Sheath Fluid Buffering for Stable Flow Cytometer Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flow cytometers face challenges in maintaining stable sheath fluid flow rates using peristaltic pumps, leading to detection inaccuracies and capture failures, especially when sorting cells, due to pulsation and fluctuation, which are not adequately addressed by high-precision pumps or low-cost alternatives.
Innovation Solution
A sheath fluid supply system with a buffer module and outflow line design, utilizing a peristaltic pump to stabilize flow rates by incorporating a second container with sealed gas and an outflow line to manage fluctuations, allowing a secondary flow rate that absorbs pump variations, thereby enhancing precision and speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If peristaltic pumps are used to pump sheath fluid, then cost is reduced, but flow rate stability deteriorates due to pulsation
Solution Approach 1:
A buffer container is introduced as an intermediary component between the peristaltic pump and the flow cell. The buffer container receives pulsating flow from the pump and provides a stabilized outlet flow to the flow cell, thereby mediating the contradiction between using low-cost peristaltic pumps and maintaining flow rate stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer container acts as a cushioning element that absorbs flow pulsations beforehand before the fluid reaches the flow cell. This prior cushioning effect stabilizes the flow rate without requiring expensive high-precision pumps.
2Measurement precision
If high-precision pumps are used to maintain stable flow rate, then detection accuracy is improved, but cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer container serves as a mediator that enables the use of low-cost peristaltic pumps while maintaining detection accuracy. By stabilizing the flow rate, the buffer container ensures that cells pass through the detection region at consistent intervals, preserving measurement precision without requiring expensive pumps.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces expensive high-precision pumps with inexpensive peristaltic pumps by introducing a simple buffer container. This substitution uses cheap components to achieve the same functional outcome, reducing overall system cost while maintaining detection accuracy.
3Productivity
If peristaltic pumps operate at high flow rates, then productivity is improved, but flow rate fluctuation increases causing capture failures
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer container mediates between the high-speed peristaltic pump and the cell sorting process. It absorbs flow rate fluctuations even at high productivity levels, ensuring that cells are captured successfully without reducing overall flow rate or productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer container provides beforehand cushioning that prevents flow rate fluctuations from affecting cell capture. By stabilizing flow before cells reach the sorting region, it enables high productivity operation without capture failures.
4Reliability
If sheath fluid flow rate is reduced to mitigate pulsation effects, then flow rate stability is improved, but detection sensitivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer container acts as an intermediary that decouples the relationship between pump speed and flow stability. It allows the pump to operate at high speeds for sensitivity while providing stable flow to the detection region, eliminating the need to reduce flow rate for stability.
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 system significantly reduces flow rate fluctuations, enabling high-precision and rapid adjustments, thus improving detection accuracy and reducing costs by using inexpensive peristaltic pumps.
Implementation Method 1
low-cost peristaltic pumps are alternatively used. However, since peristaltic pumps generate pulsed flow during operation, pulsation also occurs in the sheath fluid supply
Implementation Method 2
a buffer module which may include: a second container in which a predetermined volume of gas is sealed... a first part of sheath fluid in the second container can flow towards the flow cell... while a second part of sheath fluid in the second container flows out of the second container; where during pumping of the peristaltic pump, a flow rate of the second part of sheath fluid is greater than a flow rate of the first part of sheath fluid
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A sheath fluid supply system (200), a flow cytometer (1000), and a method for supplying a sheath fluid to a flow cell (110) of a flow cytometer (1000). The sheath fluid supply system (200) is applied to the flow cytometer (1000), and comprises a first container (210), a supply pipeline, a peristaltic pump (240), and a cushioning module; the supply pipeline comprises a first pipeline (252) and a second pipeline (254); the cushioning module comprises a second container (220) and an outflow pipeline (230); a predetermined volume of gas is sealed within the second container (220); the first pipeline (252) is configured such that the first container (210) is in fluid communication with the second container (220); the second pipeline (254) is configured such that the second container (220) is in fluid communication with the flow cell (110); the peristaltic pump (240) is provided on the first pipeline (252); a first part of sheath fluid in the second container (220) flows to the flow cell (110) by means of the second pipeline (254); one end of the outflow pipeline (230) is connected to the second container (220); while the first part of sheath fluid in the second container (220) flows to the flow cell (110), a second part of sheath fluid in the second container (220) can flow out of the second container (220); during pumping of the peristaltic pump (240), the flow rate of the second part of sheath fluid is greater than that of the first part of sheath fluid. Thus, the use of the peristaltic pump (240) can greatly reduce the flow fluctuation of the sheath fluid flowing to the flow cell (110).