Automated Soil Slurry Sampling for Concurrent Nutrient Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing soil sampling processes are cumbersome and inefficient, requiring drying and grinding of samples before analysis, which complicates the extraction of plant-available nutrients and other chemical properties.
Innovation Solution
A fully automated system for agricultural sampling and analysis that processes soil samples in their 'as collected' condition, using a sample preparation sub-system to mix samples with water, filter out larger particles, and recirculate the slurry to achieve a target water-to-soil ratio, followed by chemical analysis sub-systems for quantifying analytes and properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional soil sampling processes are used (drying and grinding samples), then accurate chemical analysis can be performed, but the process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical state parameter of the soil sample from dried and ground to wet and slurry form. By maintaining the sample in a wet state and using slurry preparation with controlled water-to-soil ratios, the system eliminates the time-consuming drying and grinding steps while still achieving accurate chemical analysis through modified extraction and filtration procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical drying and grinding operations with a chemical extraction approach using slurry preparation. Instead of mechanically reducing soil to powder and then drying it, the system uses liquid extraction with controlled agitation and filtration to achieve the same analytical purpose more efficiently
2Reliability
If multiple samples are processed sequentially through traditional methods, then each sample receives adequate preparation, but the overall productivity is low
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the sample processing system into multiple independent but parallel processing lines. Each line can handle a sample independently through the slurry preparation, extraction, and analysis sequence, allowing multiple samples to be processed simultaneously rather than sequentially, thereby increasing productivity while maintaining preparation quality
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a universal slurry preparation system that can handle multiple different soil samples through the same standardized process. The system uses common components (mixing vessels, filters, extraction chambers) that can process any soil sample type, enabling parallel processing of multiple samples without requiring separate specialized equipment for each
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables simultaneous and rapid analysis of multiple samples for various chemical constituents without drying or grinding, providing accurate and efficient nutrient profiling for agricultural fields.
Implementation Method 1
a pump for creating a flux of the slurry to impinge against the external side of the filter wall
Data Source
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AI summary
An automated computer-controlled sampling system and related methods for collecting, processing, and analyzing agricultural samples for various chemical properties such as plant available nutrients. The sampling system allows multiple samples to be processed and analyzed for different analytes or chemical properties in a simultaneous concurrent or semi-concurrent manner. Advantageously, the system can process soil samples in the "as collected" condition without drying or grinding. The system generally includes a sample preparation sub-system which receives soil samples collected by a probe collection sub-system and produces a slurry (e.g., mixture of soil, vegetation, and/or manure and water), and a chemical analysis sub-system which processes the prepared slurry samples for quantifying multiple analytes and/or chemical properties of the sample. The preparation sub-system may comprise a slurry recirculation flow loop configured with devices to stir, measure, and adjust a water to solids ratio of the slurry.