Multistage Container Leak Testing with Holder Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing leak detection systems for closed and filled containers often result in cross-contamination, where grossly-leaking containers can contaminate the testing chamber, affecting subsequent tests and potentially damaging sensitive equipment like mass spectrometers.
Innovation Solution
A multistage leak testing method where containers undergo a first coarse leak detection, and those identified as leaking are rejected with their holders to prevent contamination, followed by a second fine leak detection for non-rejected containers, ensuring that any product leakage is contained within the holders and does not contaminate the testing environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a coarse leak detection step is performed before fine leak detection, then the mass spectrometer is protected from gross leaks, but grossly-leaking containers can still contaminate the testing chamber requiring decontamination
Solution Approach 1:
The container holder acts as an intermediary containment structure between the coarse leak detection chamber and the fine leak detection mass spectrometer. When a container fails coarse leak detection, the holder traps the leaking product inside its cavity, preventing direct contamination of the testing chamber environment. This mediator structure allows the system to maintain reliability by protecting the mass spectrometer while avoiding the harmful effect of chamber contamination that would require decontamination.
2Measurement precision
If leaking containers are rejected individually, then testing precision is maintained, but processing speed decreases due to manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the container holder rejection with the leak detection process. Instead of separate operations for detection and rejection, the system combines them by designing the holder to automatically trap and contain leaking containers. The holder itself becomes the rejection mechanism - containers that fail detection remain trapped in the holder cavity and are removed as a unit, eliminating the need for separate manual rejection steps and maintaining high processing speed while preserving detection precision.
Data Source
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AI summary
A coarse-fine two-stage leak detection is carried out on sealed, filled containers loaded into container holders or "pucks". Failure of the first, coarse leak detection stage, e.g. a pressure-course or impedance or laser-absorption based leak detection stage, causes containers to be rejected together with their corresponding container holders. These are then separated, and the container holder is cleaned and dried before being returned to the system. Any leaking product from inside a grossly leaking container is thus retained within the container holder, thus reducing contamination of subsequent containers and their container holders, preventing such contamination from reaching the fine leak detection stage, e.g. a mass-spectrometer-based leak detection stage.