AirTulip
Lead Mechanical Engineer February 2021 - August 2021
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AirTulip is patent pending. I worked on AirTulip under a non-disclosure agreement.
The first AirTulip Stem prototype during a two-week demo at a coffee shop in the West Village, New York City.
The first AirTulip Stem prototype during a two-week demo at a coffee shop in the West Village, New York City.
AirTulip Stem intakes air through a HEPA filter (blue bottom portion) and distributes it overhead to the room at 1500 cfm. This is over an order of magnitude higher flow than standard purifiers.
AirTulip Stem intakes air through a HEPA filter (blue bottom portion) and distributes it overhead to the room at 1500 cfm. This is over an order of magnitude higher flow than standard purifiers.
Inspired by the built landscape and closely knit culture of New York City, during the COVID-19 pandemic we saw the desperate need for businesses to reopen and stay safe with better indoor air quality. Our solution required a number of engineering specs to be satisfied simultaneously:
A portable and standalone system capable of running on common household voltage.
Low noise and acoustics (< 65 dBA)
Astronomically high clean air delivery rates (1500 cfm)
A small spatial footprint
A great external appearance
A simple and intuitive human control interface
Cost of components, materials, and manufacturing
Packing a high flow rate punch while keeping the decibels down was one major design challenge. We used CFD and aeroacoustics simulations to quickly validate CAD structural design, materials, and acoustic properties on the fly. In the lab, we designed test matrices to validate motors, impellers, filters, ducts, and more for pressure, flow, power, and acoustics.
Finally, we connected the machine with a suite of environmental sensors, including PM2.5, airflow and noise volume to feed back to dynamic motor control.
We used particle image velocimetry (PIV) with class IV laser sheets and a particle seeder to measure and visualize laminar flow around the product. Images and video made for good advertising and outreach material!
We used particle image velocimetry (PIV) with class IV laser sheets and a particle seeder to measure and visualize laminar flow around the product. Images and video made for good advertising and outreach material!
We measured human respiration particle count and CO2 simultaneously in controlled settings to measure the effectiveness of AirTulip at eliminating airborne particles
We measured human respiration particle count and CO2 simultaneously in controlled settings to measure the effectiveness of AirTulip at eliminating airborne particles
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