Controlled atmosphere equipment

Details Controlled atmosphere equipment Controlled atmosphere equipment

1999-03-08

2001-07-24

Redding, David A. (Department: 1744)

Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology

Apparatus

Bioreactor

C435S303200, C435S003000, C435S286600, C435S801000, C435S809000, C600S022000, C422S105000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06265210

ABSTRACT:

DESCRIPTION
This invention relates to controlled atmosphere equipment, such as, but not limited to cabinets useful in microbiology laboratories for maintaining a prescribed or prescribable atmosphere, not necessarily anaerobic.
Typical so-called variable atmosphere microbiological nurture cabinets are known, including as we have previously supplied commercially, with provision for an operator to set a desired internal atmosphere composition, typically relative to content levels of hydrogen and/or carbon dioxide and/or oxygen and/or nitrogen. Such desired composition can be set by flow rates of constituent gases, typically from cylinders as compressed supplies thereof.
Aspects of this invention arise by way of seeking to improve actual internal cabinet atmosphere in terms of better maintaining or departing less from a desired or specified target for the atmosphere actually within the cabinet, effectively to compensate or correct for actually or potentially adverse relevant effects, say from greater/other than normal use including as to loading and unloading the cabinet, or due to the microbiological activity taking place within the cabinet having differential effects on component gases of target atmosphere.
In a first incentive aspect, a specified gas mixture for supply purposes in setting up some target internal atmosphere is subsequently further supplied after such setting up not only so as to maintain any desired internal normally slightly positive atmospheric pressure, say as demanded by reference to a pressure switch or transducer, but also on a regular basis- which may be adjustable, whether by operator selection or in response to sensed conditions, say effectively as a prescribable circulation involving both gas-supply and removal or venting.
Such circulation can, with advantages be done by injection of more gas before removal or venting, i.e. increasing normal overpressure, say until sensed by a suitable device then automatically causing opening of gas removal or venting valve provision, whether simply relative to achieving such overpressure or for a further prescribed time of gas supply and/or relative to reducing to a lower, say normal, overpressure at least after such prescribed further times of further gas supply.
It is found to be particularly convenient for at least such prescribable regular further gas supply to be accompanied by positive removal of any accumulated condensate, say preferably using a peristaltic pump which can also contribute to or assist in cabinet atmosphere removal, at least after condensate removal is complete.
Beneficial effect can be simply to increase tendency towards maintaining a prescribed or target atmosphere, say as represented by flow rates of constituent gas. Further beneficial effect can be gained by taking account of such effects of particular microbiological action(s) of current interest as may be known or determined by further investigation in terms of differential effects on component gases, say than by further prescribed modification of supplied gas mixture, as further supplied, say increasing flow rate(s) of one more and/or reducing other(s), i.e. compared to normal target mix flows, god according to type of such action(s) or further as to number(s) of samples involved.
Yet closer internal atmosphere control can be obtained by sensing particular content(s) of one or more or all of constituent gases and computing individual gas flow rates to compensate, whether wholly or partly.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4336329 (1982-06-01), Hesse et al.
patent: 0 411 794 A1 (1991-02-01), None
patent: WO 96/11092 (1996-04-01), None

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