Automated Gas Injection System for Parallel Vial Purging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated gas injection systems are limited in their ability to simultaneously inject gas into multiple positions, requiring lengthy cleaning routines and reducing analytical throughput.
Innovation Solution
An automated gas injection system capable of simultaneous gas injection into 24 or more positions, with injection pressure control and overpressure detection, significantly reducing cleaning time and improving analytical efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If gas injection is performed into 2 positions at a time using conventional automated systems, then equipment complexity is reduced, but cleaning time increases significantly (108 minutes for 72 positions)
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the gas injection process into parallel channels, with multiple needles simultaneously injecting gas into different positions. The manifold structure segments the single gas flow into multiple parallel streams, enabling concurrent processing of many samples without requiring a completely new system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple gas injection functions into a single manifold system that can simultaneously serve multiple positions. By merging the gas delivery infrastructure into one integrated unit with multiple output needles, the system achieves high throughput without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
2Productivity
If manual gas injection is performed into 14 positions simultaneously, then productivity increases 7 times, but automation is lost and operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automated gas injection without requiring manual intervention for each position. The manifold automatically distributes gas flow to all connected positions simultaneously, and the elevator mechanism automatically positions the sample holder, eliminating the need for manual operation while maintaining high throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The manifold structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it distributes gas flow to multiple positions, controls pressure across all channels, and interfaces with the automated positioning system. This multi-functional design maintains operational simplicity while achieving high productivity.
3Reliability
If gas injection time is extended to ensure complete air elimination, then analytical quality improves, but total processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous gas flow through all positions simultaneously rather than sequentially processing each sample. The manifold ensures uninterrupted gas injection across all channels, achieving complete air elimination in parallel without extending total processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-configures the manifold with multiple injection channels ready to operate simultaneously. By preparing the gas distribution system in advance with all positions connected and ready, the system can immediately begin parallel gas injection without delays, ensuring both completeness and speed.
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 achieves a 36 times reduction in cleaning time by gas injection, allowing for faster analysis and increased productivity, with the ability to process more samples per week and reduce analytical costs.
Implementation Method 1
automated gas injection system in vials with septum, for the simultaneous injection of gas in 24 or more positions
Implementation Method 2
with injection pressure control or overpressure detection
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention addresses to an automated gas injection system in vials with rubber septa, for simultaneous injection of gas in 24 or more positions, with injection pressure control and/or overpressure detection, applied to mass spectrometry analyses and/or gas chromatography. The present invention can be used, for example, in isotopic analyses of geological materials in equipment with carbonate extraction units, in the cleaning and decontamination of tubes to be used in isotopic or chromatographic analyses, and in the removal of contaminants from steam drag or by continuous flow, or coming from the free space of vials or tubes in the analyses of organic and inorganic materials.The application of this invention allows reducing the current times of routine purge (flush) of at very least 3 minutes for every 2 positions (72 positions in total and final time of 108 minutes, in a batch of samples) to a total of 96 positions in 3 minutes, with a reduction of 12 times or more in the flush time, which implies greater analytical capacity to the laboratory, lower external costs of sending samples, less time to obtain results, with technology that is easy to implement in universities and research centers in general, in addition to increasing the lifespan of rubber septa.