Abstract: An inductive heating element for an aerosol-generating system is provided, the inductive heating element including: a first susceptor, the first susceptor being a tubular susceptor defining an inner cavity configured to receive an aerosol-forming substrate; a second susceptor, the second susceptor being a tubular susceptor defining an inner cavity configured to receive aerosol-forming substrate; and a separation between the first susceptor and the second susceptor, the separation thermally insulating the first susceptor from the second susceptor. An inductive heating arrangement, an aerosol-generating device, and an aerosol-generating system are also provided.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an electrical heating assembly of an aerosol-generating device for resistively heating an aerosol-forming substrate. The heating assembly comprises a control circuit configured to provide an AC driving current. The heating assembly further comprises an electrically resistive heating element comprising an electrically conductive ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic material for heating the aerosol-forming substrate. The heating element is operatively coupled with the control circuit and configured to heat up due to Joule heating when passing an AC driving element provided by the control circuit current through the heating element. The present invention further relates to an aerosol-generating device for use with an aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the aerosol-generating device comprises a heating assembly according to the invention.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: an inductive heating arrangement to heat an aerosol-forming substrate and including: a susceptor arrangement heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field, a first LC circuit having a resonance frequency and including a first inductor coil and capacitor, and a second LC circuit having the same resonance frequency and including a second inductor coil and capacitor; and a controller to drive the first and second circuits with respective first and second currents for generating respective first and second alternating magnetic fields for heating respective first and second portions of the susceptor, supply the first and currents with the resonance frequency a different frequency, respectively, supply the first current to the first circuit during a first phase to increase the first portion to a first operating temperature, and supply the first current with resonance frequency of the circuits during the first phase.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device to heat an aerosol-forming substrate configured to form an inhalable aerosol when heated, including: a cavity to removably receive an article including the substrate and an inductively heatable susceptor to heat the substrate; a DC power supply; an inductive heating arrangement connected to the power supply and to generate an alternating magnetic field within the cavity to inductively heat the susceptor in a heating operation when the article is received in the cavity; and control circuitry to generate power pulses for intermittently powering on the arrangement, measure for each power pulse a property of the arrangement, detect whether a change of the property has occurred as compared previous power pulses due to the susceptor becoming present within or absent from the cavity when the article is inserted or extracted, and detect insertion or extraction of the article in response to detecting of a change of the property.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device for generating an aerosol by inductive heating of an aerosol-forming substrate is provided, the device including: a device housing including a cavity configured to removably receive the substrate to be heated; an inductive heating arrangement including at least one induction coil configured to generate an alternating magnetic field within the cavity, the coil being arranged around at least a portion of the cavity; and a flux concentrator arranged around at least a portion of the induction coil and configured to distort the alternating magnetic field of the at least one inductive heating arrangement towards the cavity, the flux concentrator including or being made of a flux concentrator foil, and the flux concentrator foil including at least one of a permalloy or a nano-crystalline soft magnetic alloy. An aerosol-generating system including the aerosol-generating device and an aerosol-generating article is also provided.

Abstract: The method for manufacturing an inductively heatable aerosol-forming substrate comprises the steps of providing a tobacco containing slurry, providing an inductively heatable continuous sheet-like material and joining the tobacco containing slurry and the inductively heatable continuous sheet-like material to form an inductively heatable aerosol-forming substrate. A further step comprises drying the inductively heatable aerosol-forming substrate while transporting the inductively heatable aerosol-forming substrate on a conveyor device.

Abstract: A method of controlling an aerosol-generating system is provided, the system including: an inductive heating arrangement to heat an aerosol-forming substrate and including an inductive heating element including a susceptor to heat the substrate, and first and second inductor coils; a power supply to supply power to the arrangement; and the method including: driving a first varying current in the first coil to generate a first varying magnetic field and controlling the first current such that a temperature of the first portion of the heating element increases to a first operating temperature; and driving a second varying current in the second coil to generate a second varying magnetic field and controlling the second current such that a temperature of the second portion of the heating element increases to a second operating temperature, the second current is not driven when the first current is driven and vice versa.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: a device cavity having proximal and distal ends, the proximal end of the cavity to receive an aerosol-generating article; an inductive heating arrangement to heat the substrate and including: a susceptor arrangement heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field to heat the substrate, a first LC circuit having a first resonance frequency and including a first inductor coil towards the proximal end and a first capacitor, and a second LC circuit having a second resonance frequency different from the first resonance frequency and including a second inductor coil towards the distal end and a second capacitor, and having a different number of turns than the first coil; and a controller to initiate heating of the substrate by driving a first varying current in the first coil and subsequently driving a second varying current in the second coil.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating system is provided, including: a liquid storage portion including a container to hold a liquid aerosol-forming substrate and defining an opening at an end thereof; a heater assembly extending across the opening along a plane transverse to a longitudinal axis of the storage portion and including electrically conductive filaments having a substantially flat orientation; a capillary material between the storage portion and the assembly; and conductive contacts in electrical contact with contacts of the assembly, the storage portion being at a first side of the assembly, and first and second portions of a first airflow channel at a second side of the assembly, the first portion to direct air from outside the system in a direction towards a surface of the capillary material, and the second portion to direct air from the outside in a direction away from the surface before such air enters the first portion.

Abstract: An electronic aerosol-generating device includes a housing extending between first and second ends along a longitudinal axis. The second end of the housing defines a cavity for receiving a consumable containing an aerosol generating substrate. The device further includes a heating component comprising a heating element extending along the longitudinal axis within the cavity and configured to penetrate into the aerosol generating substrate when the consumable is inserted into the cavity. The heating element comprises a material having a Curie temperature of less than 500° C. The device also includes an inductor comprising an inductor coil positioned to transfer magnetic energy to the heating element. The inductor is configured to induce eddy currents and/or hysteresis losses in the heating element. The device further includes a power supply operably connected to the inductor and control electronics operably connected to the power supply and configured to control heating of the heating element.

Abstract: An inductive heating device (1) for heating an aerosol-forming substrate (20) comprising a susceptor (21) comprises: a device housing (10) a DC power source (11) for providing a DC supply voltage (VDC) and a DC current (IDC) a power supply electronics (13) comprising a DC/AC converter (132), the DC/AC converter (132) comprising an LC load network (1323) comprising a series connection of a capacitor (C2) and an inductor (L2) having an ohmic resistance (RCoil), a cavity (14) in the device housing (10) for accommodating a portion of the aerosol-forming substrate (20) to inductively couple the inductor (L2) of the LC load network (1323) to the susceptor (21). The power supply electronics (13) further comprises a microcontroller (131) to determine from the DC supply voltage (VDC) and the DC current (IDC) an apparent ohmic resistance (Ra), and from the apparent ohmic resistance (Ra) the temperature (T) of the susceptor (21).

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including a housing having a chamber; an induction coil disposed around at least a portion of the chamber; a heating compartment configured to receive an aerosol-generating article and being detachably insertable into the chamber of the housing, the heating compartment including a cavity configured to receive at least a portion of the aerosol-generating article; and a heating element arrangeable within the cavity of the heating compartment, the heating element extending into the cavity in a longitudinal direction of the cavity, and being configured to penetrate an aerosol-forming substrate in the aerosol-generating article and received in the cavity.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device includes a receiving sleeve which in turn includes an inner receiving zone for receiving a first aerosol-forming substrate, and an outer receiving zone extending across at least a portion of an outer circumferential periphery of the receiving sleeve for receiving a second aerosol-forming substrate. The device includes a heater for heating the first aerosol-forming substrate or the second aerosol-forming substrate.

Abstract: A cartridge for an aerosol-generating system is provided, the cartridge including: a liquid storage portion including a housing with a first opening, to contain a liquid aerosol-forming substrate; and a heater assembly including an electrically insulating support having a second opening, an electrical heating element supported by the insulating support and to heat the substrate to form an aerosol, and first and second electrically conductive contact portions disposed at opposite sides of the second opening and to connect to electrical connectors of a battery to supply power to the heater assembly, and a capillary material having first and second faces, the first face being in physical contact with the heating element and the second face being opposite the first face, the capillary material to convey the substrate to the heating element by capillary action, the heater assembly being connected to the housing of the liquid storage portion.

Abstract: An electronic aerosol-generating device includes a housing extending between first and second ends along a longitudinal axis. The second end of the housing defines a cavity for receiving a consumable containing an aerosol generating substrate. The device further includes a heating component comprising a heating element extending along the longitudinal axis within the cavity and configured to penetrate into the aerosol generating substrate when the consumable is inserted into the cavity. The heating element comprises a material having a Curie temperature of less than 500° C. The device also includes an inductor comprising an inductor coil positioned to transfer magnetic energy to the heating element. The inductor is configured to induce eddy currents and/or hysteresis losses in the heating element. The device further includes a power supply operably connected to the inductor and control electronics operably connected to the power supply and configured to control heating of the heating element.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating system is provided, including: an aerosol-generating device including a power source; and a cartridge removably coupled to the aerosol-generating device, the cartridge including: a liquid storage portion including a housing having an open end and containing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a heater assembly at the open end of the housing and including a planar electrical heating element to heat the liquid aerosol-forming substrate to form an aerosol, and a capillary material in contact with the planar electrical heating element and being configured to convey the liquid aerosol-forming substrate to the planar electrical heating element, the liquid storage portion being at a first side of the heater assembly and an airflow channel being at a second side of the heater assembly, and the power source of the aerosol-generating device is to supply power to the heater assembly.

Abstract: The method for manufacturing an inductively heatable aerosol-forming substrate comprises the steps of providing a tobacco containing slurry, providing an inductively heatable continuous sheet-like material and joining the tobacco containing slurry and the inductively heatable continuous sheet-like material to form an inductively heatable aerosol-forming substrate. A further step comprises drying the inductively heatable aerosol-forming substrate while transporting the inductively heatable aerosol-forming substrate on a conveyor device.

Abstract: An improved method for recovering metals from spent catalysts, particularly from spent slurry catalysts, is disclosed. The method and associated processes comprising the method are useful to recover catalyst metals used in the petroleum and chemical processing industries. The method generally involves a pyrometallurgical method and a hydrometallurgical method and includes forming a soda ash calcine of a caustic leach residue of the spent catalyst containing an insoluble Group VIII/Group VIB/Group VB metal compound combined with soda ash, and extracting and recovering soluble Group VIB metal and soluble Group VB metal compounds from the soda ash calcine.

Abstract: An electronic aerosol-generating device includes a housing extending between first and second ends along a longitudinal axis. The second end of the housing defines a cavity for receiving a consumable containing an aerosol generating substrate. The device further includes a heating component comprising a heating element extending along the longitudinal axis within the cavity and configured to penetrate into the aerosol generating substrate when the consumable is inserted into the cavity. The heating element comprises a material having a Curie temperature of less than 500° C. The device also includes an inductor comprising an inductor coil positioned to transfer magnetic energy to the heating element. The inductor is configured to induce eddy currents and/or hysteresis losses in the heating element. The device further includes a power supply operably connected to the inductor and control electronics operably connected to the power supply and configured to control heating of the heating element.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating system includes a liquid-storage portion configured to hold a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a first electrode, a second electrode, and a control system. The second electrode is spaced from the first electrode. At least a portion of the liquid storage portion is arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode. The control system is configured to measure an electrical quantity between the first electrode and the second electrode, and detect a draw on the aerosol-generating system based on the measured electrical quantity information.