Drop Recovery System Using Separator Fluid Bubbles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drop recovery systems face challenges in reliably and precisely recovering individual drops without contamination, as drops tend to adhere to the outlet of the circulation conduit, leading to merging with subsequent drops and increased contamination risks.
Innovation Solution
The system injects additional volumes of separator and carrier fluids into the circulation conduit to ensure that the volume of separators and bubbles formed are greater than or equal to critical separation and detachment volumes, facilitating the detachment of drops from the conduit and precise placement onto a recovery substrate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If drops are circulated in the circulation conduit, then drop recovery is enabled, but drops adhere to the outlet and merge with subsequent drops causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
A gas separator is introduced as an intermediary substance between the liquid carrier phases. The gas separator forms a gas pocket that physically separates consecutive liquid pockets containing drops, preventing direct contact and merging at the outlet. This mediator eliminates the harmful adhesion and merging effect while maintaining reliable drop recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-fills the circulation conduit with a gas separator before introducing liquid carrier phases. This preliminary action ensures that gas pockets are already positioned to separate subsequent drops, preventing adhesion and merging before they can occur at the outlet, thereby eliminating contamination risk proactively.
2Productivity
If drops are circulated at high speed for rapid analysis, then productivity increases, but drops adhere to the outlet and cannot be properly ejected
Solution Approach 1:
The gas separator acts as a mediator that enables high-speed circulation without compromising ejection precision. By preventing adhesion between drops and the outlet surface, the gas separator ensures that even at high speeds, drops can be cleanly ejected into separate compartments without merging, maintaining both productivity and precision.
3Reliability
If separator volume is increased to prevent merging, then drop separation improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system controls the volume and distribution of gas separator through parameter adjustment rather than complex mechanical structures. By varying gas flow rate, pressure, or injection timing parameters, effective drop separation is achieved without requiring complex multi-component separation devices, maintaining system simplicity while ensuring reliability.
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
This approach enhances the reliability and precision of drop recovery, minimizing contamination risks and ensuring each drop is effectively recovered and placed in a separate compartment, even when drops are not evenly spaced.
Implementation Method 1
each pocket comprising a carrier fluid and a pocket containing a drop of internal fluid, the internal fluid being immiscible with the carrier fluid, each pocket being isolated from the following pocket by a separator, each separator being made up of a separator fluid that is immiscible with the carrier fluid
Implementation Method 2
the volume of at least one bubble formed by a pocket and at least a part of said separator is greater than or equal to a critical detachment volume
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a recovery system for drops comprising: a conduit for the circulation of a working fluid comprising a plurality of pockets that are isolated by separators, a recovery substrate comprising multiple compartments, a displacement device that is able to successively position the outlet of the conduit opposite at least two different compartments, a preparation device that is able to inject, into the conduit, an additional volume of separator fluid and an additional volume of carrier fluid, such that the volume of at least one separator is greater than or equal to a critical separation volume, and that the volume of at least one bubble formed by a pocket and a part of the separator is greater than or equal to a critical detachment volume.