Cryogenic Sample Transfer Interface With Sealed Dry Box Loading
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for transferring and manipulating cryogenic samples are often improvised and prone to contamination or devitrification due to turbulent gas flows and humidity issues, which can render samples unusable for further processing.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a sample transfer device and a dry box, where the dry box is connected to the sample transfer device to create a sealed or closed connection, maintaining a cryogenic and dry atmosphere, thereby minimizing contamination and devitrification risks during sample loading and manipulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If liquid nitrogen is stored in a Styrofoam container for sample manipulation, then cryogenic temperature is maintained and anhydrous atmosphere is created, but the system becomes improvised and prone to contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into distinct functional modules: a dry box for sample manipulation, a sample transfer device for controlled transfer, and a cryo-stage for analysis. Each module maintains specific environmental conditions (dryness, cryogenic temperature) independently, preventing contamination while providing a structured, reliable system rather than an improvised container approach.
Solution Approach 2:
A transfer rod serves as an intermediary component connecting the dry box and the cryo-stage, enabling sample transfer through a sealed interface. This intermediary mechanism maintains the sealed environment throughout the transfer process, preventing contamination while achieving reliable sample movement between processing and analysis stages.
2Ease of operation
If samples are transferred between processing units using improvised solutions, then flexibility in manipulation is maintained, but contamination and devitrification risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
Samples are pre-cooled and sealed in the dry box before transfer to the cryo-stage. The dry box maintains cryogenic conditions and prevents contamination during sample preparation and loading, ensuring samples are already in a stable, contamination-free state before entering the transfer and analysis phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The dry box and transfer system maintain an inert, dry atmosphere (typically nitrogen or vacuum) throughout sample manipulation and transfer. This inert environment prevents water condensation and ice crystal formation on samples, eliminating contamination risks while providing a controlled environment for flexible sample handling operations.
3Reliability
If a sealed connection is created between dry box and sample transfer device, then contamination is minimized, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dry box and sample transfer device are pressure-equalized during connection, eliminating pressure differentials that would cause sealing difficulties. This pressure equalization allows for simple, reliable sealing mechanisms while maintaining the sealed environment necessary for contamination prevention throughout the sample transfer process.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing interface between the dry box and sample transfer device uses flexible sealing elements (such as gaskets or membranes) that conform to the connection surfaces. These flexible sealing components create reliable seals without requiring complex rigid sealing structures, maintaining the sealed environment while keeping the connection mechanism simple and robust.
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
The system effectively reduces the risk of contamination and devitrification, ensuring that cryogenic samples can be transferred and manipulated without compromising their integrity, thus maintaining their usability for subsequent process steps.
Implementation Method 1
maintaining a cryogenic and dry atmosphere
Implementation Method 2
minimizing contamination and devitrification risks
Implementation Method 3
create a sealed or closed connection
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a system (100) for loading a sample into and/or manipulating a sample in a sample transfer device (180) at cryogenic temperatures, comprising the sample transfer device (180) configured to receive a sample through a receiving opening (182) of the sample transfer device (180) and configured to transfer said sample to a processing or analysing unit, and a dry box (110) having an interface opening (112) and being configured to be coupled to the sample transfer device (180) such that the interface opening (112) of the dry box (110) is located opposite the receiving opening (182) of the sample transfer device (180).