High-Pressure Sampling Container for Anaerobic Microorganisms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for sampling oxygen-sensitive anaerobic microorganisms from high-pressure deposits often result in contamination, exposure to atmospheric oxygen, and reduced survival rates due to the use of conventional glass flasks, leading to decreased detection efficiency and increased effort in laboratory analysis.
Innovation Solution
A high-pressure container with a directional control valve and a method that involves flushing the feed line with the sample to remove impurities, evacuating the sample chamber of oxygen, and slow pressure equalization to maintain anaerobic conditions, ensuring the sample is not exposed to atmospheric oxygen, thereby enhancing the survival and detection of microorganisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional glass flask is used for sampling, then the sampling process is simple, but the sample is exposed to atmospheric oxygen causing microorganism death and sample contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The feed line is flushed with the raw material sample before the actual sampling operation to remove atmospheric oxygen and contaminants from the line. This preliminary action ensures that when the sample is transferred to the flask, the transfer path is already oxygen-free, preventing microorganism death during sampling while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates an inert atmosphere by flushing the feed line with the raw material sample itself, displacing atmospheric oxygen from the sampling path. This inert environment is established temporarily during the sampling operation, allowing simple flask-based sampling without exposing anaerobic microorganisms to oxygen.
2Productivity
If the feed line is not flushed before sampling, then the sampling process is faster, but impurities and atmospheric oxygen contaminate the sample
Solution Approach 1:
The feed line is flushed with the raw material sample before actual sampling to remove impurities and atmospheric oxygen. This preliminary cleaning action is integrated into the sampling sequence, adding minimal time while ensuring high sample purity by eliminating contaminants from the transfer path.
Solution Approach 2:
The flushing operation uses the natural flow of the raw material sample under pressure to rapidly clear the feed line of contaminants. The system leverages the existing pressure differential to rush the sample through the line, quickly displacing impurities without requiring additional time-consuming steps.
3Ease of operation
If atmospheric oxygen contacts the sample during filling, then the filling process is straightforward, but metal ions react forming precipitates and killing microorganisms
Solution Approach 1:
The feed line is converted into a temporary inert environment by flushing it with the raw material sample, which displaces atmospheric oxygen from the filling path. This allows straightforward filling operations into the flask while preventing oxygen contact that would cause metal ion reactions and microorganism death.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by flushing the feed line with sample before filling occurs, preemptively removing atmospheric oxygen from the transfer path. This prevents the harmful reaction between atmospheric oxygen and the sample components before the filling operation begins, maintaining both simplicity and preventing harmful effects.
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 proposed solution significantly increases the survival rate of anaerobic microorganisms and improves detection efficiency by minimizing exposure to oxygen, reducing sample turbidity, and simplifying the sampling process, as demonstrated by comparative tests showing higher ATP concentrations in samples taken with the high-pressure container compared to conventional glass flasks.
Implementation Method 1
a directional control valve (7) being assigned to the feed line (6) - as seen in the direction of flow of the raw material sample into the sample chamber upstream of the inlet - by means of which the feed line (6) can be selectively connected on the one hand to an outlet (8) for the raw material sample, bypassing the inlet (3)
Implementation Method 2
the feed line (6) can be selectively connected on the one hand to an outlet (8) for the raw material sample, bypassing the inlet (3), in order to flush the feed line (6) with the raw material sample
Implementation Method 3
evacuating the sample chamber of oxygen, and slow pressure equalization to maintain anaerobic conditions
Implementation Method 4
slow pressure equalization to maintain anaerobic conditions
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention concerns a high-pressure container for taking a raw material sample containing oxygen-sensitive, such as anaerobic, microorganisms from a deposit, preferably a gas deposit, the high-pressure container comprising an inlet for feeding the raw material sample under pressure into a sample chamber of the high-pressure container and an outlet for discharging the raw material sample therefrom, the inlet being connectable to the deposit by means of a feed line and a directional control valve being assigned to the feed line, by means of which the feed line can be selectively connected on the one hand to a discharge for the raw material sample, bypassing the inlet, in order to flush the feed line with the raw material sample and on the other hand the feed line can be connected to the inlet in a flow-conducting manner in order to feed the raw material sample from the feed line via the inlet to the sample chamber. Further, the invention concerns a respective method for taking such a raw material sample.