Bottle Pressurization Assembly for Bubble-Free HPLC Solvent Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
HPLC systems require precise delivery of solvent fluids at specific pressures, often necessitating elevation to draw solvents into the instrument, which is inefficient and can introduce air bubbles.
Innovation Solution
A pressurized system using bottles with enclosed bags containing solvent fluids, pressurized by gas to deliver fluids at positive pressure, eliminating the need for elevation and incorporating shut-off valves to prevent air aspiration and bubble formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If solvent bottles are elevated to use gravity for drawing solvents into the HPLC instrument, then the priming of fluid lines is facilitated, but the system complexity increases and air bubbles may be introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies pneumatic pressurization by introducing pressurized gas into the headspace of solvent bottles to force solvent delivery into the HPLC instrument. This eliminates the need for gravitational elevation and manual priming, directly resolving the contradiction by using gas pressure instead of height-based gravity flow.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using gravity to draw solvent upward through elevation, the patent inverts the approach by using pressurized gas to push solvent downward or horizontally into the instrument. This reversal of the gravitational approach eliminates the need for elevated positioning while achieving the same priming function.
2Device complexity
If pressurized gas is used to deliver solvent fluids, then the need for elevation is eliminated, but air bubbles may form and be aspirated by pumps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a liquid barrier (solvent) between the pressurized gas and the pump inlet. The gas pressurizes the solvent from above, and the solvent acts as an intermediary that prevents gas from directly contacting and being aspirated by the pump, thereby eliminating air bubbles while maintaining pressurized delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the gas and pump components by inserting the solvent as a separating medium. The pressurized gas chamber is divided from the pump inlet by the solvent column, allowing independent optimization of each zone - gas pressure for delivery and liquid barrier for bubble prevention.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple solvent bottles are used for different solvent fluids, then the versatility of the HPLC system increases, but the precision of solvent delivery at specific pressures becomes more difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal pressurization system where a single pressurized gas source can serve multiple solvent bottles simultaneously. Each bottle receives identical pressurization conditions through common gas supply lines, ensuring consistent delivery precision across all solvents while maintaining the ability to use different solvent types.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains precise solvent delivery by controlling the pressurization parameter (gas pressure) uniformly across all bottles. By adjusting the gas pressure parameter, the system can precisely control solvent flow rates for different solvents without requiring individual pressure regulation for each bottle, thus maintaining precision while enabling versatility.
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
Facilitates efficient, bubble-free delivery of solvents to HPLC instruments without the need for elevation, allowing for easy replenishment and extended operation time.
Implementation Method 1
The interstitial volume of space between the bag the inside of the bottles is then pressurized with a gas, such as air. The increased gas pressure exerts force on the exterior of the bag, encouraging the egress of fluid medium, such as solvent fluid, from the enclosed bag through fluid connectors.
Implementation Method 2
Some embodiments of the present disclosure include shut-off valves on the fluid connectors of the bottles prevent fluid egress when the bottle is outside of or not properly coupled to an HPLC instrument.
Implementation Method 3
In the case of a bag failure causing the volume of space in the bottle to fill with pressurized fluid, the valves vent away from the electronics within the HPLC instrument, into drip trays.
Data Source
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AI summary
A container assembly for use with a high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) instrument is disclosed, in which the container assembly, when coupled to a source of pressurized gas, provides fluid medium to the HPLC instrument at positive pressure. The container assembly has an external exterior container shell, an internal fluid container for holding fluid medium, an interstitial volume between the external exterior container shell and the internal fluid container, a port for fluidly connecting the volume to a pressurized gas source, and a port for fluidly connecting the internal fluid container to the HPLC instrument. As a pressurized gas in the interstitial volume increases, fluid medium flows out of the port connected to the internal fluid bag and container assembly at a positive pressure. A system incorporating the container assembly, and method of use of the same, are also disclosed.