A COOLING ELEMENT

Abstract

A cooling element comprising a longitudinally extending substrate, the longitudinally extending substrate including an additive in an amount from 3% to 12% by total weight of the substrate, wherein the additive is selected from (i) propylene glycol, (ii) vegetable glycerin, (iii) propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin or (iv) propylene glycol and 2-isopropyl-N,2,3-trimethylbutyramide.

Claims

1. A cooling element comprising a longitudinally extending substrate, the longitudinally extending substrate including an additive in an amount from 3% to 12% by total weight of the substrate, wherein the additive is selected from (i) propylene glycol, (ii) vegetable glycerin, (iii) propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin or (iv) propylene glycol and 2-isopropyl-N,2,3-trimethylbutyramide.

2-25. (canceled)

26. The cooling element according to claim 1, wherein the additive is in an amount from 6% to 10.5% by total weight of the substrate.

27. The cooling element according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinally extending substrate is made of cellulose acetate or paper (e.g., cellulose based embossed paper) or a non-woven material.

28. The cooling element according to claim 27, wherein the longitudinally extending substrate is thermoformed from cellulose acetate.

29. The cooling element according to claim 1, wherein the length of the cooling element is from 5 to 50 mm, e.g., 10 to 30 mm, e.g., 8 to 24 mm, e.g., 15 to 20 mm, e.g., 18 mm.

30. The cooling element according to claim 1, wherein the circumference of the cooling element is from 12 mm to 30 mm, e.g., 15 mm to 28 mm, e.g., 17 mm to 25 mm.

31. The cooling element according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinally extending substrate has one, or a plurality of, longitudinally extending bore(s).

32. The cooling element according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinally extending substrate has a profiled outer surface including a plurality of grooves or channels.

33. The cooling element according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinally extending substrate has a profiled outer surface including a plurality of grooves or channels and has one, or a plurality of, longitudinally extending bore(s).

34. A cooling element for a tobacco heating product and/or HNB product comprising a longitudinally extending substrate, the longitudinally extending substrate including an additive in an amount from 3% to 12% by total weight of the substrate, wherein the additive is selected from (i) propylene glycol, (ii) vegetable glycerin, (iii) propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin or (iv) propylene glycol and 2-isopropyl-N,2,3-trimethylbutyramide.

35. A smoking article (e.g., tobacco heating product, HNB product) comprising the cooling element according to claim 1 and optionally one or more discrete further segments.

36. A tobacco heating product and/or HNB product comprising a cooling element comprising a longitudinally extending substrate, the longitudinally extending substrate including an additive in an amount from 3% to 12% by total weight of the substrate, wherein the additive is selected from (i) propylene glycol, (ii) vegetable glycerin, (iii) propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin or (iv) propylene glycol and 2-isopropyl-N,2,3-trimethylbutyramide.

37. The cooling element according to claim 1, wherein the additive or cooling additive is propylene glycol and 2-isopropyl-N,2,3-trimethylbutyramide, optionally wherein the additive or cooling additive is 70% by weight propylene glycol and 30% by weight 2-isopropyl-N,2,3-trimethylbutyramide.

Description

[0078] The present invention will now be discussed in further detail with reference to the attached Figures in which:

[0079] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a HNB product according to the invention which includes a cooling element according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0080] FIG. 2 is a graphical representation of how the temperature at the mouth end of a HNB product varies as puffs are taken when the HNB product contains cooling elements A, B, C, D and E in comparison with a reference HNB product, Amber HEETS.

[0081] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a cylindrical HNB product 100. The HNB product 100 comprises four segments: a cylindrical plug 101 of reconstituted tobacco; a hollow acetate tube 102; a wrapped cylindrical plug of PLA 103 and a cylindrical cooling element 104 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Plug 101 of reconstituted tobacco is 12 mm long and has a circumference of 22 mm, and forms one end of the HNB product 100. This is the end inserted in a HNB device. Such plugs of reconstituted tobacco are well known in the art. This plug is heated in use by a heating device (HNB device) to produce a vapour, as is well known in the art. The plug 101 of reconstituted tobacco is abutted at one end to a 8 mm long hollow acetate tube 102 which is also of circumference 22 mm and has wall thickness 1.3 mm. The end of the hollow acetate tube 102 opposite to the plug of reconstituted tobacco 101 is abutted to a 18 mm long wrapped cylindrical plug of PLA 103. A cylindrical cooling element 104 according to an embodiment of the present invention is abutted to the opposite end of the wrapped cylindrical plug of PLA 103 such that cylindrical cooling element 104 is positioned at the mouth end of the HNB product. The cylindrical cooling element 104 is made of cellulose acetate and includes 9% vegetable glycerin (not shown) applied by methods well known in the art (e.g., by spraying the fibres). The cylindrical cooling element 104 is of length 7 mm and circumference 22 mm.

[0082] The cylindrical plug of reconstituted tobacco 101, hollow acetate tube 102, wrapped cylindrical plug of PLA 103 and cylindrical cooling element 104 are further wrapped with a plugwrap (not shown) of conventional plugwrap paper (that is known in the art). This provides an external appearance similar to that of a conventional cigarette.

[0083] During use, the cylindrical plug of reconstituted tobacco 101 of the HNB product 100 is inserted into a HNB device. The HNB device heats the reconstituted tobacco in the manner conventional for HNB devices. This produces a hot vapour which is first drawn through the hollow acetate tube 102 and then through the wrapped cylindrical plug of PLA 103 and then finally through cylindrical cooling element 104 to the smoker's mouth (i.e., the mouth end). It is believed that drawing this hot vapour through the cooling element 104 cools the vapour down to a temperature that is acceptable for the user. The applicants have found that the inclusion of additives in the cooling element provides a particularly effective level of cooling, and also a remarkable extraction of phenols from the vapour. Such superior effects have not been achieved with previous cooling elements.

Example 1

[0084] In FIG. 1, cylindrical cooling element 104 of length 7 mm and circumference 22 mm is made of cellulose acetate which includes 9% vegetable glycerin (not shown) by total weight of the cellulose acetate and vegetable glycerin. The cellulose acetate used for cooling element 104 weighs 0.6 mg and contains 0.06 mg of vegetable glycerin. The percentage of vegetable glycerin present by total weight of the cellulose acetate and vegetable glycerin is 9%. This has been calculated using the general equation presented earlier, to give the result below.

[00002]$\mathrm{Percentage}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{additive}\%=\frac{0.06}{0.6+0.06}?100=9\%$

Experiment

[0085] Cooling elements A, B, C, D and E of the invention were made according to methods known in the art.

[0086] Cooling element A comprises a longitudinally extending cylindrical substrate of cellulose acetate including 6% propylene glycol (6% PG) by total weight of the cellulose acetate and propylene glycol and is of length 7 mm and circumference 22 mm.

[0087] Cooling element B comprises a longitudinally extending cylindrical substrate of cellulose acetate including 11% propylene glycol (11% PG) by total weight of the cellulose acetate and propylene glycol and is of length 7 mm and circumference 22 mm.

[0088] Cooling element C comprises a longitudinally extending cylindrical substrate of cellulose acetate including 3% vegetable glycerin (3% VG) by total weight of the cellulose acetate and vegetable glycerin and is of length 7 mm and circumference 22 mm.

[0089] Cooling element D comprises a longitudinally extending cylindrical substrate of cellulose acetate including 9% vegetable glycerin (9% VG) by total weight of the cellulose acetate and vegetable glycerin and is of length 7 mm and circumference 22 mm.

[0090] Cooling element E comprises a longitudinally extending cylindrical substrate of cellulose acetate including 6% propylene glycol and 6% vegetable glycerin (6% PG 6% VG) by total weight of the cellulose acetate, vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol and is of length 7 mm and circumference 22 mm.

[0091] Five HNB products, according to FIG. 1, were assembled for testing, each including one of cooling elements of the invention A, B, C, D and E. Cooling elements A, B, C, D and E were used with a wrapped cylindrical plug of PLA (103 in FIG. 1) of length 18 mm and circumference 22 mm, a hollow acetate tube (102 in FIG. 1) of length 8 mm, circumference 22 mm and wall thickness 1.3 mm and a plug of reconstituted tobacco (101 in FIG. 1) of length 12 mm and circumference 22 mm. The reference HNB product Amber HEETS includes a plug of reconstituted tobacco, a hollow acetate tube, a wrapped cylindrical plug of PLA and a cylindrical plug of cellulose acetate tow in an analogous arrangement to that shown in FIG. 1.

[0092] The HNB products including one of the cooling elements A, B, C, D and E, and the reference HNB product Amber HEETS were tested in conventional heating devices (HNB devices).

[0093] Each HNB product was inserted into a heating device. The mouth end of the HNB product was inserted into a smoking machine which is configured to smoke the HNB product. An IR camera was used to analyse the temperature at the mouth end of the HNB product while it is being smoked. The smoking machine was configured to take a puff on the HNB product every 30 seconds, each puff being 2 seconds long. The temperature at the mouth end of the HNB product was measured for each puff. The experiment was performed at standard room temperature and humidity. The experiment was repeated for each HNB product including one of the cooling elements A, B, C, D, E and the reference HNB product Amber HEETS.

[0094] FIG. 2 illustrates the temperature at the mouth end for each puff for the HNB products comprising cooling elements A, B, C, D and E in comparison with the reference HNB product Amber HEETS. The Figure shows that cooling elements A, B, C, D and E of the present invention are capable of providing a cooling effect that is better than the reference HNB product Amber HEETS, while providing an number of additional benefits e.g., reducing phenol yield, e.g., delivering nicotine in an acceptable amount to the consumer. This indicates cooling elements including propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin can provide improved cooling of the vapour.

[0095] In particular, FIG. 2 illustrates that the mouth end temperature of a HNB product comprising a cooling element including 9% vegetable glycerin is significantly lower than the mouth end temperature than the reference HNB product Amber HEETS for each puff. The highest temperature reduction is seen with cooling elements including vegetable glycerin. However, FIG. 2 shows that cooling elements including propylene glycol, including cooling elements including propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, also demonstrate a significant reduction in mouth end temperature with each puff compared to the conventional cooling element in the reference HNB product Amber HEETS. Further data are shown in Table 1 below.

[0096] Thus cooling elements of the present invention have a consistent and/or predictable cooling effect to provide the required temperature reduction.

[0097] The phenol and nicotine yields of the HNB products comprising one of the cooling elements A, B, C, D and E, and the reference HNB product Amber HEETS in conventional heating devices (HNB devices) were measured by methods well known in the art (ISO 23904:2020CigarettesDetermination of selected phenolic compounds in cigarette mainstream smoke with an intense smoking regime using HPLC-FLD and ISO 3308:2012 Routine analytical cigarette-smoking machineDefinitions and standard conditions). The results are illustrated in Table 1.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 HNB Product Cooling Cooling Cooling Cooling Cooling element element element element element Amber A B C D E HEETS PD 54 54 52 55 56 59 (mmWG) 1st Puff 53 54 52 51 54 58 Temp (? C.) 12.sup.th Puff 38 39 39 38 38 41 Temp (? C.) ?T (? C.) 15 15 13 13 16 17 Nicotine 1.03 1.18 1.00 1.08 1.16 1.05 yield (mg) Water 22.88 26.64 24.26 25.39 25.41 19.74 (mg) Phenol 0.49 0.77 0.55 0.41 0.67 0.83 yield (?g)

[0098] Table 1 shows the phenol yields for the HNB products comprising cooling elements A, B, C, D and E are lower than the phenol yield for the reference HNB product Amber HEETS. In particular, Table 1 shows that the phenol yield of a HNB product comprising a cooling element including 9% vegetable glycerin is less than half the phenol yield of the reference HNB product Amber HEETS. Further, the phenol yield of a HNB product comprising a cooling element including 3% vegetable glycerin is significantly lower than the phenol yield for the reference HNB product Amber HEETS. This indicates that cooling elements including vegetable glycerin, in addition to providing superior cooling of the vapour, are particularly effective at removing (e.g., adsorbing) phenols (e.g., phenolic compounds) from the vapour as it is drawn through the cooling element.

[0099] Table 1 also shows cooling elements including 6% propylene glycol demonstrate a significant reduction in phenol yield compared to the reference HNB product Amber HEETS. Thus, cooling elements including propylene glycol are also effective at removing (e.g., adsorbing) phenols (e.g., phenolic compounds) from the vapour as it is drawn through the cooling element.

[0100] The lower phenol yields for the HNB products comprising cooling elements A, B, C, D and E compared to the reference HNB product Amber HEETS are seen without a reduction in the nicotine yield. Table 1 shows cooling elements A, B, C, D and E of the present invention are capable of providing the same (or at least similar) nicotine yield of the reference HNB product Amber HEETS.

[0101] This indicates cooling elements of the present invention are capable of providing acceptable cooling of the vapour in a HNB product and acceptable filtration properties. In particular, cooling elements of the present invention are capable of reducing phenol yield whilst delivering an acceptable amount of nicotine to the consumer.