Disposable Sampling Container Pressure Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing containers for media sampling from container filling systems often crack or explode due to pressure or vacuum changes, posing a risk to sampling personnel and contaminating the sample, especially in cold-aseptic systems where detailed microbiological analysis is critical.
Innovation Solution
A plastic container with a closed base, orthogonal peripheral wall, and a filling region featuring a container neck with a specific outer thread design, which is pressure- and vacuum-resistant, ensuring a media-tight seal and preventing splintering during sampling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If glass containers are used for media sampling, then the sample can be collected, but the container may crack or explode under pressure or vacuum changes, injuring personnel and contaminating the sample
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces durable but dangerous glass containers with disposable plastic containers designed for single use. The plastic containers are discarded after one sampling operation, eliminating the risk of glass splinters and sample contamination from reused containers while maintaining adequate durability for the single sampling event.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material construction by combining plastic material for the container body with a separate plastic cover. This composite approach allows the container to achieve both safety (no glass splinters) and functional requirements (pressure/vacuum resistance, sample integrity) that single-material solutions cannot provide.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If plastic covers are placed over glass bottles to protect against splinters, then personnel safety is improved, but the sample becomes contaminated and cannot be used for analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for protective covers by using disposable plastic containers that inherently provide both personnel safety and sample integrity. The container is designed to be discarded after single use, removing the conflicting need for additional protective barriers that would compromise sample analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental material parameter from glass to plastic, which fundamentally alters the safety and contamination characteristics. This material parameter change eliminates the need for additional protective measures while maintaining sample integrity, as plastic does not produce splinters and can be designed to resist pressure and vacuum changes.
3Reliability
If the container is sealed airtight during sampling, then sample contamination is prevented, but pressure or vacuum changes may cause the container to explode
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite material construction with a plastic container body and plastic cover combination that provides both airtight sealing and resistance to pressure/vacuum changes. The design incorporates features like threaded connections and sealing surfaces that maintain hermetic sealing while distributing mechanical stresses to prevent explosion under pressure differentials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter from glass to plastic, which fundamentally alters the mechanical properties. Plastic material provides adequate strength-to-weight ratio and flexibility to withstand pressure and vacuum changes while maintaining airtight sealing, unlike rigid glass that is prone to catastrophic failure under similar conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A sampling container for receiving media from a container filling system includes a closed base region, a peripheral wall adjoining the base region and extending substantially orthogonal to the base region, and a filling region opposite the base region and adjoining the peripheral wall. The filling region has a container neck extending substantially orthogonal to the base region and includes a filling opening. An outer thread is arranged over an outer periphery of the container neck. The thread has an outer diameter between 44 and 46 mm and a core diameter between 41 and 43 mm, and rounded edges, at least over portions, with a radius between 0.95 and 1.05 mm. The container neck can be arranged in a receiver of a sampling head, during the sampling process so that the container is sealed in a media-tight manner in relation to an ambient environment.