Exploring the Working Principle of Vapor-Type Electronic Cigarettes

Summary：

The article discusses two types of novel tobacco products: heat-not-burn and vapor-type electronic cigarettes. The former generates a nicotine aerosol by heating tobacco, while the latter vaporizes extracted nicotine e-liquid through electrical heating. The focus of the study is on the vaporization process of vapor-type e-cigarettes, including the role and heat transfer of the heating wire, e-liquid, and wicking material. The article points out that the compatibility between e-liquid and the device, as well as temperature control, are key to the vaporization effect. Two suggestions are proposed: firstly, to develop a temperature testing platform for the heating wire, combined with numerical simulation to analyze its thermal performance parameters; secondly, to establish a flow testing platform for the porous medium, to study the characteristics of fluid flow through in-situ observation and numerical simulation.

新型烟草分为加热不燃烧型电子烟和蒸汽型电子烟。加热不燃烧型电子烟是将烟草薄片加热至200~300℃后产生含有尼古丁的气溶胶。蒸汽型电子烟是将烟叶中的尼古丁提取物制作成烟油，再利用电能驱动金属丝发热来雾化烟油，产生含有尼古丁的气溶胶。

  该文主要针对蒸汽型电子烟的雾化过程展开研究，从发热丝、烟油、导油棉以及雾化过程中热量传递路径等方面，探究影响雾化过程的主要因素。

  烟油及烟具的适配是发挥雾化效果的关键，将烟油及烟具联系起来的关键参数就是“温度”，因此针对如何利用温度将发热丝、多孔介质及烟油联系起来，提出以下2点建议：

（1）对于发热丝，开发温度测试平台，找出发热丝温升及温度分布的参数，例如发热丝材质热导率、密度、比热以及发热丝的结构参数等。与此同时，可以结合数值模拟的手段对比分析。

（2）对于多孔介质，开发流动测试平台，测试其孔径、孔隙率以及渗透率。并可通过原位观测以及数值模拟结合的手段研究流体在其内部流动的特性。

New tobacco products are categorized into heat-not-burn electronic cigarettes and vapor-type electronic cigarettes. Heat-not-burn electronic cigarettes work by heating tobacco slices to 200-300°C to produce a nicotine-containing aerosol. Vapor-type electronic cigarettes create a nicotine aerosol by first extracting nicotine from tobacco leaves to make e-liquid, and then using electrical energy to heat a metal wire that vaporizes the e-liquid.

This paper primarily investigates the vaporization process of vapor-type electronic cigarettes, examining the main factors that affect the process, including the heating wire, e-liquid, wicking material, and the path of heat transfer during vaporization.

The compatibility between the e-liquid and the device is crucial for effective vaporization, with "temperature" being the key parameter linking the e-liquid and the device. Therefore, the paper proposes two suggestions regarding how to utilize temperature to connect the heating wire, porous medium, and e-liquid:

(1) For the heating wire, develop a temperature testing platform to identify parameters such as the rise in temperature and temperature distribution, including the thermal conductivity, density, specific heat, and structural parameters of the heating wire material. At the same time, comparative analysis can be conducted using numerical simulation.

(2) For the porous medium, develop a flow testing platform to test its pore size, porosity, and permeability. Additionally, the characteristics of fluid flow within the medium can be studied through in-situ observation combined with numerical simulation.

原文始发于微信公众号（雾化探秘）：Exploring the Working Principle of Vapor-Type Electronic Cigarettes