Device and method for passive carbon dioxide collection with suspended sorbent disks
View Patent ↗A passive CO 2 collection device is disclosed, including a release chamber and a capture structure having at least three straps and a plurality of sorbent disks coupled to and spaced along the straps. The capture structure is movable between collection and release configurations. Each strap has a primary and secondary width, the secondary width smaller than the primary. The collection configuration includes the disks suspended from a movable portion by the straps such that, for each pair of neighboring disks and for each strap, a lower disk is separated from an upper disk by a connecting segment, allowing the sorbent to capture carbon dioxide from an airflow. The release configuration includes the disks being stacked within the chamber for regeneration. Each connecting segment is in a release topology designed to accommodate stacking the disks within the chamber. The connecting segment is biased to move toward the release topology.
1 . A passive carbon dioxide collection device, comprising:
a release chamber;
a capture structure coupled to the release chamber and comprising at least three straps and a plurality of disks coupled to and spaced along the at least three straps, each disk comprising a sorbent material, the capture structure being movable between a collection configuration and a release configuration, and each strap comprising a primary width and a secondary width, the secondary width at least an order of magnitude smaller than the primary width;
a movable portion configured to move the capture structure between the collection configuration and the release configuration;
wherein the collection configuration comprises the capture structure extending upward from the release chamber, the plurality of disks suspended from the movable portion by the at least three straps such that, for each pair of neighboring disks of the plurality of disks having a lower disk and an upper disk and for each strap of the at least three straps the lower disk is separated from the upper disk by a connecting segment of the strap, exposing at least a portion of the capture structure to an airflow and allowing the sorbent material of the plurality of disks to capture carbon dioxide;
wherein the release configuration comprises the plurality of disks being stacked entirely within the release chamber for regeneration resulting in the release of the carbon dioxide sorbed into the sorbent material, each strap of the at least three straps being collapsed, each connecting segment having assumed a release topology, the release topology sized and positioned to accommodate the stacking of the plurality of disks entirely within the release chamber; and
wherein, for each pair of neighboring disks of the plurality of disks and for each strap of the at least three straps, the connecting segment is biased to move toward the release topology when the lower disk is not entirely supported by the at least three straps.
2 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 1 wherein, while in the release configuration, the plurality of disks are stacked in the release chamber such that a gap between neighboring disks is no greater than three times the secondary width, the gap being the largest vertical distance between neighboring disks.
3 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of disks is releasably coupled to the at least three straps.
4 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 3 , wherein, for each disk of the plurality of disks, each strap of the at least three straps is releasably coupled to an edge of the disk by a belt skirting the disk, pressing the strap into the edge and releasably coupling the strap to the disk.
5 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 3 , wherein, for each disk of the plurality of disks and for each strap of the at least three straps, the disk comprises an aperture for the strap, the strap passing through the disk, the disk releasably coupled to the strap proximate the aperture.
6 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 5 , wherein, for each disk of the plurality of disks and for each strap of the at least three straps, the strap is releasably coupled to the disk through a self-tightening clamp at least partially inside the aperture of the disk the strap passes through.
7 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 6 , wherein each self-tightening clamp is disengaged from and made movable with respect to the strap by lifting the disk upward with respect to the strap.
8 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 7 , wherein the self-tightening clamp comprises two rotating wedges that are textured, the strap passing between the two rotating wedges such that an upward motion of the strap with respect to the self-tightening clamp causes the rotating wedges to rotate in a direction of the upward motion of the strap, pinching the strap and releasably coupling the disk to the strap.
9 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 5 , wherein, for each disk in the plurality of disks and for each strap of the at least three straps, the disk is coupled to the strap through a stopper releasably coupled to the strap beneath the disk, the stopper being too large to enter the aperture the strap is passing through.
10 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 1 , wherein each strap of the at least three straps is enclosed in a different sleeve, each sleeve composed of an elastic material and is biased to shrink from an elongated state corresponding to the capture structure being in the collection configuration to a relaxed state corresponding to the capture structure being in the release configuration.
11 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 10 , wherein, for each strap of the at least three straps, the relaxed state of the sleeve is contained within a corridor bounded by apertures passing through the plurality of disks such that when the capture structure is in the release configuration, the release topology comprises the strap being contained within the corridor by the sleeve.
12 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 1 , wherein, for each pair of neighboring disks of the plurality of disks and for each strap of the at least three straps, the release topology of the connecting segment of the strap comprises the connecting segment folding to form a fold edge that is sandwiched between the upper disk and lower disk.
13 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 12 , wherein, for each pair of neighboring disks of the plurality of disks, at least one of the upper disk and the lower disk comprises a groove sized and located to at least partially receive the connecting segment when in the release topology.
14 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 1 , wherein, for each pair of neighboring disks of the plurality of disks and for each strap of the at least three straps, the release topology of the connecting segment of the strap comprises the connecting segment folding to form a fold edge that is in a void between the plurality of disks and the release chamber.
15 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 1 , wherein, for each strap of the at least three straps, the strap comprises a uniform strap, and each connecting segment of the strap comprises the uniform strap coupled to at least one biasing strap.
16 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 15 , wherein the at least one biasing strap is composed of an elastic material.
17 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 15 wherein, for each strap of the at least three straps, each connecting segment of the strap comprises two biasing straps separated by a break.
18 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 1 , wherein the at least three straps pass through the plurality of disks, the primary width of each strap having an orientation with respect to a radius of the disk bisecting the primary width, and wherein the orientation of the primary width destroy a rotational symmetry of the capture structure, hindering spinning caused by the airflow.
19 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 1 , wherein the at least three straps pass through the plurality of disks in a tangential fashion, the primary width of each strap having an orientation with respect to a radius of the disk bisecting the primary width, and wherein the orientation of the primary width is closer to perpendicular to the radius than parallel with the radius.
20 . The passive carbon dioxide collection device of claim 1 , wherein the at least three straps pass through the plurality of disks in a radial fashion, the primary width of each strap having an orientation with respect to a radius of the disk bisecting the primary width, and wherein the orientation of the primary width is closer to parallel with the radius than perpendicular to the radius.