METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MIXING LIQUIDS

• US 3,775,058 A
• Filed: 03/08/1971
• Issued: 11/27/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1965
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brian Bush
• Original Assignee: Brian Bush
• Inventors: Bush, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Scovronek, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US05/121,737
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 23/23R,23B,253,259,232C,1R,1US 141/1,183 222/420 259/1R
• US Class Current: 436/51
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/411 using electrical or magnetic fields, heat or vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0268 using pulse dispensing or spraying, eg. inkjet type, piezo actuated ejection of droplets from capillaries
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 17/04 operating with special methods
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 17/0607 generated by electrical means, e.g. piezoelectric transducers
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 5/043 using induction-charging
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/38 Diluting, dispersing or mixing samples
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/149 specially adapted for sorting particles, e.g. by their size or optical properties
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 31/16 using titration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 435/808 Optical sensing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 Automated chemical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/116664 with automated titrator

Abstract

Method wherein droplets of liquid are formed by passage of the liquid through a droplet generator to form a stream of droplets typically by piezoelectric means. Droplets directed in contact with a different liquid rapidly diffuse into the latter liquid. By this technique controlled amounts of chemicals may be mixed reacted and subjected to analysis. Apparatus for carrying out this method includes means for producing at least one stream of droplets and means for directing droplets in desired directions. Furthermore, droplets of liquid may be automatically dispensed into moving containers. Additionally, droplets of a solute in a solvent may be concentrated by removal of solvent, evaporated and subjected to chromatographic analysis.

Claims

2. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for producing a stream of droplets is a piezoelectric crystal.

3. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 wherein means are provided for maintaining the temperature of said different liquid.

4. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 wherein said means producing the different liquid is a means for producing a suspended drop.

5. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 wherein analytical means is provided to monitor a physical property of a reaction product formed by mixture of the two liquids.

6. The apparatus claimed in claim 5 wherein said analytical means is a photometric means for measuring light wavelength transmittance.

7. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 wherein said means providing the different liquid comprises a separate means for producing a stream of uniformly sized droplets, means for electrostatically charging said droplets and control means for controlling the direction of said droplets and collecting means for said contacted liquids is provided.

8. The apparatus claimed in claim 7 wherein said collecting means comprises a plurality of rotatably mounted collectors which are successively positioned to receive droplets of said first liquid and of reagents of different liquid reactive with components of said first liquid and heating means is provided to heat each of said collectors.

9. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 wherein a valve is provided through which said first liquid passes without contact with different liquid and prior to formation into droplets, and through which reagents of different liquid which are reactive with components of said first liquid also separately pass through said valve without contact with any other liquid, means for passing liquid emerging from said valve to said means for producing a stream of uniformly sized droplets and collector means for receiving at least one droplet of each of the liquids emerging from the means for producing droplets.

10. The apparatus claimed in claim 9 wherein said valve has sufficient ports to permit separate passage of said first liquids anD reagents of different liquid which are reactive with a particular component of said first liquid and a separate valve is provided to retain reagents reactive with other components of the first liquid until the first reagents have passed through the valve.

11. The apparatus claimed in claim 9 wherein said valve is the sole valve employed and has sufficient ports to permit reagents of different liquid reactive with a plurality of components of said first liquid to pass through separate ports.

12. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 wherein a vessel is provided for containing said different liquid in position such that at least one said droplets of said first liquid is brought into contact therewith to rapidly diffuse therewith.

13. An apparatus for removing solvent from liquid chromatography column effluent comprising drop generating means for producing a single direct path stream of uniformly sized droplets of a liquid chromatography column effluent of a solution in a solvent upon emergence from said means, said means being in a vessel heated to a temperature sufficient to evaporate substantially all or most solvent in said droplets to reduce said droplets in size and concentrate them, means for removing evaporated solvent, an aperture in said vessel, in a direct path from said means generating droplets, leading to another vessel heated to a higher temperature sufficient to vapourize said concentrated droplets and an exit from the vessel heated to a higher temperature opposite the entering aperture, through which exit the vapourized droplets pass.

14. A method for mixing chemical liquids which comprises passing a first liquid through a drop generator to provide a stream of substantially uniformly sized droplets and electrostatically charging selectively pulsed droplets and directing at least one uncharged droplet from said stream into contact with a different liquid to rapidly diffuse therewith.

15. The method claimed in claim 14 wherein said different liquid is formed as a suspended drop.

16. The method claimed in claim 14 wherein the liquids chemically react with each other and a physical property of the reaction product is monitored.

17. The method claimed in claim 16 wherein the light wavelength transmittance of the reaction product is photometrically monitored.

18. The method claimed in claim 14 wherein said first liquid is blood serum and said different liquid is a reagent which is reactive with a component of said blood serum.

19. The method claimed in claim 14 wherein said different liquid is formed into uniformly sized droplets prior to contact of at least one of said droplets of said different liquid with at least one droplet of said first droplet by passing said different liquid through a separate drop generator to produce a stream of substantially uniformly sized droplets and said droplets of said different liquid are electrostatically charged and at least one droplet is directed into a collector and at least one droplet of said first liquid is also directed into the collector.

20. The method claimed in claim 19 wherein said first liquid is blood serum and said different liquid is a reagent which is reactive with a component of blood serum.

21. The method claimed in claim 19 wherein said droplets of first liquid contain a solvent which dilutes droplets of said different liquid.

22. The method claimed in claim 21 wherein said first liquid is water and said different liquid is concentrated hydrochloric acid solution.

23. The method claimed in claim 19 wherein said at least one droplet of each of said first liquid and said different liquid are contacted with each other prior to reaching said collector.

24. The method claimed in claim 19 wherein at least one droplet of one of said first liquid and said different liquid reaches said collector prior to the droplet of the other liquid.

25. The method claimed in claim 19 wherein a plurality of collectors are successively rotated into position to receive droplets of said first liQuid and reagents of different liquids reactive with components of said first liquid.

26. The method claimed in claim 25 wherein each of said collectors is heated prior to receiving droplets of said first liquid and reagents of different liquids.

27. The method claimed in claim 14 wherein said first liquid passes through a valve without contacting any other liquid and then passes to said drop generator and at least one droplet of said first liquid is directed into a collector, and separate reagents of said different liquid reactive with components of said first liquid separately pass through the same valve and then pass from said valve to the same drop generator wherein a stream of substantially uniformly sized droplets of each of said reagents is produced and electrostatically charged and at least one droplet of each of said reagent is directed into said collector, whereby said first liquid is diffused with the different liquid entering said collector.

28. The method claimed in claim 27 wherein said reagents of different liquid prior to reaching said valve are passed into another valve which retains all reagents except reagents reactive with a particular component of said first liquid, the reagents reactive with said particular component are passed into the valve and after said reagents reactive with said particular component and said first liquid have separately passed through the valve, reagents retained in the other valve are passed to the valve.

29. The method claimed in claim 27 wherein said valve is the only valve employed and each of said reagents of different liquid reaches said valve but only one passes therethrough at a particular time out of contact with all other liquids.

30. The method claimed in claim 14 wherein said different liquid is in a vessel and upon contact therewith by at least one droplet of said first liquid a parameter thereof is adjusted in said different liquid, and continuing said contact until the desired end point of parameter adjustment is reached.

31. The method claimed in claim 30 wherein the parameter adjusted is pH, said first liquid is an acid or base titrant, said second liquid has its pH adjusted with said titrant and said detector monitors the pH.

32. A method for removing solvent from liquid chromatography column effluent comprising passing liquid chromatography column effluent of a solute in a solvent to a drop generator to produce a single direct path stream of uniformly sized droplets emerging from said drop generator, said drop generator being in a vessel heated to a sufficient temperature to substantially all or mostly evaporate the solvent content of said droplets thereby reducing said droplets in size and concentrating them, removing said evaporated solvent, passing said concentrated droplets through an aperture in a direct path from said drop generator into a vessel heated to a higher temperature than the temperature of said first vessel, said higher temperature being sufficient to vapourize said concentrated droplets and passing said vapourized droplets out of said vessel heated to a higher temperature through an exit directly opposite said aperture.

33. The method claimed in claim 32 wherein said vapourized droplets are subjected to gas chromatographic analysis.

34. A method of pulsing a selected number of droplets of a plurality of chemical liquids to be analyzed through a single drop generator comprising sequentially passing each of said chemical liquids to be analyzed through said drop generator to provide a stream of substantially uniformly sized droplets, pulsing the selected number of droplets which are uncontaminated with the previously passed liquid into a direction to permit analysis thereof and pulsing contaminated droplets and droplets in excess of the selected number to waste.