Microbial Air Sampler With 283 Holes For Laminar Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microbial air samplers in controlled environments face challenges in maintaining high cleanliness levels due to high flow rates, which result in loss of smaller particulates and provide only short snapshots of air quality, necessitating longer sampling times to capture a broader spectrum effectively.
Innovation Solution
A microbial air sampler with a top plate featuring 283 small holes and a deepened center well, along with elongated slots, allows for laminar airflow and captures microorganisms efficiently without the need for a gasket, enabling sterilization by heat, steam, or Ethylene Oxide, and accommodating current Petri dish shapes and sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high flow rate air sampling is used, then sampling time is reduced, but smaller particulates carrying microorganisms are lost due to dynamic drag
Solution Approach 1:
The top plate is segmented into multiple small holes (283 holes) distributed across the surface. This segmentation allows the airflow to be divided into multiple smaller streams, reducing the dynamic drag on individual particles while maintaining overall high flow rate. The smaller holes create gentler local airflow patterns that capture smaller particulates effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The plate features localized variations in hole distribution and size. The holes are strategically positioned and sized to create optimal local airflow characteristics different from conventional uniform patterns. This local quality optimization ensures that airflow at each location is suited for capturing particles of specific sizes, thereby reducing particulate loss while maintaining productivity.
2Loss of time
If high flow rate air sampling is used, then sampling time is reduced, but the snapshot of air quality condition is limited in scope
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables continuous sampling operation with consistent airflow through the plate's multiple holes. The design allows for prolonged sampling periods without loss of efficiency, as the distributed hole pattern maintains stable airflow characteristics over time. This continuity permits comprehensive monitoring of air quality across different temporal phases of clean room operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The plate is pre-configured with an optimal pattern of 283 holes that anticipates various airflow conditions and particle trajectories. This preliminary design optimization ensures that regardless of sampling duration, the device is prepared to capture representative air quality data across the full spectrum of conditions that may occur during extended monitoring periods.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional air sampler design with gasket is used, then assembly is simplified, but sterilization capability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The design completely removes the gasket component from the assembly. By extracting this non-sterilizable element, the device achieves full sterilization capability through autoclaving and other thermal methods. The gasketless design uses direct metal-to-metal sealing surfaces that can withstand high temperatures and chemical sterilants, eliminating the sterilization limitation imposed by rubber or plastic gaskets.
Solution Approach 2:
The device employs composite construction with metal plates (stainless steel or aluminum) that combine structural integrity with sterilization resistance. The material selection and bonding methods create a composite structure that maintains ease of assembly while achieving superior sterilization capability compared to conventional gasketed designs. The metal composite construction allows for both mechanical assembly and complete sterilization cycles.
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 device achieves a longer sampling time with reduced particulate loss, capturing particles of 0.5-30 microns with lower efficiency loss compared to conventional samplers, providing more representative data and maintaining cleanliness in controlled environments.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum pump to control the flow of air to air sampler devices
Implementation Method 2
allows for laminar airflow and captures microorganisms efficiently
Data Source
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AI summary
An air sampler device has a top plate and a bottom plate, and receives a Petri dish between the top plate and the bottom plate. The top plate includes 283 substantially small holes. The bottom plate has a deepened center well formed in the top surface. Elongated slots are formed in the top surface which extend out from the well. The slots have distal ends which extend beyond the Petri dish. Air is drawn into the sampler by a vacuum tube through an air port which communicates with the center well. Air is pulled into the 283 holes in the top plate and strikes the capture material in the Petri dish. The air then travels up over the sides of the dish, into the distal ends, through the slots, and into the center well, where it exits out of the vacuum air port.