A fluid conditioning system having a housing within a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. A rotating shaft extends within the housing and secures a conductive component exhibiting fluid flow redirecting vanes for communicating an inlet fluid flow with an outlet fluid flow. Magnets or electromagnets are arranged in a stationary array within the housing in proximity to the rotary conductive component and, upon rotating the conductive component relative to the magnetic plates, thermal conditioning of the fluid flow is generated from creation of high frequency oscillating magnetic fields and which is conducted through the rotating component for outputting through the outlet of the housing. Peltier or other thermoelectric generator elements can be incorporated into the housing. The conductive components or plates can include any of a number multi-metal/multi-alloy plate configurations.

A system and method for preheating a thermoplastic charge are disclosed. A gas moving unit establishes a flow of a gas through a conduit. A heating assembly is positioned between an inlet and an outlet of the conduit. A holding vessel is in fluid communication with the conduit and houses a thermoplastic particulate material. The thermoplastic particulate material includes a thermoplastic matrix material. The thermoplastic particulate material is introduced to the flow of the gas to yield a gas-particulate mixture. At least one of the gas and the gas-particulate mixture, moving through the conduit, is heated using the heating assembly to yield a heated gas-particulate mixture. The heated gas-particulate mixture is deposited into a mold from the outlet of the conduit.

There is described an aerosol-forming substrate for use in combination with an inductive heating device. The aerosol-forming substrate comprises a solid material capable of releasing volatile compounds that can form an aerosol upon heating of the aerosol-forming substrate and at least a first susceptor material for heating of the aerosol-forming substrate. The first susceptor material is arranged in thermal proximity of the solid material. The aerosol-forming substrate further comprises at least a second susceptor material having a second Curie-temperature which is lower than a predefined maximum heating temperature of the first susceptor material. There is also described an aerosol-delivery system.

An aerosol-generating article is provided, including an aerosol-forming substrate and a susceptor configured to heat the aerosol-forming substrate. The susceptor includes a first susceptor material and a second susceptor material having a Curie temperature, the first susceptor material being disposed in intimate physical contact with the second susceptor material. The first susceptor material may also have a Curie temperature, the second Curie temperature being lower than 500 C., and lower than the Curie temperature of the first susceptor material, if the first susceptor material has a Curie temperature. The use of such a multi-material susceptor allows heating to be optimised and the temperature of the susceptor to be controlled to approximate the second Curie temperature without need for direct temperature monitoring.

An aerosol-forming article for use in an electrically heated aerosol-generating device is provided, the aerosol-forming article including a mouthpiece, an aerosol-forming substrate, and a plurality of magnetic particles including a magnetic material having a Curie temperature of between 60 degrees Celsius and 200 degrees Celsius. An electrically heated aerosol-generating device for receiving the aerosol-forming article is also provided, the device including a heater element configured to heat the aerosol-forming article, an inductor, and a controller configured to measure an inductance of the inductor and to control a supply of electrical current to the heater element in response to the measured inductance.

Disclosed herein is a method of forming a multi-layered metallic part. The method comprises forming a plurality of ductile layers made of a metallic material having a first ductility. The method also comprises forming at least one high-strength powder layer made of a powdered metallic material having a second ductility higher than the first ductility. The method further comprises assembling the plurality of ductile layers and the at least one high-strength powder layer in an alternating and stacked formation to form a multi-layered metallic assembly. The method additionally comprises oscillating a crystallographic phase of the powdered metallic material of the at least one high-strength powder layer between a first crystallographic phase and a second crystallographic phase.

There is described an aerosol-forming substrate for use in combination with an inductive heating device. The aerosol-forming substrate comprises a solid material capable of releasing volatile compounds that can form an aerosol upon heating of the aerosol-forming substrate and at least a first susceptor material for heating of the aerosol-forming substrate. The first susceptor material is arranged in thermal proximity of the solid material. The aerosol-forming substrate further comprises at least a second susceptor material having a second Curie-temperature which is lower than a predefined maximum heating temperature of the first susceptor material. There is also described an aerosol-delivery system.

A smart susceptor assembly including an electromagnetic flux source such as one or more inductors, a geometrically complex-shaped susceptor having one or more contours, and a cladding on or over the susceptor. The cladding can alter both the thermal performance and the electrical operation of the smart susceptor assembly. With regard to thermal performance, the cladding can function as a passive heat exchanger to dissipate thermal energy across the surface of the susceptor. With regard to electrical operation, the cladding can provide a current path after portions of the susceptor heat and become low or non-magnetic.

A method and system for heating a material includes an induction coil, a susceptor providing a receptacle, where the receptacle is configured to receive the material, and at least one nozzle for ejecting a heated gas onto and/or into the material. During the method, the susceptor is heated by the induction coil, and thermal energy from the susceptor can be transferred to the material. In addition to being heated by heat from the susceptor, the material is also heated by the heated gas, thereby increasing a heating rate of the material to rapidly heat the material to a processing temperature. The system can include other components such as a gas source, at least one conduit that channels gas from the gas source to the at least one nozzle, and a heat source that heats the gas prior to ejecting the gas from the at least one nozzle.

Cookware, and an induction cooking system including the cookware, can include a container, a base layer, and a susceptor layer. The container and the base layer can be non-magnetic at room temperature, while the susceptor layer is magnetic at room temperature and has a Curie temperature at which the susceptor layer becomes non-magnetic. During heating of a material within the container, the base layer functions as a passive heat exchange to transfer heat across the susceptor layer, thereby decreasing a range of temperatures across the susceptor layer. Further, during the heating, the base layer conducts an electric current when the susceptor layer approaches a leveling temperature and/or the Curie temperature of the susceptor layer, thereby decreasing an amount of heat produced and resulting in a more even heating of the material.