Modular Sampler With Separate Temperature Control Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing samplers for monitoring and analyzing liquid samples in sewage treatment plants face challenges such as the need for cooling, which is often not adaptable and requires costly replacement, and maintenance difficulties due to contamination and complex handling.
Innovation Solution
A modular sampler with a separate temperature control unit that can be easily installed, uninstalled, and retrofitted, allowing for flexible operation under various thermal conditions, and featuring a modular design that separates the cooling/temperature control module from the main housing for improved maintenance and adaptability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the cooling unit is integrated into the sampler housing, then the sampler can be positioned in the immediate vicinity of the medium to be measured, but the entire housing must be replaced if the cooling unit becomes defective
Solution Approach 1:
The sampler is divided into separate functional modules: the main housing containing the sampling unit and the separate housing module containing the temperature control unit. This segmentation allows the temperature control unit to be independently replaced without replacing the entire sampler housing, resolving the contradiction between positioning flexibility and ease of repair.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the cooling unit is integrated into the sampler, then cooling function is provided, but a later change or retrofitting is no longer possible or only with considerable technical and financial effort
Solution Approach 1:
The modular design with detachable connections allows the temperature control module to be dynamically added or removed based on requirements. The adapter unit enables easy attachment and detachment, making retrofitting simple and cost-effective, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and ease of manufacture.
3Device complexity
If the sampler is designed as immersion or immersion probes to avoid complex cooling solutions, then outdoor installation is simplified, but maintenance becomes relatively difficult due to contamination and handling in the immediate vicinity of the medium
Solution Approach 1:
The sampler separates the sampling unit (exposed to medium) from the analysis unit (protected in housing). This segmentation allows the sampling probe to be simple and easy to clean, while the complex temperature control and analysis components remain protected and accessible for maintenance, resolving the contradiction between device complexity and ease of repair.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a separate housing module with temperature control unit is used, then flexible adaptation to requirements and easy service are achieved, but the device structure becomes more modular with multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter unit serves multiple functions: it provides thermal insulation, enables detachable connection between housing modules, and facilitates easy assembly/disassembly. This universal component simplifies the modular structure by using a single multi-functional element rather than multiple specialized components, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and device complexity.
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
Enables flexible and cost-effective outdoor installation with quick adaptation to specific conditions, reducing maintenance efforts and avoiding high investment costs associated with measuring houses, while providing rapid measurement results and easy component exchange.
Implementation Method 1
The housing module is preferably thermally insulated. The housing of the sampler and the housing module, which is separate from the sampler and in which the essential components of the temperature control unit are arranged, are preferably thermally insulated from one another.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to a sampler (1) for automatically taking liquid samples from a sample extraction point (2), composed of a housing (3) with a door (4), with a power supply unit (8), with a closed-loop control/evaluation unit (8), with a sample extraction unit (10) which extracts a predefined sample quantity from the sample extraction point (2) at a predefinable time interval, with a sample collecting unit (6) which is arranged in the lower region of the housing (3) of the sampler (1) and in which the extracted samples are stored, and with a temperature control unit (7) by which at least the region of the sampler (1) in which the sample collecting unit (6) is arranged is adjusted to a predefined temperature so that the sampler (1) can be used at the sample extraction point (2) under any desired thermal conditions.