I-Corps: Rapid Heating and Cooling Technology for Liquids

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.