Imperforate bowl: centrifugal separators – Including plurality of miniature bowls distrubuted about...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-22
2002-10-08
Drodge, Joseph W. (Department: 1723)
Imperforate bowl: centrifugal separators
Including plurality of miniature bowls distrubuted about...
C494S013000, C494S061000, C494S034000, C494S083000, C159SDIG001
Reexamination Certificate
active
06461287
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a centrifugal vacuum concentrator and more particularly to large capacity concentrator for concentrating or drying large numbers of samples in the same concentrator in a single operation. These samples can be biological, drug, environmental or analogous materials wherein the material to be recovered by drying is suspended or mixed in a liquid.
The invention also relates to a modular rotor assembly which can be assembled from families of modular components involving use of numbers and types of rotors, rotor spacers and vessel holders required for a particular sample drying operation and scale, the modular rotor assembly readily being reconfigurable from a given assembly form to another assembly form wherein different capacity and numbers of rotors, spacer sizes and sample vessels and the holders therefor are used.
Generally where samples of biological or drug materials such as DNA, RNA etc are to be recovered they will be contained in a liquid or solvent vehicle. The liquid sample is in or is placed in a vessel such as a tube, the tube being mounted on a rotor of the rotor of the concentrator. The rotor can mount plural vessels, e.g., fifty or more. In one known concentrator arrangement, tubes are received in bore passages of the rotor located circularly spaced about the rotor, the bore passages being inclined upwardly and radially toward the rotor center so that during rotor high speed rotation, sample “bumping” is inhibited.
The concentrator, e.g., that described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,669, is closed to seal the vacuum drying chamber, the rotor is started up and brought up to the required high speed, and the vacuum pump is turned on to evacuate the drying chamber and maintain a prescribed condition of vacuum therein. Under such conditions vaporization of the liquid in which the sample material is contained proceeds and continues until the liquid is fully vaporized and the sample material dried. Heat such as from lamps in the drying chamber can be supplied to facilitate drying.
There has developed a need to process very large numbers of samples such as drug discovery samples. In some research facilities, it is known to have to screen many thousands of samples each month. To meet the demand this creates for high capacity concentrator capability, a vacuum centrifugal concentrator has become available wherein two or three rotors are provided, the rotors being superposed one above another. Further, various forms and capacities of sample vessel holders can be used on the rotors to increase the numbers of sample vessels useable in a single drying operation.
A drawback of these known high capacity concentrators is the difficulty of accessibility to the rotors for loading and unloading of sample vessels. The rotors are situated in a housing wherein space between the rotors and the containment housing inside wall surfaces is limited. In one known concentrator, access to the scientist/technician for loading and unloading operation is from above the rotor. This is not especially disadvantageous as to the circumstance of there being only one large rotor used but if a second below rotor was used, it would be tedious and difficult to have to work around and under an upper rotor when loading or unloading a rotor beneath.
In another known concentrator, plural rotors are housed in a rectangular casing. One side of the casing is provided with a casing height door so that alongside access is available to each rotor. But this access is only as to part of the rotor periphery. To access rotor locations remote from the door, the rotors have to be hand rotated to bring the remote part to the access side of the housing.
The confined chamber space character of these known concentrators also makes them less than satisfactory in regard to servicing components of the concentrator within the chamber such as heaters and in respect of cleaning the interior of the concentrator. An additional and significant consideration is the possibility of a scientist/technician injuring a hand when manipulating same in the chamber in association with the tasks noted above.
A shortcoming of known high capacity concentrators is that same are purpose built in regard to the numbers and constructions of rotors that are used therewith and, while to a lesser extent, the types, numbers and arrangements of vessel holders on the rotors. In other words, it is not possible with the known types to have a character of interchangeabilty allowing altering a concentrator capacity need by adding or removing rotors or using rotors of different configurations especially as such configurations lend to most efficient arrangement of certain ones of vessel holders than others.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a centrifugal vacuum concentrator which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a centrifugal vacuum concentrator with a capacity for drying large numbers of samples in a single operation.
Another object is to provide a centrifugal vacuum concentrator which has the flexibility for drying samples mounted in sample vessels of diverse construction and sample capacity.
A further object is to provide a centrifugal vacuum concentrator which is constructed such that access for loading and unloading sample vessels on the rotors is optimized in that such access is available from all of four quadrants of an imaginary circle whose center is on the rotor axis insuring that quick simple loading/unloading tasking is possible.
Another object is to provide a centrifugal vacuum concentrator which allows clear easy unobstructed access to the space about the rotor assembly for cleaning and maintenance purposes as well as the inner part of the concentrator cover which is elevated clear of the rotor assembly when in open position, this thereby making cleaning, maintenance and other tasks easily and safely carried out.
A still further object is to provide a vacuum centrifugal concentrator modular rotor assembly which is comprised of interchangeable rotors, rotor spacers and sample vessel holders selected from families of such components which thereby allows simple and quick alteration of concentrator capacity for drying samples dependent on types and quantities of the samples which are to be dried.
Another object is to provide a modular rotor assembly for a centrifugal vacuum concentrator which can be pre-assembled and stored at a location proximal the concentrator for quick simple installation when a concentrator drying capacity requirement must be changed on shift over from one protocol of drying to another different protocol involving different numbers and sizes of samples being dried.
Briefly stated, there is provided a large capacity centrifugal vacuum concentrator which includes a rotor assembly mounting a plurality of vertical spaced rotors mounted on a drive shaft and intervened with spacers between each lower rotor and a rotor next above. The rotors and spacers have interengaging drive transmission means for transmitting drive to the rotors and spacers from the drive shaft when it is driven in rotation. The rotor assembly is enclosed by a cover, e.g., a cylindrical stainless steel vessel which sits on a base and with the base, defines a vacuum chamber. When the cover is elevated to an open position, four quadrant access is available for loading and unloading of samples on the rotors. The rotor assembly is made up of interchangeable rotors, spacers and vessel holder frames which are selected from families of such components dependent on particular vessel capacity and holder frame requirements.
In accordance with these and other objects of the invention, there is provided a centrifugal vacuum concentrator for concentrating liquid samples contained in sample vessels comprising a base on which a rotor assembly is mounted. The rotor assembly includes a drive shaft upright and rotatable on the base about a fixed axis, and a plurality of rotors is on the drive shaft spaced
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