Fluid Purity Control in Transport Container Filling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for filling transport containers with organic semiconductor materials often result in contamination due to particles and gases, leading to inefficiencies and high costs in production and testing, as achieving sufficient purity is challenging and requires extensive cleaning and quality control processes.

Innovation Solution

A method involving a cleaning circuit with a contamination measuring device that circulates the fluid multiple times through a cleaning device, ensuring the contamination parameter falls below predetermined threshold values before filling, allowing for continuous monitoring and adjustment of the fluid's purity during the filling process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If the fluid is cleaned using conventional filtration and degassing methods, then some contamination is removed, but the fluid purity is insufficient for high-precision organic semiconductor production

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefluid purityVSAvoidproduct quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary cleaning actions by circulating the fluid through the cleaning device multiple times before filling. The method determines when cleaning is sufficient by measuring contamination parameters, ensuring the fluid reaches the required purity level before being transferred to the container, thereby preventing contamination from compromising product quality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The contamination measuring device provides real-time feedback on the fluid's contamination level during the cleaning process. This feedback mechanism allows the system to monitor whether the contamination parameter has fallen below the threshold value, enabling precise control over when the cleaning process should stop and when the fluid is ready for filling, thus ensuring both high purity and product quality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Manufacturing precision

If the fluid is circulated multiple times through the cleaning device, then contamination is reduced, but the process time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefluid purityVSAvoidcleaning cycle time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The contamination measuring device provides real-time feedback on the fluid's contamination level during the cleaning process. This allows the system to determine exactly when the contamination parameter has fallen below the threshold value, preventing unnecessary extended circulation and optimizing the balance between achieving sufficient purity and minimizing process time

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The cleaning process is made dynamic and adaptive rather than fixed. The system adjusts the number of circulation cycles based on actual measured contamination levels, allowing the process to terminate as soon as the threshold is met, thereby reducing unnecessary time consumption while ensuring the required purity level is achieved

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Manufacturing precision

If extensive cleaning and quality control processes are implemented, then fluid purity is improved, but production effort and costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefluid purityVSAvoidproduction process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-verification of fluid purity through the integrated contamination measuring device. The automatic determination of when cleaning is sufficient eliminates the need for extensive manual quality control checks, reducing both production effort and complexity while maintaining high fluid purity standards

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The automatic feedback mechanism from the contamination measuring device replaces complex manual quality control procedures. The system self-regulates the cleaning process based on measured contamination levels, significantly simplifying the overall production process while ensuring consistent high purity standards are met

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

4Reliability

If the transport container is cleaned thoroughly, then contamination risk is reduced, but the cleaning effort and fluid loss increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontainer cleanlinessVSAvoidfluid loss during cleaning
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The container cleaning is performed as a preliminary action before filling, using a controlled amount of fluid circulated through the cleaning device. The process determines when cleaning is sufficient based on contamination measurements, ensuring the container is clean enough without requiring excessive cleaning that would waste valuable fluid

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies partial cleaning action rather than exhaustive cleaning. By using contamination measurement feedback, the system stops cleaning as soon as the required cleanliness level is achieved, avoiding the excessive fluid loss that would result from continued thorough cleaning, thus optimizing the balance between container cleanliness and fluid conservation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

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 significantly reduces contamination in transport containers, enabling efficient use of organic semiconductor materials by ensuring the fluid meets desired purity levels with minimal additional effort, thereby reducing waste and production costs.

Implementation Method 1

the materials dissolved in a suitable organic solvent are typically purified, filtered, and degassed in a multi-stage purification process

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFiltration: Filter (physical)

Implementation Method 2

the materials dissolved in a suitable organic solvent are typically purified, filtered, and degassed in a multi-stage purification process

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDegassing: Gas Compressor

Implementation Method 3

a contamination parameter of a fluid sample in the cleaning cycle is determined using a contamination measuring device

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectOptical detection:

Data Source

PatentEP3445705B1Method and filling device for filling a transport container with a fluid
Publication Date: 2022.09.21 MERCK PATENT GMBH
  • EP3445705B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2

AI summary

In a method for filling a transport container (12) with a fluid, the fluid is repeatedly conveyed through the cleaning device (7) in a cleaning circuit (1), and a contamination factor of a fluid sample amount in the cleaning circuit (1) is determined with a contamination measuring device (15), wherein a filling process of the transport container (12) with the fluid only ends once the contamination factor falls below a first threshold value. The fluid sample amount provided for determining the contamination factor can be channeled off from the cleaning circuit (1), supplied to the contamination measuring device (15) and, after the determining of the contamination factor, supplied back into the cleaning circuit (1). In a container cleaning step, a container fluid amount previously introduced into the transport container (12) from the cleaning circuit (1) can be removed from the transport container (12) again and supplied back into the cleaning circuit (1). A contamination factor of the container fluid amount removed from the transport container (12) can be determined with the contamination measuring device (15), and the filling process of the transport container (12) with the fluid only ends once the contamination factor falls below a third threshold value.