Miniaturized planktonic algae culture instrument

Abstract

The utility model discloses a miniaturized planktonic algae culture instrument, which belongs to the field of planktonic algae culture equipment, and comprises a culture box body, a temperature control system, an aeration system, an illumination system and a sampling system, through a temperature control system combining a TEC refrigeration sheet, a water bath device and an external water cooling device, accurate control over the growth temperature of the floating algae can be achieved; a gas flow meter in the aeration system can accurately measure and control the gas flow, so that the stepless regulation of the aeration intensity is realized; the illumination system adopts a dimming controller to control the luminous intensity of a multiband LED lamp, and stepless regulation of the illumination intensity can be realized in combination with feedback of an illumination intensity sensor; the whole instrument is small in size and convenient to use in limited spaces such as small laboratories and teaching places, and meanwhile the manufacturing cost and energy consumption of equipment are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of phytoplankton cultivation equipment, specifically relating to a miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instrument. Background Technology

[0002] Phytoplankton cultivation is of great significance. In the field of bioenergy, some phytoplankton can be converted into biodiesel, alleviating the energy crisis; in the food industry, edible phytoplankton is a high-quality nutrient source; and in environmental science, phytoplankton plays an important role in water monitoring and remediation. With the expansion of applications, phytoplankton cultivation is developing towards greater precision, efficiency, and miniaturization.

[0003] Temperature is a key environmental factor for the growth of phytoplankton. Different phytoplankton have specific suitable temperature ranges. For example, green algae are mostly suitable for 20-30℃. Temperature affects the physiological processes of phytoplankton, such as photosynthesis, enzyme activity and cell division. Too high or too low a temperature will inhibit or even kill them. Therefore, precise temperature control is extremely important for the efficient cultivation of phytoplankton.

[0004] Traditional temperature control methods for phytoplankton cultivation have limitations. While water bath temperature control provides stability, it requires large equipment, consumes a lot of water, and has a slow temperature adjustment time, making it unsuitable for experiments requiring rapid temperature changes. Air bath temperature control suffers from poor temperature uniformity, with significant temperature differences at different locations within the cultivation container, leading to inconsistent phytoplankton growth. Moreover, these traditional methods are limited in their application to miniaturized cultivation systems, failing to meet the laboratory's requirements for small, convenient, and high-precision phytoplankton cultivation equipment.

[0005] TEC (Thermodynamic Temperature Control) exhibits significant advantages in temperature control. Based on the Peltier effect, it achieves cooling or heating through the direction of current. Its small size facilitates integration into miniature instruments, making it beneficial for constructing small-scale phytoplankton culture apparatuses. It offers rapid temperature control, quickly changing and stabilizing the temperature, meeting the requirements of phytoplankton culture experiments that demand rapid response to temperature changes. Furthermore, its high temperature control accuracy, reaching ±0.1℃ or higher, provides a precise temperature environment for phytoplankton culture, facilitating the study of the effects of minute temperature variations on phytoplankton growth.

[0006] Currently, there is a strong market demand for miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instruments. In the research field, these instruments facilitate parallel cultivation experiments under various conditions within limited laboratory spaces, improving efficiency and flexibility. Educational institutions can use them as teaching tools to help students understand phytoplankton cultivation. Miniaturized cultivation instruments are also urgently needed in applications such as environmental monitoring, where existing equipment cannot meet the requirements in terms of miniaturization and temperature control precision. Utility Model Content

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instrument to solve the problems mentioned in the background section. To achieve the above objective, this invention provides the following technical solution:

[0008] A miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instrument includes a cultivation chamber containing a cultivation container, and the instrument further includes:

[0009] A temperature control system is used to precisely control the temperature for phytoplankton growth. The system includes a TEC (Thermo-Cooling Device) cooler, a temperature sensor, a water bath, and an external water cooling device. The TEC cooler is located at the bottom of the water bath inside the culture chamber and is used to cool or heat the water bath to regulate the temperature. The temperature sensor is located on the top cover of the culture container, with its probe inserted into the container. The water bath is located around the culture container and uses a circulating water solution to ensure a uniform and stable temperature. The external water cooling device is connected to the TEC cooler and removes the heat generated during operation, ensuring the TEC cooler can work continuously and effectively and achieve precise temperature control.

[0010] An aeration system is used to provide sufficient oxygen to the phytoplankton culture medium in a culture container. The aeration system includes an air pump and an aeration head. The air pump is connected to the aeration head through a pipe. A gas flow meter is installed on the pipe between the air pump and the aeration head to accurately measure and control the gas flow rate entering the culture container, thereby achieving stepless adjustment of the aeration intensity.

[0011] A lighting system is used to provide suitable lighting conditions for phytoplankton in a culture container. The lighting system includes a multi-band LED light, a light intensity sensor, and a control circuit. The multi-band LED light source is installed inside the culture chamber and inserted into the culture container through the center of the top of the culture container. The control circuit is connected to the multi-band LED light and the light intensity sensor to control the luminous intensity of the multi-band LED light and achieve stepless adjustment of the light intensity.

[0012] A sampling system is used to add culture medium to a culture container and remove algal solution. The sampling system includes a peristaltic pump, a sampling tube, and a control circuit. The peristaltic pump is located at the bottom of the culture system and is connected to the sampling tube of the culture container through a pipe. The control circuit is electrically connected to the peristaltic pump to realize the injection and removal of samples.

[0013] Furthermore, the water bath device includes a water bath tank, a water bath base, a water bath circulation pump, and connecting pipes; the water bath tank contains a water bath solution, the water bath base and the TEC cooling chip are tightly fitted to achieve temperature conduction, and the water bath circulation pump draws the water bath solution from the bottom to the top of the water bath tank through the connecting pipes to form a circulation loop, so that the water bath solution can continuously carry away or provide heat to the culture container to ensure internal temperature balance.

[0014] Furthermore, the external water cooling device includes a water-cooled radiator, a cooling water circulation pump, and cooling water pipes; the water-cooled radiator is in close contact with the TEC cooling chip to absorb the heat from the TEC cooling chip, and the cooling water circulation pump circulates the coolant between the water-cooled radiator and external tap water through the cooling water pipes to achieve effective heat transfer.

[0015] Furthermore, the culture container is equipped with a temperature sensor, a dissolved oxygen sensor, and a light intensity sensor; the temperature sensor is used to monitor the temperature inside the culture container in real time and feed the signal back to the temperature control system so as to adjust the temperature control strategy in a timely manner; the dissolved oxygen sensor is used to monitor the dissolved oxygen content in the culture medium and adjust the aeration intensity in conjunction with the aeration system; the light intensity sensor is used to monitor the actual light intensity inside the culture container and feed it back to the light system to achieve more precise light intensity adjustment.

[0016] Furthermore, the multi-band LED lamp uses full-spectrum LED beads that can emit light in combinations of different wavelengths to meet the needs of different phytoplankton for different wavelengths of light.

[0017] Furthermore, the peristaltic pump can realize the forward and reverse rotation of the motor through the control circuit. Forward rotation is used to extract the algal solution, and reverse rotation is used to add the culture medium.

[0018] Furthermore, the incubator is equipped with control buttons and a display screen, which are electrically connected to the control circuit. Through the control buttons and the display screen, parameters such as temperature, aeration intensity, and light intensity can be set and adjusted intuitively, and real-time data from various sensors can be viewed.

[0019] Beneficial effects:

[0020] Precise temperature control: The temperature control system, which combines TEC cooling plates, water bath devices, and external water cooling devices, can achieve precise control of the growth temperature of phytoplankton, effectively avoiding the adverse effects of temperature fluctuations on phytoplankton growth, and can adapt to the different temperature requirements of different phytoplankton species.

[0021] Flexible aeration adjustment: The gas flow meter in the aeration system can accurately measure and control the gas flow rate, enabling stepless adjustment of the aeration intensity, ensuring sufficient and suitable dissolved oxygen content in the culture medium to meet the needs of phytoplankton at different growth stages.

[0022] Precise light adjustment: The lighting system uses a dimming controller to control the luminous intensity of multi-band LED lights. Combined with feedback from the light intensity sensor, stepless adjustment of light intensity can be achieved. Moreover, the multi-band LED lights use full-spectrum LED beads, which can meet the needs of different phytoplankton for different wavelengths of light.

[0023] Miniaturized design: The overall instrument is small in size, making it easy to use in limited spaces such as small laboratories and teaching venues, while also reducing the manufacturing cost and energy consumption of the equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram (I) of a miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instrument according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram (II) of a miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instrument according to the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram (III) of a miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instrument according to the present invention.

[0027] The components are: 1-Incubator body, 2-Incubator base, 3-Display screen, 4-Control buttons, 5-Water-cooled radiator, 6-TEC cooling chip, 7-Water bath base, 8-Water bath, 9-Cultivation container lid, 10-Multi-band LED light, 11-Temperature sensor, 12-Dissolved oxygen sensor, 13-Light intensity sensor, 14-Aeration pump, 15-Control circuit, 16-Water bath circulation pump, 17-Cooling water circulation pump, 18-Water-cooled radiator mounting base, 19-First water bath circulation connector, 20-Second water bath circulation connector, 21-Cultivation container, 22-Aeration head, 23-Peristaltic pump, 24-Sampling tube. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. However, the following embodiments are only for explaining the present invention, and the scope of protection of the present invention should include all the contents of the claims. Moreover, through the description of the following embodiments, those skilled in the art can fully implement all the contents of the claims of the present invention.

[0029] Example 1

[0030] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instrument includes a cultivation chamber 1, a cultivation container 21 disposed inside the cultivation chamber 1, and the cultivation chamber 1 is mounted on a cultivation chamber base 2. The cultivation instrument also includes:

[0031] A temperature control system is used to precisely control the temperature for phytoplankton growth. The temperature control system includes a TEC cooler 6, a temperature sensor 11, a water bath device, and an external water cooling device. The TEC cooler 6 is located at the bottom of the water bath device inside the culture chamber 1, used to cool or heat the water bath device to regulate the temperature. The temperature sensor 11 is located on the culture container cover 9 at the top of the culture container 21, with its probe inserted into the culture container. The water bath device is located around the culture container 21, using a circulating water bath liquid to ensure a uniform and stable temperature within the culture container. The external water cooling device is connected to the TEC cooler 6 to remove the heat generated by the TEC cooler 6 during operation, ensuring that the TEC cooler 6 can work continuously and effectively and achieve precise temperature control.

[0032] An aeration system is used to provide sufficient oxygen to the phytoplankton culture medium in the culture container 21. The aeration system includes an air pump and an aeration head 22. The air pump is connected to the aeration head 22 through a pipe. A gas flow meter is installed on the pipe between the air pump and the aeration head 22 to accurately measure and control the gas flow rate entering the culture container, thereby realizing stepless adjustment of the aeration intensity.

[0033] The illumination system provides suitable lighting conditions for phytoplankton in the culture container. The illumination system includes a multi-band LED light 10, a light intensity sensor 13, and a control circuit 15. The multi-band LED light source is installed inside the culture chamber 1 and inserted into the culture container 21 through the center of the top of the culture container 21. The control circuit 15 is connected to the multi-band LED light 10 and the light intensity sensor 13 to control the luminous intensity of the multi-band LED light 10, thereby achieving stepless adjustment of the light intensity.

[0034] The sampling system is used to add culture medium to the culture container 21 and remove algal solution. The sampling system includes a peristaltic pump 23, a sampling tube 24 and a control circuit 15. The peristaltic pump 23 is located at the bottom of the culture system and is connected to the sampling tube 24 of the culture container 21 through a pipe. The control circuit 15 is electrically connected to the peristaltic pump 23 to realize the injection and sampling of samples.

[0035] Furthermore, the water bath device includes a water bath tank 8, a water bath base 7, a water bath circulation pump 16, and connecting pipes; the water bath tank 8 contains a water bath liquid, the water bath base 7 and the TEC cooling chip 6 are tightly fitted to achieve temperature conduction, and the water bath circulation pump 16 pumps the water bath liquid in the water bath tank 8 from the bottom to the top through the connecting pipes to form a circulation loop, so that the water bath liquid can continuously carry away or provide heat to the culture container 21, ensuring internal temperature balance.

[0036] In this embodiment, the external water cooling device includes a water-cooled radiator 5, a cooling water circulation pump 17, and cooling water pipes; the water-cooled radiator 5 is closely attached to the TEC cooling chip 6 and is used to absorb the heat of the TEC cooling chip 6; the cooling water circulation pump 17 circulates the coolant between the water-cooled radiator 5 and external tap water through the cooling water pipes to achieve effective heat transfer.

[0037] In this embodiment, the culture container 21 is equipped with a temperature sensor 11, a dissolved oxygen sensor 12, and a light intensity sensor 13. The temperature sensor 11 is used to monitor the temperature inside the culture container 21 in real time and feed the signal back to the temperature control system so as to adjust the temperature control strategy in a timely manner. The dissolved oxygen sensor 12 is used to monitor the dissolved oxygen content in the culture medium and adjust the aeration intensity in conjunction with the aeration system. The light intensity sensor 13 is used to monitor the actual light intensity inside the culture container and feed it back to the light system to achieve more precise light intensity adjustment.

[0038] In this embodiment, the multi-band LED lamp 10 uses full-spectrum LED beads that can emit light in combinations of different wavelengths to meet the needs of different phytoplankton for different wavelengths of light.

[0039] In this embodiment, the peristaltic pump 23 can realize the forward and reverse rotation of the motor through the control circuit 15. Forward rotation realizes the extraction of algal solution, and reverse rotation realizes the addition of culture medium.

[0040] In this embodiment, the incubator 1 is equipped with control buttons 4 and a display screen 3. The control buttons 4 and the display screen 3 are electrically connected to the control circuit 15. The control buttons and the display screen can be used to intuitively set and adjust parameters such as temperature, aeration intensity, and light intensity, and at the same time, the real-time data fed back by each sensor can be viewed.

[0041] Example 2

[0042] The method of using a miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instrument is as follows:

[0043] I. Temperature Control Process

[0044] When starting the miniaturized phytoplankton culture instrument, first set the target temperature value using control button 4 according to the suitable growth temperature range of the phytoplankton being cultured. Temperature sensor 11 monitors the temperature inside the culture container 21 in real time and feeds the signal back to the control system.

[0045] If the monitored temperature is higher than the target temperature, the TEC cooling chip 6 starts to work and absorbs heat from the water bath base 7. At the same time, the water-cooled radiator 5 absorbs the heat generated by the TEC cooling chip 6. The cooling water circulation pump 17 circulates external tap water between the water-cooled radiator 5 and the external cooling source to remove heat in a timely manner. Meanwhile, the water bath circulation pump 16 also continuously circulates the water bath liquid, which flows out through the first water bath circulation connector 19 and flows in through the second water bath circulation connector 20, helping to maintain a uniform and stable temperature.

[0046] If the monitored temperature is lower than the target temperature, the TEC cooling chip 6 switches to heating mode. The water bath device base 7 absorbs the heat generated by the TEC cooling chip 6, while the water bath circulation pump 16 continuously circulates the water bath liquid, which flows out through the first water bath circulation connector 19 and flows in through the second water bath circulation connector 20, helping to maintain a uniform and stable temperature.

[0047] II. Aeration Process

[0048] Based on the growth stage and needs of the cultivated phytoplankton, an appropriate aeration intensity value is set via control button 4. Dissolved oxygen sensor 12 monitors the dissolved oxygen in the cultivation container 21 in real time and feeds the signal back to the control system.

[0049] After the aeration pump 14 is started, air is delivered through the pipe to the aeration head 22 and then into the culture medium in the culture container 21. The control circuit 15 adjusts the gas flow rate precisely by regulating the aeration pump 14 via the PWM, achieving stepless adjustment of the aeration intensity and ensuring that the dissolved oxygen content in the culture medium meets the growth requirements of phytoplankton.

[0050] III. Illumination Process

[0051] Similarly, based on the characteristics and growth stage of the cultivated phytoplankton, a suitable light intensity value is set via control button 4. Control circuit 15 controls the luminous intensity of the multi-band LED 10 according to the set light intensity value. Light intensity sensor 13 monitors the actual light intensity inside the cultivation container 21 in real time and feeds the data back to control circuit 15, achieving stepless adjustment of light intensity and providing suitable lighting conditions for the phytoplankton.

[0052] IV. Sampling Process

[0053] The peristaltic pump can be controlled to rotate forward and backward by pressing the "Introduce Culture Medium" button in control button 4. After pressing the "Take Algae Solution" button, control circuit 15 controls the peristaltic pump 23 motor to rotate forward, and the algae solution is drawn out to the outside of culture chamber 1 through sampling tube 24. After pressing the "Introduce Culture Medium" button, control circuit 15 controls the peristaltic pump 23 motor to rotate backward, and the culture medium is drawn out from the outside of culture chamber 1 and added to culture container 21 through sampling tube 24.

[0054] Throughout the cultivation process, operators can view real-time data from various sensors, such as temperature, dissolved oxygen content, and light intensity, on the display screen 3 at any time, so as to adjust the cultivation parameters in a timely manner and ensure that the phytoplankton can grow under optimal environmental conditions.

[0055] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, enabling those skilled in the art to understand or implement this application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features claimed herein.

Claims

1. A miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instrument, characterized in that, The culture instrument includes a culture chamber containing a culture container, and further includes: A temperature control system includes a TEC cooling chip, a temperature sensor, a water bath device, and an external water cooling device. The TEC cooling chip is located at the bottom of the water bath device inside the incubator. The temperature sensor is located on the top cover of the culture container, with its probe inserted into the inside of the culture container. The water bath device is located around the culture container. The external water cooling device is connected to the TEC cooling chip. An aeration system, comprising an air pump and an aeration head; the air pump is connected to the aeration head via a pipeline, and a gas flow meter is installed on the pipeline between the air pump and the aeration head. The illumination system includes a multi-band LED light, a light intensity sensor, and a control circuit. The multi-band LED light source is installed inside the culture chamber and inserted into the culture container through the center of the top of the culture container. The control circuit is connected to the multi-band LED light and the light intensity sensor. The sampling system includes a peristaltic pump, a sampling tube, and a control circuit; the peristaltic pump is located at the bottom of the culture system and is connected to the sampling tube of the culture container through a pipe, and the control circuit is electrically connected to the peristaltic pump.

2. The miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water bath device includes a water bath tank, a water bath base, a water bath circulation pump, and connecting pipes; the water bath tank contains water bath liquid, the water bath base and the TEC cooling chip are tightly attached, and the water bath circulation pump draws the water bath liquid from the bottom to the top of the water bath tank through the connecting pipes to form a circulation loop.

3. The miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that: The external water cooling device includes a water-cooled radiator, a cooling water circulation pump, and cooling water pipes; the water-cooled radiator is in close contact with the TEC cooling chip, and the cooling water circulation pump circulates the coolant between the water-cooled radiator and external tap water through the cooling water pipes.

4. The miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that: The culture container is equipped with a temperature sensor, a dissolved oxygen sensor, and a light intensity sensor. The temperature sensor monitors the temperature inside the culture container in real time and feeds the signal back to the temperature control system so that the temperature control strategy can be adjusted in a timely manner. The dissolved oxygen sensor monitors the dissolved oxygen content in the culture medium and adjusts the aeration intensity in conjunction with the aeration system. The light intensity sensor monitors the actual light intensity inside the culture container and feeds it back to the light system to achieve more precise light intensity adjustment.

5. The miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-band LED lamp uses full-spectrum LED beads that can emit light in combinations of different wavelengths to meet the needs of different phytoplankton for different wavelengths of light.

6. The miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that: The peristaltic pump uses a control circuit to control the forward and reverse rotation of the motor. Forward rotation extracts the algal solution, while reverse rotation adds the culture medium.

7. The miniaturized phytoplankton cultivation instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that: The incubator is equipped with control buttons and a display screen, which are electrically connected to the control circuit. The control buttons and display screen are used to set and adjust parameters such as temperature, aeration intensity, and light intensity, and to display real-time data fed back by the sensors.

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