °C. But unlike humans, they live in water, which conducts heat away from the body approximately 25 times faster than air. Their thick layer of blubber is a whale’s main defense against the cold. However, even the whale’s extremities require blood flow – and when the blood reaches them, it cools down rapidly. To avoid the blood going back to the heart at dangerously cold temperatures, baleen whales have what is known as a countercurrent heat exchange – the biological version of a heat exchanger. It consists of a tight network of veins and arteries in areas such as the fins and flippers. This network is arranged in such a way that neighboring veins have blood flowing in different directions. As a result, heat can transfer across membranes from one vein to the next, warming up the blood that is returning to the body, while simultaneously cooling the blood going to the extremities. This reduces heat loss and ultimately saves the whale energy.