Packet-wise proportioning followed by immediate longitudinal mixing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9791107-B2
Application number	US-201114233966-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2011
Priority date	Jul 27, 2011
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

A fluid supply system ( 150 ) adapted for metering two or more fluids in controlled proportions and for supplying a resultant mixture, the fluid supply system ( 150 ) comprising a plurality of solvent supply lines ( 104 to 107 ), each fluidically connected with a fluid source ( 100 to 103 ) providing a respective fluid, a pumping unit ( 110 ) comprising a reciprocating element ( 115 ) adapted for intaking fluid supplied at an inlet of the pumping unit ( 110 ) and for supplying the pressurized fluid at an outlet of the pumping unit ( 110 ), wherein the pumping unit ( 110 ) is adapted for taking in fluids from selected solvent supply lines ( 104 to 107 ) and for supplying a pressurized mixture of the fluids at its outlet, a proportioning valve ( 108 ) interposed between the solvent supply lines ( 104 to 107 ) and the inlet of the pumping unit ( 110 ), the proportioning valve ( 108 ) adapted for modulating solvent composition by sequentially coupling selected ones of the solvent supply lines ( 104 to 107 ) with the inlet of the pumping unit ( 110 ), and a longitudinal mixing unit ( 152 ) adapted for mixing longitudinally subsequent sections of the fluids so as to modify their succession in flow direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fluid supply system adapted for metering two or more fluids in defined proportions and for supplying a resultant mixture, the fluid supply system comprising:
a plurality of solvent supply lines, each fluidically connected with a fluid source providing a respective fluid;
a pumping unit comprising a reciprocating element adapted for intaking fluid supplied at an inlet of the pumping unit and for supplying the pressurized fluid at an outlet of the pumping unit, wherein the pumping unit is adapted for taking in fluids in defined proportions from selected solvent supply lines and for supplying a pressurized mixture of the fluids at its outlet;
a proportioning valve interposed between the solvent supply lines and the inlet of the pumping unit, the proportioning valve adapted for modulating solvent composition by sequentially coupling selected ones of the solvent supply lines with the inlet of the pumping unit in the course of the fluid intake phase of the pumping unit;
a longitudinal mixing unit adapted for mixing longitudinally subsequent sections of the fluids so as to modify their succession in flow direction, wherein the longitudinal mixing unit is located downstream of the proportioning valve and upstream of the pumping unit.

2. A fluid supply system adapted for metering two or more fluids in controlled proportions and for supplying a resultant mixture, the fluid supply system comprising:
a plurality of solvent supply lines, each fluidically connected with a fluid source providing a respective fluid;
a pumping unit comprising a reciprocating element adapted for intaking fluid supplied at an inlet of the pumping unit and for supplying the pressurized fluid at an outlet of the pumping unit, wherein the pumping unit is adapted for taking in fluids in defined proportions from selected solvent supply lines and for supplying a pressurized mixture of the fluids at its outlet;
a proportioning valve interposed between the solvent supply lines and the inlet of the pumping unit, the proportioning valve adapted for modulating solvent composition by sequentially coupling selected ones of the solvent supply lines with the inlet of the pumping unit in the course of the fluid intake phase of the pumping unit;
a mixing unit adapted for mixing subsequent sections of the fluids differing in at least one of chemical composition, specific gravity, or viscosity and wherein the mixing unit has an interior fluid accommodation volume of not more than the number of solvent supply lines multiplied by a volume of one fluid section provided by the proportioning valve.

3. A fluid supply system adapted for metering two or more fluids in controlled proportions and for supplying a resultant mixture, the fluid supply system comprising:
a plurality of solvent supply lines, each fluidically connected with a fluid source providing a respective fluid;
a pumping unit comprising a reciprocating element adapted for intaking fluid supplied at an inlet of the pumping unit and for supplying the pressurized fluid at an outlet of the pumping unit, wherein the pumping unit is adapted for taking in fluids in defined proportions from selected solvent supply lines and for supplying a pressurized mixture of the fluids at its outlet;
a proportioning valve interposed between the solvent supply lines and the inlet of the pumping unit, the proportioning valve adapted for modulating solvent composition by sequentially coupling selected ones of the solvent supply lines with the inlet of the pumping unit;
a mixing unit adapted for splitting the fluids supplied at an outlet of the proportioning valve or at one or a plurality of points downstream from the outlet of the proportioning valve into a plurality of fluid paths with different internal fluid flow delay characteristics and adapted for combining the fluid paths at one or a plurality of rejoining points to thereby mix the fluids in a longitudinal fashion, wherein the mixing unit is located downstream of the proportioning valve and upstream of the pumping unit.

4. The fluid supply system of claim 3 , wherein the different internal fluid flow delay characteristics are provided by different internal fluid path volumes.

5. The fluid supply system of claim 3 , wherein the different internal fluid flow delay characteristics are provided by different internal fluid path flow resistances.

6. The fluid supply system of claim 2 , wherein the mixing unit is located downstream of the proportioning valve and upstream of the pumping unit.

7. The fluid supply system of claim 1 , wherein the mixing unit is adapted for at least partially equilibrating density fluctuations across subsequent sections of the fluids.

8. The fluid supply system of claim 1 , wherein a flow path downstream of the outlet of the proportioning valve is configured to prevent variation of the distribution of the fluids caused by differences in their specific gravity.

9. The fluid supply system of claim 1 , wherein a flow path downstream of the outlet of the proportioning valve is configured to prevent variation of the distribution of the fluids within subsequent sections of the fluids caused by differences in their specific gravity, whereas the mixing unit is adapted for at least partially equilibrating density fluctuations in subsequent sections of the fluids.

10. The fluid supply system of claim 1 , wherein the mixing unit has an interior fluid accommodation volume of not more than 100 μl.

11. The fluid supply system of claim 1 , wherein the mixing unit comprises a knotted tubing.

12. The fluid supply system of claim 1 , wherein the mixing unit comprises a tubing having an inner lumen, the inner lumen comprising one or more mixing structures each providing a respective contribution to a flow resistance of the fluids in the lumen.

13. The fluid supply system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more mixing structures are selected from the group consisting of: a comb structure, a vein structure, a multi-lumen tubing, a foam insert, one or more nozzles, a vortex, one or more pillars, a side volume having a rectangular cross-section, a plurality of side volumes having a rectangular cross-section with different volume values, a plurality of side volumes extending from the lumen along different directions, a side volume having a polygonal cross-section with an angle differing from a right angle, a zig-zag portion of the lumen; and a combination of two or more of the foregoing.

14. The fluid supply system of claim 1 , wherein the mixing unit comprises:
an inlet configured for receiving the fluids as an inlet flow, an outlet configured for providing the mixed fluids an outlet flow, and a plurality of flow channels coupled between the inlet and the outlet,
a flow distributor for distributing the inlet flow into the plurality of flow channels so that each flow channel receives a partial flow from the inlet flow, and
a flow combiner for combining the partial flows from the plurality of flow channels to the outlet flow, wherein each flow channel comprises a first flow section having a hydraulic resistance substantially representing a hydraulic resistance of the flow channel, one or more of the flow channels each comprise a second flow section coupled in series with the first flow section of the respective flow channel, each second flow section comprises a volume that is flown through by the fluid and delays fluid propagation from the first flow section to the flow combiner by a time required by the respective partial flow to pass the volume of the respective second flow section, and the distribution of the partial flows into the flow channels is substantially independen

Assignees

• Witt Klaus
• Shoykhet Konstantin
• Haertl Hans-Georg
• Agilent Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Witt Klaus
• Shoykhet Konstantin
• Haertl Hans-Georg

Classifications

• Y10T137/2499

  Mixture condition maintaining or sensing · CPC title

• F17D3/01 Primary

  for controlling, signalling, or supervising the conveyance of a product · CPC title

• G05D11/133 Primary

  with discontinuous action · CPC title

• G01N30/34

  of fluid composition, e.g. gradient (G01N30/36 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N2030/347

  mixers · CPC title