Pulsed Fluid Jet Supply System for Tissue Penetration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing supply systems for delivering fluid jets to biological tissues face inefficiencies, such as tissue damage from high pressure, loss of suspension due to insufficient energy density, and difficulty in achieving homogeneous distribution, especially when using existing canal-based instruments and systems with elastic elongation and dead spaces.
Innovation Solution
A supply system with a controller that manages pressure pulses by conveying a first fluid as a propellant to expel a second fluid with high pressure close to the nozzle, maintaining a similar pressure level to the nozzle exit, thereby minimizing tissue stress and ensuring homogeneous distribution, using a combination of valves and a pump to control pressure and volume flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If high pressure is applied to deliver fluid jet, then penetration depth is improved, but cell survival rate deteriorates due to excessive stress
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic pressure pulses instead of continuous high pressure. The controller delivers fluid in pulsed intervals with peak pressures up to 200 bar, allowing deep penetration during pulse peaks while providing rest periods that reduce cumulative stress on cells, thereby maintaining high cell survival rates despite achieving deep tissue penetration
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes pressure parameters by varying the peak pressure, pulse width, and pulse frequency. The controller adjusts these parameters based on tissue depth requirements, using higher peak pressures for deeper penetration while keeping the duty cycle low enough to protect cell viability. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction between penetration depth and cell survival
2Stress or pressure
If high pressure is used to compensate for pressure losses, then exit pressure is improved, but tissue damage worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a propellant fluid as an intermediary medium. This propellant fluid is accelerated to high velocity and used to drive the suspension fluid through the nozzle. The propellant transfers momentum to the suspension close to the nozzle exit, achieving high exit pressure without requiring excessively high pressure at the pump outlet, thereby reducing pressure-related tissue damage while maintaining effective jet delivery
3Stress or pressure
If pressure is significantly higher at supply system exits than at outlet nozzle, then pressure compensation for friction losses is improved, but cell damage worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the pressure generation function from the supply system and relocates it to the nozzle level using the propellant mechanism. Instead of maintaining high pressure throughout the entire supply system, the propellant is accelerated in a separate channel and then used to drive the suspension fluid at the nozzle. This extraction of the pressure function to the point of application eliminates unnecessary high pressure in the supply lines, preventing cell damage while still achieving adequate pressure compensation at the exit
4Productivity
If continuous fluid delivery is used, then productivity is improved, but energy density deteriorates due to run-on phase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic pulsed delivery with carefully controlled pulse width and frequency. During the active pulse phase, high energy density is maintained by delivering fluid in concentrated bursts. The pulse timing is optimized so that pulses are delivered in sequence, maintaining overall productivity while ensuring each pulse has sufficient energy density to penetrate tissue effectively without the energy dissipation associated with continuous delivery
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 allows for efficient delivery of fluid jets with high exit velocity, achieving deep tissue penetration with high cell survival rates and minimizing tissue damage, while maintaining a consistent volume flow and rapidly changing pressure settings to achieve steep pressure edges.
Implementation Method 1
The first fluid, during at least a third conveying interval, is conveyed with a third pressure in the first feed line. One aspect of the invention resides in that in step c the first fluid is utilized as a propellant to expel the second fluid with high pressure from the application instrument. The pressure transfer may hence occur very distally, for example close to the nozzle.
Implementation Method 2
The supply system may comprise at least one pump that is preferably controlled by the controller such that an essentially constant volume flow of the first fluid is achieved.
Implementation Method 3
the controller controls at least one valve such that within one application time interval of less than 4 s: a first fluid, during at least a first conveying interval, is conveyed with a first pressure in a first feed line
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a supply system having at least one outlet for connecting to an applicator instrument, and having a controller (51) that controls at least one valve (50, 50′, 50″, 50′″) such that, within an application time interval of less than 4 s, in particular less than 2 s:a) a first fluid during at least a first delivery interval (T1) with a first pressure (ph) is conveyed in a first feed line (11);b) a second fluid during a second delivery interval (T2) following the first conveying interval (T1) is conveyed with a second pressure (pz) in a second feed line (23); andc) the first fluid, during at least a third delivery interval (T3), is conveyed with a third pressure (pl) in the first feed line (11).