Analysis system

• US 4,361,539 A
• Filed: 04/02/1981
• Issued: 11/30/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1980
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Il Holding SpA (Werfen SA)
• Original Assignee: Instrumentation Lab Co (Instrumentation Lab)
• Inventors: Cormier, Alan D., Weinberg, Melvin S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schor, Kenneth M.
• Application Number:
  US06/245,981
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 422/68, 422/80, 422/81, 422/98, 422/61, 422/70, 23/928, 204/195 B, 204/195 F, 204/195 P
• US Class Current: 422/82.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4915 using flow cells flow cytometry G01N15/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/492 Determining multiple analytes

Abstract

An analysis system for measuring a plurality of parameters of a fluid sample comprises a housing, and a flow-through cell in the housing that has opposed surfaces with at least two ports in each surface. One of the ports is an inlet port, a second of the ports is an outlet port, and at least two of the ports are sensing ports. A sample flow path including a serpentine portion in the cell serially connects the ports and extends from a port in one surface to a port in the other surface and back to a port in the one surface, and a sensor is disposed in sealing engagement with each sensing port and forms a portion of the serpentine flow path so that sample fluid to be analyzed contacts a surface of each sensor.

Claims

1. An analysis system for measuring a plurality of parameters of a fluid sample comprising:

a housing,

a flow-through cell in said housing, with structure in said cell defining an inlet port, an outlet port, and at least two sensor accepting ports, said cell having opposed faces and an annular sealing surface surrounding each said sensor accepting port, with at least one sensor accepting port in each face,

structure in said cell defining a sensing cavity of generally hemispherical configuration behind each said sensor accepting port,

means defining a sample flow path including a serpentine portion in said cell, said flow path serially connecting said inlet port, said sensing cavities and said outlet port, and including a straight passage segment extending from a sensing cavity in one face to a sensing cavity in the other face, and

a sensor disposed in sealing engagement with each said sensing cavity and forming a portion of said sample flow path so that sample fluid to be analyzed contacts a surface of each said sensor,

each said sensor having a bulb-like sensing projection and each said sensor being seated against a said face of said flow-through cell with its bulb-like sensing projection in a said hemispherical sensing cavity to define a sensing chamber, each said sensing chamber having a cavity inlet port at the bottom with an inlet passage portion of said sample flow-path sloping upwardly to said cavity inlet port, and a cavity outlet port at the top of said chamber with an outlet passage portion of said sample flow-path sloping upwardly away from said cavity outlet port.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said hemispherical cavity has a depth of less than five millimeters, and a diameter of less than five millimeters, and the end surface of said bulb-like projection structure is spaced less than two millimeters from the face of said hemispherical cavity.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said cavity inlet port is located immediately adjacent said face of said flow-through cell and is less than one millimeter in width.

4. The system of claim 1 and further including a fluid control in said serpentine portion in said cell, said fluid control having a first mode in which said sensing ports are connected in series with said inlet port so that fluid from the same sample may be flowed serially from said inlet port to said sensing ports for concurrent sensing by said sensors, and a second mode in which a first sensing port is in fluid communication with a first calibrating fluid inlet, a second sensing port is in fluid communication with a second calibrating fluid inlet, and said sensing ports are in fluid isolation from one another so that said sensors may be calibrated concurrently and independently of one another.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein a first sensor is connected to measure a gaseous parameter of the fluid sample at a first sensing port, and a second sensor is connected to measure an ionic parameter of the fluid sample at a second sensing port, said inlet port is connected to said first sensing port and a fluid control is connected between said first and second sensing ports.

6. The system of claim 1 and further including a reference port in one of said cell surfaces in communication with said serpentine path, said serpentine portion having a trap portion for preventing reference electrolyte from flowing from said reference port to a sensing port.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said flow-through cell is of transparent material so that fluid sample in said flow path may be visually observed.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said system includes a light transmitting window in the front wall of the housing for transmitting light to said flow-through cell.

9. The system of claim 1 and further including a series of sample detectors disposed at spaced points along the length of said serpentine path for detecting the presence of sample fluid at spaced points along said path.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said plurality of sample detectors are components of a sample position sensing system of the electrical conductivity type.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein each said passage segment is of capillary dimension (less than one millimeter in diameter), said opposed cell surfaces are planar and spaced less than five centimeters apart.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the volume of said flow path between said inlet and outlet ports is less than two hundred microliters.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein said serpentine flow path in said flow-through cell extends in a generally vertical direction and further including means to flow the sample to be analyzed upwardly through said serpentine flow path.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said sample flow means includes pump means connected to said outlet port, and further including means to flow a flush solution downwardly through said serpentine flow path.

15. The system of claim 14 and further including a reference port in one of said cell surfaces in communication with said serpentine path, said serpentine path having a crest portion for preventing reference electrolyte from flowing from said reference port downwardly to a sensing cavity.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein said flow-through cell is of transparent material so that fluid sample in said flow path may be visually observed, said housing has a transparent front wall portion that includes window structure for viewing said flow-through cell, and said transparent front wall portion includes chamber structure for storing conditioning liquid through which a sensor calibrating gas is bubbled.