Inline Sensor Cleaning via Pressurized Air Vaporization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for cleaning inline optical sensors in flowcells require excessive amounts of cleaning liquid, which is inefficient and wasteful, especially when dealing with wastewater rich in proteins and fats.
Innovation Solution
A method involving pressurized air to displace liquid from the flowcell chamber, followed by a vaporized cleaning liquid and air mixture delivered at a lower pressure to the windows, allowing the cleaning liquid to act for a predetermined time before hot water flushes away any deposits, significantly reducing the volume of cleaning liquid needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large amount of cleaning liquid is used to clean the process monitoring probe, then the cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the loss of substance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transition of cleaning liquid from liquid to vapor state by heating, creating a cleaning vapor that condenses on the sensor probe surface. This phase change enables effective cleaning with minimal liquid consumption, as the vapor can penetrate and condense on contaminated surfaces without requiring large volumes of liquid
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the cleaning medium by heating the cleaning liquid to generate vapor and controlling the temperature and pressure conditions. This parameter change allows the cleaning agent to transition from liquid to vapor phase, improving cleaning effectiveness while reducing substance consumption
2Reliability
If the chamber is filled with cleaning liquid for cleaning, then the cleaning coverage is improved, but the quantity of substance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs phase transition by heating cleaning liquid to vapor, which then fills the chamber and condenses on the sensor probe. This vapor-phase cleaning provides comprehensive coverage of all surfaces including hard-to-reach areas, while using significantly less cleaning liquid compared to liquid-phase flooding methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pressurized gas to deliver and distribute the cleaning vapor throughout the chamber and onto the sensor probe surfaces. This pneumatic delivery system ensures uniform distribution of the cleaning agent with minimal material consumption
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 effectively cleans the windows with a significantly lower amount of cleaning liquid, efficiently removing solid particles and deposits like grease and biofilm, while maintaining the flowcell's fluid-tight integrity without the need for extensive reconfiguration.
Implementation Method 1
supplying air pressurized at a first air pressure to the chamber for substantially emptying the chamber from liquid
Implementation Method 2
using air pressurized at a second air pressure, vaporizing the amount of cleaning liquid to obtain a cleaning liquid/pressurized air mixture
Implementation Method 3
delivering the mixture via the one or more flushing channels onto the one or more windows in the chamber
Implementation Method 4
letting the cleaning liquid from the mixture act on the one or more windows onto which the mixture has been delivered, for at least a predetermined amount of time
Implementation Method 5
flushing the chamber with hot water which has a temperature of at least 80 degrees Celsius
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
Method of cleaning an inline optical sensor in a system, wherein the sensor has one or more substantially transparent windows arranged in a chamber of a flowcell of the system, wherein the sensor is arranged for inline measurement of an optical property of liquid flowing through an inlet of the chamber into the chamber, and wherein one or more flushing channels are provided which debouch in the chamber, the method comprising: stopping liquid from passing though the inlet into the chamber, supplying air pressurized at a first air pressure to the chamber via said one or more flushing channels to substantially empty the chamber from liquid, dispensing an amount of cleaning liquid, and, using air pressurized at a second air pressure lower than the first air pressure, vaporizing the amount of cleaning liquid to obtain a vaporized cleaning liquid/pressurized air mixture and delivering the mixture via the one or more flushing channels onto the one or more windows of the sensor. A system for inline measurement of an optical property of a liquid, and adapted for carrying out a cleaning sequence is disclosed as well.