Capillary fluid switch with asymmetric bubble chamber
First Claim
1. A fluid-control method comprising the steps of:
- introducing a wall-confined bubble into a gate region of a capillary fluid channel;
maintaining said bubble in said gate region using a barrier region of higher energy potential with respect to said bubble than said gate region and a source region of higher energy potential than said barrier region; and
increasing the energy of said bubble so that it exits said gate region into a drain region via said barrier region.
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Abstract
A switching device for controlling fluid motion. The device includes a capillary filled with a first fluid into which a wall-confined bubble of a second fluid is introduced to achieve a first switching event. Capillary geometry and wetting properties provide a pressure-related asymmetric energy potential distribution for controlling the flow of the bubble, and the device is called an asymmetric bubble chamber, or ABC. The bubble is initially trapped in an energy potential well, and upon increase of its volume moves from the well into a region of low energy potential to achieve a second switching event. The first switching event may be blocking of a fluid channel or reflection of an optical beam in an optical crosspoint switch, while the second switching event may be unblocking of a fluid channel or restoration of transmission of an optical beam. The increase in bubble volume between the first and second switching events can act as the stroke of a fluidic piston to pump a volume the first fluid within the capillary. The device can be employed to thermally degas a liquid. The use of large-magnitude geometry-related energy potentials permits rapid cyclical operation of the device in a manner resistant to mechanical shock.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A fluid-control method comprising the steps of:
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introducing a wall-confined bubble into a gate region of a capillary fluid channel;
maintaining said bubble in said gate region using a barrier region of higher energy potential with respect to said bubble than said gate region and a source region of higher energy potential than said barrier region; and
increasing the energy of said bubble so that it exits said gate region into a drain region via said barrier region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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3. A fluid-control device comprising:
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a capillary fluid channel for confining a first fluid, having source, gate, barrier, and drain regions such that said gate region is bounded by said source and barrier regions, and said barrier region is bounded by said gate and said drain regions, said regions being ordered as drain, gate, barrier, and source in terms of increasing potential relating to a wall-confined bubble of a second fluid; and
energizer means for increasing the energy of said wall-confined bubble while it is in said gate region. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A device for controlling the movement of a fluid, comprising:
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(a) a capillary having regions of differing energy potential within the capillary, the energy potential pertaining to the introduction of a wall-confined bubble of a second fluid into the capillary when said capillary is filled with a first fluid immiscible with the second fluid, the regions including a source region, a gate region, a barrier region, and a drain region, which are connected in that spatial sequential order, and wherein the energy potentials are ordered such that (i) the energy potential of the source region is great than the energy potential of the barrier region;
(ii) the energy potential of the barrier region is greater than the energy potential of the gate region;
(iii) the energy potential of the gate region is greater than the energy potential of the drain region;
(b) a bubble supplier for introducing into the gate region a bubble of the second fluid; and
(c) a power supply for increasing the energy of the bubble to overcome the barrier in energy potential between the gate region and the drain region such that the energy potential difference between the gate region and the drain region will cause the bubble to move from the gate region past the barrier region to the drain region.
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10. A method for controlling the movement of a bubble in a channel, comprising:
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(a) introducing a bubble of a second fluid into a channel having regions of differing energy potential within the capillary, the energy potential pertaining to the introduction of a wall-confined bubble of a second fluid into the capillary filled with a first fluid immiscible with the second fluid, the regions including a gate region, a barrier region, and a drain region, which are connected in that spatial sequential order, and wherein the energy potentials are ordered such that (i) the energy potential of the barrier region is greater than the energy potential of the gate region;
(ii) the energy potential of the gate region is greater than the energy potential of the drain region;
(b) subsequently increasing the energy of the bubble to cause the bubble to move downstream from the gate region to the drain region due to the energy potential difference between the gate region and the drain region; and
(c) flowing the first fluid to the gate region from a source region connected to the gate region in the capillary as the bubble moves from the gate region. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A device for pumping a liquid, comprising:
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a capillary having regions of differing energy potential within the capillary, the energy potential pertaining to the introduction of a wall-confined bubble of a fluid (bubble fluid) into the capillary when said capillary is filled with a liquid immiscible with the bubble fluid, the regions including a gate region, a barrier region, and a drain region, which are connected in that spatial sequential order, the regions further including a source region connected to the gate region to provide the liquid to the gate region, wherein the energy potentials are ordered such that (a) the energy potential of the source region is greater than the energy potential of the barrier region;
(b) the energy potential of the barrier region is greater than the energy potential of the gate region;
(c) the energy potential of the gate region is greater than the energy potential of the drain region; and
wherein a bubble of the bubble fluid can be introduced into the gate region of the capillary filled with the liquid and confined by the gate region capillary wall circumferentially, the energy of the bubble can be increased to cause the bubble to move downstream due to the energy potential difference between the gate region and the drain region, the bubble pushing the liquid from the gate region past the barrier region to the drain region and beyond;
whereupon the gate region is replenished with additional liquid coming from the source region.- View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. A device for degassing a liquid, comprising:
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(a) a gate channel portion in a channel at which the liquid can be heated to obtain from dissolved gas a bubble which is wall-confined in the gate channel portion;
(b) a barrier channel portion in the channel, connected to the gate channel portion downstream thereto;
(c) a drain channel portion in the channel, connected to the barrier channel portion downstream thereto;
wherein the gate channel portion, the barrier channel portion, and the drain channel portion are in fluid communication in that spatial sequential order and having differing energy potentials, the energy potentials pertaining to a wall-confined bubble in the liquid;
the barrier channel portion having an energy potential greater than the energy potential of the gate channel portion, the gate channel portion having an energy potential greater than that of the drain channel portion;
(d) one or more source channel portions connected to the gate channel portion such that liquid can flow from each source channel to the gate channel portion for degassing, each source channel portion having dimensions to effect an energy potential greater than the energy potential of the gate channel portion; and
(e) heater for heating the liquid near the gate channel portion to release gas thereinto;
wherein gas released into the gate channel portion will increase the size of the bubble therein to cause the bubble to move from the gate channel portion to the drain channel portion due to the difference in energy potentials between the gate channel portion and the drain channel portion. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A liquid-controlling valve, comprising:
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(a) a capillary having a source region, gate region, barrier region, and drain region, spatially connected in that sequence, the regions having substantially rectangular cross-sections with substantially uniform height and differing widths, the gate region has a gate width, the barrier region having a barrier width less than the gate width, the drain region having a drain width greater than the gate width, the source region having a source width less than the barrier width; and
(b) electrical resistor heater adjacent to the gate region, whereby when the capillary is filled with a liquid a wall-confined gas phase bubble that substantially fills the volume of the gate region can be created within the liquid by heating, thereby blocking the flow of the liquid between the source region and the drain region, and whereby the volume of the gas phase bubble can be increased to fill both the gate region and the barrier region and to intrude into the drain region, and whereby the volume of the gas phase bubble can be further increased to cause it to move from the gate region to the drain region;
thereby unblocking flow of the liquid from the source region to the drain region.- View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. A device for controlling movement of a bubble in a capillary, comprising:
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a capillary having regions of differing energy potentials pertaining to the introduction of a wall-confined bubble of a second fluid into the capillary when said capillary is filled with a first fluid immiscible with the second fluid, the regions including a gate region, a barrier region, and a drain region connected in that spatial sequential order, the regions further including a source region connected to the gate region to provide the first fluid to the gate region, wherein the energy potentials are ordered such that (a) the energy potential of the source region is greater than the energy potential of the barrier region;
(b) the energy potential of the barrier region is greater than the energy potential of the gate region;
(c) the energy potential of the gate region is greater than the energy potential of the drain region; and
wherein a wall-confined bubble of the second fluid can be introduced into the capillary filled with the first fluid and the energy of the bubble can be increased sufficiently to cause the bubble to move from the gate region to the drain region due to the energy potential difference between the gate region and the drain region.
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Specification