Recirculating bath
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional recirculating baths have limited utility and require frequent maintenance due to obstructive head units, restricted access, and the risk of overheating or over-cooling samples, as well as potential cross-contamination and difficulty in cleaning.
Innovation Solution
The design relocates heating and cooling elements externally to the reservoir, eliminating the need for a head unit and providing an unobstructed work area with a hinged lid, allowing for improved access and easier cleaning, while maintaining temperature control through a controller and recirculating pump system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the head unit with immersion pump and heater is placed inside the reservoir, then temperature control is achieved, but the work area is restricted and access is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the head unit containing the immersion pump and heater from the reservoir interior and relocates it to an external position. This extraction eliminates the space occupation by these components within the reservoir, thereby maximizing the available work area while preserving temperature control functionality through external thermal coupling mechanisms.
2Temperature
If the head unit occupies space on top of the base unit, then temperature control components are integrated, but access to the reservoir is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The head unit is extracted from its conventional position on top of the base unit and relocated to an external position. This extraction removes the physical barrier to reservoir access, allowing users to easily reach into and work with samples in the reservoir while the external head unit maintains temperature control through alternative thermal coupling methods.
3Temperature
If heating and cooling elements are placed in the working liquid, then temperature control is effective, but cross-contamination and cleaning difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The heating and cooling elements are extracted from direct contact with the working liquid and relocated to external positions. This extraction eliminates the risk of cross-contamination between different liquids and samples, while also simplifying cleaning procedures since the reservoir interior no longer contains embedded thermal elements that are difficult to access and clean.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary thermal coupling mechanism that transfers heat between the external head unit and the working liquid without direct contact between the heating/cooling elements and the liquid. This intermediary approach maintains effective temperature control while preventing contamination and facilitating easy cleaning of the reservoir.
4Device complexity
If the thermal elements are located in the reservoir, then compact design is achieved, but the risk of overheating or over-cooling samples increases
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal elements are extracted from the reservoir interior to an external position, creating physical separation between the heating/cooling components and the samples. This extraction reduces the risk of overheating or over-cooling incidents by eliminating direct contact between thermal elements and samples, while the system maintains compactness through efficient external thermal coupling design.
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 configuration increases the usable work area, reduces maintenance needs, and prevents cross-contamination, while allowing operation at lower liquid levels and enhancing safety by eliminating the risk of overheating or over-cooling.
Implementation Method 1
A thermal element located externally to the first space may be thermally coupled to the working liquid to transfer heat between the working liquid and the thermal element
Implementation Method 2
A recirculating pump external to the first space may be fluidically coupled to the first space to circulate the working liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A recirculating bath includes a reservoir for receiving a working liquid, a recirculating pump, and at least one thermal element. The recirculating pump and thermal element are located externally to the reservoir so that the reservoir has an unobstructed working space. The thermal element may be thermally coupled to the working liquid through an interior surface of the reservoir, or the working liquid may be circulated over the thermal element by the recirculating pump in a chamber external to the reservoir. The recirculating bath may also include a lid that provides access to the reservoir by pivoting on a latching hinge. When open, the lid may provide a working surface adjacent to the reservoir. The lid may also include a selector that unlatches the hinge so that the lid can be removed. The recirculating pump may be fluidically coupled to the reservoir via a manifold.