Rotating Agitating Element for Passive Sampler Flow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Passive samplers used for water pollution analysis face issues with decreased diffusion of substances due to vegetation and deposit buildup, and unclear flow conditions when directly exposed in water bodies, leading to inaccurate pollution determination.
Innovation Solution
A device with a rotating agitating element in a container ensures constant flow conditions and prevents deposit buildup by constantly moving fluid over the active surface sections, allowing for precise and reproducible substance absorption by passive samplers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If passive samplers are placed directly into the body of water for long-term exposure, then the accumulation of pollutants over time is achieved, but vegetation and deposits build up on the active surface section causing decreased diffusion and underestimation of pollution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the passive samplers from direct contact with the water body and places them in a flow cell device. This separation removes the harmful effect of vegetation and deposit buildup on the active surface section while maintaining the ability to accumulate pollutants over extended periods through controlled fluid circulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a flow cell device as an intermediary between the water body and the passive samplers. This intermediary provides a controlled environment with defined flow conditions that prevents direct contact with vegetation and debris, thereby maintaining reliable pollution determination over long exposure durations.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If passive samplers are placed directly in the body of water, then long-term accumulation is possible, but the flow conditions at the active surface section remain undefined reducing measurement precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the flow conditions from undefined natural water flow to controlled, defined flow conditions within the flow cell device. By regulating parameters such as flow rate and flow pattern, the device ensures consistent and reproducible mass transfer conditions at the active surface section, thereby improving measurement precision while enabling long-term exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dynamic fluid circulation system that actively moves fluid through the flow cell at controlled rates. This dynamic approach ensures consistent flow conditions over time, preventing the stagnation and variability that would occur with static placement in natural water bodies, thus maintaining both long-term exposure capability and measurement precision.
3Ease of manufacture
If passive samplers are arranged on a rotationally driven holder in an open container with water feeding, then calibration under laboratory conditions is achieved, but the flow conditions at the active surface section are still not precisely defined
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a cylindrical flow cell geometry with controlled flow paths that wrap around the passive samplers. This curved flow path design ensures uniform flow distribution across the active surface section, addressing the limitation of flat-holder arrangements where flow conditions vary significantly across different locations.
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 maintains consistent flow characteristics and prevents contamination, enabling accurate and reproducible determination of water pollution by ensuring all samplers are exposed to identical conditions, enhancing the precision of pollution measurements.
Implementation Method 1
an agitating element driven in a rotating manner in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of a container, which agitating element is arranged on the side facing away from the first end face of the sample plane defined by the active surface section
Implementation Method 2
these substances are diffused into the inside of the sample body through an active surface section
Implementation Method 3
a collection phase having high affinity for the target analytes
Data Source
AI summary
A device for exposing sample bodies to a fluid. The sample bodies have an active surface section that defines a measuring plane. The device includes a container, a sample body holder, and an agitating element. The container, which extends along a longitudinal axis, has an inlet, an outlet, a closed side wall, which extends along the longitudinal axis, and first and second end faces that extend transverse to the longitudinal axis. The sample body holder extends transverse to the longitudinal axis and holds at least one sample body so that its measuring plane extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis in a first sample plane its active surface section faces away from the first end face. The agitating element driven in a rotating manner in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and is arranged on the side facing away from the first end face of the first sample plane.