Method and apparatus for fast, reliable, and environmentally safe dispensing of fluids, gases and individual particles of a suspension through pressure control at well defined parts of a closed flow-through system
First Claim
1. A method for fast and reliable control of the flow of fluid substances and fluid volume elements carrying individual particles of a suspension, flowing in a hole-like, environmentally friendly, duct flow system having inlets and outlets, under the effect of pressure differential existing between the inlets and outlets of the system, the duct flow system having one mode of operation in which control of the flow of the fluids is used for dispensing the fluid substances through a number of outlets of the system with a preselected dispensing format, and a second mode of operation in which control of the flow of the fluid substance is used for dispensing volume elements, containing at least one particle, in accordance with at least one individual physio-chemical property of the particles, so as to sort these particles out of their original suspension into a plurality of partial suspensions, and where a combined multi-parameter compensating process assures fast and reliable achievement of each of a number of preselected flow configurations, defined by the distribution of the flow of the substance in the various outlets of the system, whereby through said compensating process, each of the flow configurations is achieved independently from the other flow configurations during the whole operation of the system, wherein said method comprises the steps of:
- (a) transporting said fluid substances in at least one transporting duct towards a duct branching zone [while analyzing the individual particles in the ducts, in the second mode, in accordance with at least one of their properties], and subsequently determining a flow configuration of the substance in the various outlets of the flow system [while, in the first mode, the flow configuration is determined without analyzing the particles] when said system is in said first mode without analyzing said particles, and when in said second mode analyzing for at least one of their properties;
(b) creating a corresponding flow configuration for said duct branching zone, where not only at least one transporting duct enters but also a multitude of dispensing ducts branch out radially in space, by discontinuously injecting a fluid control medium, at the entrance of a number of dispensing ducts of the multitude of dispensing ducts where the substances to be dispensed are not to enter, with a force and at a place of injection so that the substances are forced to enter into other dispensing ducts of the multitude of dispensing ducts, while the control medium flows into that duct into which it was injected, the discontinuous injecting causing a small mass of the control medium and the substances to rapidly fluctuate;
(c) providing a buffer cavity at the end of each dispensing duct;
(d) transporting the dispensed substances in their dispensing ducts toward respective corresponding buffer cavities, and transporting the control medium in its ducts towards buffer cavities corresponding to the control medium ducts;
(e) decoupling the rapidly fluctuating small mass of the substances and the control medium, flowing from the dispensing ducts into the corresponding buffer cavities, from the fluid flowing in the dispensing ducts, which is of a larger mass or amount which slowly out of the buffer cavities since each of these cavities has a fluid-free volume which is substantially larger than that of the whole duct flow system, whereby a very fast fluctuation of the small amount of the substances to be dispensed is possible and from where the very fast operation of the system also follows;
(f) buffering, simultaneously in the buffer cavities, the pressure, which is caused partly by a fluctuating influx of the control medium into these cavities, and selectably separating the control medium from the processed substance when the control medium is of a gaseous nature and the processed substance is of a liquid nature by forcing the gaseous control medium, through the effect of buoyancy, to leave the cavities through a gas outlet hole, situated at the upper part of the cavity, and simultaneously letting the dispensed substance leave the cavity through an outlet hole, situated at the bottom of the cavity, and causing, through this type of buffering, the exact return of the pressure and flow conditions in the dispensing part of the system to a steady flow state where no control medium is injected, whereafter, the system is ready for another prescribed and completely independent dispensing phase; and
(g) directing the dispensed fluids through a two-position multiple-tube value selectively leading to corresponding filtering/collector means for separating the sorted particles from most of the suspending fluid, so that a very highly concentrated suspension is obtained, and into a waste container, the obtained end result then being transferred manually to other containers.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for controlling flows of fluids, suspensions, gases, aerosols, and for sorting individual particles, flowing in transporter ducts of a flow-through duct system, using for control of the flow and hence, for dispensing and sorting processes, a pressure increase for a short time interval, at the entrances of preselected ducts having a value so that the flow of the fluid or gas to be dispensed comes to a stop at these entrances and is thus constrained together with the particle to flow into ducts where the pressure increase does not take place during the same dispensing/sorting phase. The momentary pressure increase is caused at the ducts either by injection of another fluid or gas through the injection duct, corresponding to these ducts, or by generation of a gas bubble or vapor between electrodes situated at the entrance of these ducts. Buffer cavities, situated between the fast fluctuating part of the system and already processed fluid, itself flowing slowly in the drainage tubes, assure very fast, reliable and stable operation for dispenser/sorter system since through the buffering effect, each dispensing flow configuration is independent from previous configurations. The density of the processed suspension is increased during processing inside the system by special filtering/collector cavities of the same kind. The possible uses of the invention include cell sorting in the fields of cytology and cancer research, accurate, environmentally friendly dispensing of any fluid or gas, i.e., in pharmaceutical chemistry, combustion research and the distribution of very dangerous fluids and gases.
170 Citations
71 Claims
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1. A method for fast and reliable control of the flow of fluid substances and fluid volume elements carrying individual particles of a suspension, flowing in a hole-like, environmentally friendly, duct flow system having inlets and outlets, under the effect of pressure differential existing between the inlets and outlets of the system, the duct flow system having one mode of operation in which control of the flow of the fluids is used for dispensing the fluid substances through a number of outlets of the system with a preselected dispensing format, and a second mode of operation in which control of the flow of the fluid substance is used for dispensing volume elements, containing at least one particle, in accordance with at least one individual physio-chemical property of the particles, so as to sort these particles out of their original suspension into a plurality of partial suspensions, and where a combined multi-parameter compensating process assures fast and reliable achievement of each of a number of preselected flow configurations, defined by the distribution of the flow of the substance in the various outlets of the system, whereby through said compensating process, each of the flow configurations is achieved independently from the other flow configurations during the whole operation of the system, wherein said method comprises the steps of:
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(a) transporting said fluid substances in at least one transporting duct towards a duct branching zone [while analyzing the individual particles in the ducts, in the second mode, in accordance with at least one of their properties], and subsequently determining a flow configuration of the substance in the various outlets of the flow system [while, in the first mode, the flow configuration is determined without analyzing the particles] when said system is in said first mode without analyzing said particles, and when in said second mode analyzing for at least one of their properties; (b) creating a corresponding flow configuration for said duct branching zone, where not only at least one transporting duct enters but also a multitude of dispensing ducts branch out radially in space, by discontinuously injecting a fluid control medium, at the entrance of a number of dispensing ducts of the multitude of dispensing ducts where the substances to be dispensed are not to enter, with a force and at a place of injection so that the substances are forced to enter into other dispensing ducts of the multitude of dispensing ducts, while the control medium flows into that duct into which it was injected, the discontinuous injecting causing a small mass of the control medium and the substances to rapidly fluctuate; (c) providing a buffer cavity at the end of each dispensing duct; (d) transporting the dispensed substances in their dispensing ducts toward respective corresponding buffer cavities, and transporting the control medium in its ducts towards buffer cavities corresponding to the control medium ducts; (e) decoupling the rapidly fluctuating small mass of the substances and the control medium, flowing from the dispensing ducts into the corresponding buffer cavities, from the fluid flowing in the dispensing ducts, which is of a larger mass or amount which slowly out of the buffer cavities since each of these cavities has a fluid-free volume which is substantially larger than that of the whole duct flow system, whereby a very fast fluctuation of the small amount of the substances to be dispensed is possible and from where the very fast operation of the system also follows; (f) buffering, simultaneously in the buffer cavities, the pressure, which is caused partly by a fluctuating influx of the control medium into these cavities, and selectably separating the control medium from the processed substance when the control medium is of a gaseous nature and the processed substance is of a liquid nature by forcing the gaseous control medium, through the effect of buoyancy, to leave the cavities through a gas outlet hole, situated at the upper part of the cavity, and simultaneously letting the dispensed substance leave the cavity through an outlet hole, situated at the bottom of the cavity, and causing, through this type of buffering, the exact return of the pressure and flow conditions in the dispensing part of the system to a steady flow state where no control medium is injected, whereafter, the system is ready for another prescribed and completely independent dispensing phase; and (g) directing the dispensed fluids through a two-position multiple-tube value selectively leading to corresponding filtering/collector means for separating the sorted particles from most of the suspending fluid, so that a very highly concentrated suspension is obtained, and into a waste container, the obtained end result then being transferred manually to other containers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 56, 57, 58, 59, 70)
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16. A dispensing and sorting device for a fast and reliable control of a flow of fluid substances and volume elements containing individual particles in suspension, in a closed, hole-like, environmentally friendly, duct system having inlets and outlets under the effect of a pressure difference, existing between the inlets and the outlets, the control of the flow, in a dispensing mode, being useable for dispensing the fluid substances through a plurality of outlets of the duct system in accordance with a preselected dispensing format, or in a particle sorting mode, for dispensing volume elements of the suspension, containing at least one particle, in accordance with at least one individual physio-chemical property of the particles, so as to sort these particles out of their original suspension into a number of groups, and where a combined compensating process assures not only a fast and reliable achievement of each individual, preselected flow configuration, differing from other flow configurations in that aspect in which dispenser ducts the just dispensed substance flows, but also a fast and exact return of the flow to its steady state flow configuration after each such dispensing phase during the whole operation of the system, whereby one dispensing or sorting phase is completely independent from all the preceeding phases and the fast fluctuating dispensing flow system is decoupled from the slowly flowing, already processed dispensing from tubes connected to the device, said device comprising:
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(a) at least one transporting duct having a downstream end and which carries not only the fluid substance towards a duct branching zone, but also contains apparatus for analysis of the particles to be analyzed in the particle sorting mode; (b) at least one duct branching zone which is delimited approximately by the downstream ends of the transporting ducts and entrances of dispensing duct branching out from this zone; (c) at least one device causing an increase of the fluid pressure at the entrances of the dispensing ducts through injection of a control medium so that by increasing the pressure at one such duct, the substance, or the particle carried in it, is prevented from entering into this duct but is constrained to enter into such a duct whee, during the same dispensing phase, such a pressure increase does not take place, during the injection, it is the control medium that flows into that duct where this medium is being injected; (d) at least two dispensing ducts, branching out of the duct branching zone at a small angle relative to each other; (e) a corresponding buffer cavity at the end of each dispensing duct having a fluid-free volume which is substantially largr than taht of the combined flow system, which consists of all the transporting ducts, the duct branching volume and all the dispensing ducts, so as to compensate for pressure fluctuation and to decouple a rapid fluctuation flow of the fluid in the dispensing ducts from a large amount of the already processed fluid, flowing out of the device slowly and without any appreciable fluctuation; (f) a two-position multiple-tube valve to direct, at one position, the various processed fluids into other containers, and in the other position, to direct all the fluids into a waste container; and (g) filtering/collector cavity means connected to the one position of the valve, for selectively increasifng the concentration of the particle suspension after processing so that most of the suspension is separted from the particles. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 71)
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Specification