Junction Conduit Mixing for Uniform Liquid Culture Medium
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing liquid medium compositions for cell culture often result in uneven structure formation, particularly when deacylated gellan gum is mixed with a linking substance like calcium ions, leading to string-like structures that are difficult to disperse uniformly, especially when scaling up production, and pose challenges in maintaining sterility.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus utilizing a junction conduit structure where the first liquid containing deacylated gellan gum and the second liquid with calcium ions are mixed through aligned inlet conduits, forming an outlet conduit, allowing for continuous and sterile mixing without the need for stirring, enabling uniform dispersion of structures in large quantities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If deacylated gellan gum is mixed with calcium ions by pouring high concentration liquid into culture medium while stirring, then structures are formed, but the structures become string-like and entangled instead of uniformly dispersed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical stirring system with a flow-based mixing system. Two liquids (containing deacylated gellan gum and calcium ions respectively) are pumped through separate conduits and mixed by flowing together in a junction conduit, eliminating the need for mechanical stirrers that cause string-like structure formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses hydraulic flow to achieve mixing. The two liquid components are delivered through conduits and mixed by their combined flow in a junction conduit, using fluid dynamics rather than mechanical agitation to achieve uniform dispersion of the structures.
2Reliability
If mixing is performed in open containers with stirring, then liquids can be mixed, but sterility cannot be maintained and contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a closed conduit system with sealed connections to maintain sterility. The liquids are mixed within an enclosed framework of conduits and a junction conduit, preventing exposure to external contamination while achieving thorough mixing through flow convergence.
Solution Approach 2:
By replacing open mechanical stirring with closed hydraulic flow mixing, the system simultaneously achieves sterility maintenance and effective mixing without requiring open container operations.
3Productivity
If conventional stirring methods are used to mix the liquids, then mixing can be achieved, but scaling up to large quantities becomes difficult and structures remain unevenly dispersed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical stirring with a scalable hydraulic flow system. The junction conduit structure allows continuous mixing of large volumes by simply increasing flow rates, maintaining uniform structure dispersion regardless of scale, as the flow-based mechanism does not suffer from the limitations of mechanical stirrers in large containers.
Solution Approach 2:
The junction conduit mixing system serves multiple functions: it mixes large volumes efficiently, maintains uniform dispersion, and can be scaled by adjusting flow rates without changing the fundamental mixing mechanism, making it universally applicable from small to large-scale production.
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 ensures a uniformly dispersed state of structures in the liquid medium composition, facilitating large-scale production while maintaining sterility and preventing contamination, thus supporting efficient cell culture without mechanical stress.
Implementation Method 1
flowing a first liquid containing a particular compound into the first inflow conduit and flowing a second liquid containing a linking substance into the second inlet conduit, and allowing the flows of the both liquids to join together to mix the both liquids
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method for producing a liquid medium composition, including using a junction conduit structure 10 having a structure in which a first inlet conduit 11 and a second inlet conduit 12 are joined together to form an outlet conduit 13, and flowing a first liquid 1 containing a particular compound into the first inflow conduit 11 and flowing a second liquid 2 containing a linking substance into the second inlet conduit 12, and allowing the flows of the both liquids to join together to mix the both liquids, thus forming a liquid medium composition 3 containing structures formed by the particular compound linked via the linking substance dispersed therein while being flown through the outlet conduit 13.