|Publication number||US7759123 B2|
|Application number||US 11/385,326|
|Publication date||Jul 20, 2010|
|Filing date||Mar 21, 2006|
|Priority date||Nov 13, 1998|
|Also published as||US20070048186|
|Publication number||11385326, 385326, US 7759123 B2, US 7759123B2, US-B2-7759123, US7759123 B2, US7759123B2|
|Inventors||Charles J. Call, Patrick T. Call, Vanessa M. Kenning, Eric Hanczyc, Andrew Kamholz|
|Original Assignee||Mesosystems Technology, Inc.|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (77), Non-Patent Citations (13), Referenced by (3), Classifications (16), Legal Events (5)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
This application is a continuation of prior co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/058,442, filed on Feb. 15, 2005, which itself is a continuation-in-part of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/366,595, filed on Feb. 11, 2003, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,938,777, which itself is based on a prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/355,915, filed on Feb. 11, 2002, the benefits of the filing dates of which are hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) and 35 U.S.C. §120.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/366,595 is further a continuation-in-part of a prior application Ser. No. 09/955,481, filed on Sep. 17, 2001, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,695,146, which itself is a continuation-in-part of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/265,620, filed on Mar. 10, 1999, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,800, and a continuation-in-part of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/494,962, filed on Jan. 31, 2000, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,065, the benefit of the filing dates of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §120.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/494,962 itself is a continuation-in-part of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/191,980, filed on Nov. 13, 1998, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,392, the benefit of the filing date of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §120.
This invention generally relates to methods for removing collected particulates from a collection surface, and more specifically, to methods for transferring collected particulates from an impact collection surface to a more suitable sample container.
The separation and collection of particulates/aerosols from an airstream (or other fluid streams) is of concern in several contexts. In some cases, the goal may be to simply remove the particulates/aerosols from the fluid stream, thereby cleaning or purifying the fluid. Often it is desired to remove all particulates, regardless of composition, if the particulates are above a certain size. For example, automobile painting and the fabrication of silicon chips in clean rooms represent two situations in which all particulates large enough to result in an inferior product are desirably removed from the processing environment.
In other cases, particulates are collected for analysis to determine the type and concentration of such particulates/aerosols entrained in the fluid. For example, this technology may be employed in the detection of airborne biological or chemical warfare agents, the detection of biological contamination in confined spaces, such as aircraft or hospitals, or the detection of industrial pollutants (either in ambient fluid or in the effluent of smokestacks).
Much effort has been expended in the past in the detection and classification of particulates or aerosols in fluid streams. Impactors have been used for collecting aerosol particulates for many decades. In the earliest embodiments, a stream of fluid containing the particulates was accelerated toward an impactor plate. Due to their inertia, the particulates striking the impactor plate were collected on its surface, while the fluid was deflected to the side. With these types of impactors, only larger particulates could be collected, since particulates below a certain “cut size” were carried away by the fluid stream.
However, a significant disadvantage of such an impactor is the deposition of particulates on surfaces of the impactor other than the intended collection surfaces. This phenomenon reduces the accuracy of measurement of total particulate mass concentration and of the size-fractionation of particulates, since such losses cannot be accurately estimated for aerosols or particulates of varying size, shape, or chemistry. Additionally, particulates may either become re-entrained in the fluid stream, or may bounce off the impactor's collection surface upon impact. To remedy this problem, “virtual” impactors have been developed that separate particulates from a fluid stream with techniques other than direct impaction. Virtual impactors may operate on a number of different principles, but all avoid actual “impact” as a means to separate particulates from a fluid in which the particulates are entrained and rely on differences in particulate mass to induce inertial separation. Specifically, a particulate-laden fluid stream is directed toward a surface presenting an obstruction to the forward movement of the fluid stream. The surface includes a void at the point where the particulates would normally impact the surface. When a major portion of the fluid stream changes direction to avoid the obstruction presented by the surface, fine particulates remain entrained in the deflected major portion of the fluid stream. Heavier or denser particulates, on the other hand, fail to change direction and are collected in a region of relatively stagnant fluid (a “dead zone”) that is created near the surface. The heavier particulates entrained in a minor portion of the fluid stream enter the void defined by the surface, where they can be captured or analyzed.
Some examples of virtual impactors can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,901,798; 4,670,135; 4,767,524; 5,425,802; and 5,533,406. Because typical virtual impactors do not actually collect particulates themselves, but merely redirect them into two different fluid streams according to their mass, they are essentially free of the problems of particulate bounce and particulate re-entrainment associated with actual impactor devices. Still, particulate “wall loss,” i.e., unintended deposition of particulates on various surfaces of virtual impactor structures, especially at curved or bent portions, remains a challenge with some designs of virtual impactors, because typically, many stages or layers of virtual impactors are required to complete particulate separation.
An additional aspect of the collection of fluid-entrained particulates, especially with respect to particulates that will be analyzed to determine a type and concentration of particulates, relates to when the collected particulates are to be analyzed. A common practice is to sample a fluid for a period of time, and then analyze the collected sample immediately, or at least as soon as practical. Depending on the nature of the particulates for which the fluid is being sampled, immediate analysis may be required. For example, if chemical or biological agents that pose an immediate health threat are suspected, real time analysis is preferred to enable protective measures to be taken immediately, before irreversible harm can occur. However, there are also many applications, such as routine monitoring of smokestacks and wastewater discharge, in which only a portion of the collected sample might need to be analyzed shortly after collection, while other portions are best archived for later analysis.
Archival samples can be prepared by taking a collected sample and manually splitting that sample into various fractions, including a first fraction to be analyzed relatively soon, and one or more additional portions to be archived for possible later analysis. While archival samples prepared by such a method are useful, the manual nature of such a method is time consuming and costly. Furthermore, during each step in which a sample is handled or manipulated (collection, separation, storage, and analysis), there is a significant chance that the sample will be inadvertently contaminated. It would thus be desirable to provide a method and apparatus that more readily enables archival samples to be prepared, with a minimal risk of contamination.
It should also be noted that the manner in which samples are collected affects the usefulness of the samples for archival purposes. Archival samples are often employed to determine more information about an event occurring at a specific time. For example, archival data collected from a smokestack might be used to determine at what time higher emissions occurred. That time could then be applied to analyze the process and equipment utilizing the smokestack to isolate the factors causing the excess emissions, so that the problem can be corrected. If the archival sample is merely a single sample collected over a 24-hour period, rather than 24 samples collected each hour for 24 hours, then little information can be obtained about when the excess emissions actually occurred, making it more difficult to determine the cause of the excess emissions. It would be therefore be desirable to provide a method and apparatus capable of providing archival samples for successive relatively short sampling periods, and which include time indexing, enabling a specific archival sample to be correlated with a specific time at which the sample was taken.
Accordingly, a need exists to develop a method and apparatus capable of providing time-indexed archival samples with minimal operator effort, and minimal chance of contamination. Such archival samples desirably should include a high concentration of particulates, so that the archival samples are compact and require minimal storage space. Preferably, a virtual impactor that efficiently separates particulates from a fluid stream might be employed to collect the particulates.
Yet another aspect of the collection of fluid-entrained particulates, especially with respect to particulates collected with an impact collector, relates to how the collected particulates are to be analyzed. Most analytical techniques require a liquid sample. Regardless of how effective impact collectors are at removing particulates from a fluid stream (such as air), the collected particulates generally cannot readily be analyzed while remaining deposited on the impact collection surface. It would be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for removing collected particulates from an impact collection surface, and to transfer such particulates to a container that can be utilized to prepare a liquid sample. It would further be desirable to provide an integrated system capable of collecting particulates from a fluid stream using an impact collector, and then transferring the collected particulates from the impact collector to a container suitable for preparing a liquid sample.
It should be noted that when a liquid sample is prepared using collected particulates, the amount of liquid used to prepare the liquid sample plays a significant factor in determining the concentration of the liquid sample. Higher concentration samples generally require less challenging analytical techniques to analyze and are thus preferred. Therefore, it would be desirable for the method and apparatus employed to transfer collected particulates from an impact collection surface to a suitable container utilizing little or no liquid to unduly dilute the sample.
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for concentrating, collecting, and depositing “spots” of particulates from a fluid onto a solid collection surface, and then transferring the collected particulates to a container that can be utilized to store a liquid sample. Such a liquid sample can be analyzed immediately, or at some future time. A plurality of such samples, each relating to a specific time period and/or location of collection, can be stored and later analyzed to quantitatively and/or qualitatively test for a specific particulate at a specific time. It is anticipated that such samples will be very useful in the study of potentially hazardous particulates, including but not limited to, viruses, bacteria, bio-toxins, and pathogens. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that such samples can be analyzed using a variety of known analytical techniques including, but not limited to, mass spectrophotometry.
In a simplest embodiment, the invention relates to method and means for removing concentrated spots of collected particulates from an impact collection surface, and transferring the removed particulates to a container suitable for a liquid sample. A jet of fluid can be utilized to remove and transfer the particulates to a container. When a liquid jet is employed, care should be taken to ensure that a minimal amount of liquid is utilized, to avoid unnecessarily diluting the resulting liquid sample. The fluid employed should be selected to be inert with respect to the collected particulates.
A mechanical scraper can alternatively be employed to remove and transfer the particulates to a suitable container. A small volume of liquid can be employed to rinse the scraper, again with the understanding that too much liquid would undesirably dilute the sample. It is contemplated that such a mechanical scraper can be vibrated to facilitate the removal of particulates from the scraper. Once transferred to a suitable container, the particulates can be stored dry (if no liquid has been employed in the removal and transfer processes), or a suitable (preferably small) volume of liquid can be used to prepare a liquid sample.
In some other embodiments, a portion of the collection surface containing a specific spot of particulates is removed and placed into a container. Again, once containerized, such a sample can be stored dry, or liquid can be added to the container to prepare a liquid sample.
Preferable containers are plastic, although glass, metal, and ceramic can also be employed. As with any sample container, exemplary containers will be inert and clean, so that no contaminants are introduced into the sample.
Other embodiments of the present invention relate to integrated systems, which include the impact collection surface as well. It is anticipated that the present invention will perform particularly effectively if fluid-entrained particulates (most often airborne particulates) are efficiently collected and concentrated, a task for which a virtual impactor, such as described in a commonly owned copending U.S. Patent Application entitled “ROBUST SYSTEM FOR SCREENING MAIL FOR BIOLOGICAL AGENTS.” It is also particularly useful for providing means for moving the collection surface relative to the concentrated stream of particulates over time, so that spots located on different portions of the surface correspond to specific different increments of time. Preferably, the individual spots are disposed sufficiently far apart such that each individual spot can be removed and transferred to a suitable container without disturbing other spots.
The surface onto which the concentrated particulates are collected can be selected or modified to enhance the deposition of the particulates onto the surface, as well as to facilitate the removal and transfer of these particulates to a container suitable for preparing a liquid sample. In one embodiment, the impact collection surface is coated with a dissolvable coating, which is then rinsed with an appropriate solvent to remove the dissolvable coating and the collected particulates. In another embodiment, substantially the entire impact collection surface is soluble, and the portion of the impact collection surface with the desired spot of particles is removed and placed in the container. When the appropriate liquid (solvent) is added to the container, the collection surface dissolves and releases the particulates.
In another embodiment, the material of the collection surface is selected because of its porous nature. The pore sizes are sufficiently large to allow the fluid in which the particulates are entrained to freely pass through the archival surface, yet sufficiently small to prevent the particulates themselves from passing through the archival surface. Thus, the particulates are “filtered” from the fluid stream by the collection surface. To enhance removal of the particles, a fluid back flush can be employed. If the container is under a partial vacuum, the back flushed particles will be drawn into the container. Note that if the fluid is a gas, the concern regarding the use of so much liquid so as to undesirably dilute the sample of particles is obviated. In one embodiment, a vacuum is placed in fluid communication with an opposing side of a porous collection surface, causing the particles to adhere to the collection surface. When the vacuum source is no longer in fluid communication with the collection surface, the particles are readily removed.
In another embodiment, the collection surface is coated with a material selected to enhance a deposition of the particulates onto the collection surface while the material is in a first state, and to release the particulates when the material is in a second state. Such materials generally promote adhesion via chemical attraction, (i.e., a hydrophobic-hydrophobic attraction, or a hydrophilic-hydrophilic attraction). Electrical attraction can also be employed (i.e., a positively charged surface for collecting negative particles, or vice versa).
In at least one embodiment, the virtual impactor includes a separation plate employed for separating a fluid stream into a major flow and a minor flow. The major flow includes a minor portion of particles that are above a predetermined size, and the minor flow includes a major portion of the particles that are above the predetermined size. The separation plate includes a block in which is defined a laterally extending passage having an inlet disposed on one edge of the block and an outlet disposed on an opposite edge of the block. This laterally extending passage has a lateral dimension that is substantially greater than a transverse dimension of the passage. Opposed surfaces of the passage between which the transverse dimension of the passage is defined, generally converge toward each other within the block, so that the outlet has a substantially smaller cross-sectional area than the inlet. A transverse, laterally extending slot is defined within the block and is in fluid communication with a portion of the passage that has the substantially smaller cross-sectional area. A major flow outlet port is also defined in the block, in fluid communication with the transverse, laterally extending slot. The major flow enters the slot and exits the block through the major flow outlet port, while the minor flow exits the block through the outlet of the passage. The major flow carries the minor portion of the particles and the minor flow carries the major portion of the particles.
The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Overview of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for removing concentrated samples or spots of collected particulates from an impact collection surface, and transferring the removed particulates to a container suitable for preparing a liquid sample. The sample can then be analyzed by any of a number of suitable techniques to identify the particulates that were collected. For example, such samples can be analyzed using mass spectrophotometry.
In a first embodiment, means are provided for removing and transferring the particulates from a collection surface into a sample container. This embodiment can be used with a variety of different impact collectors that collect the particulates on the collection surface.
Another embodiment includes elements for concentrating, collecting, and depositing “spots” of particulates from a fluid onto a collection surface, as well as the means for removing and transferring the particulates into a sample container. Such an integrated system can be employed to collect particulates, and facilitate preparation of a liquid sample. As noted above, many different analytical techniques require a liquid sample. While an impact collection surface might be removed from a separate system adapted to collect particulates and introduced into a separate system that is designed to prepare such a liquid sample, an integrated system that facilitates collection of the particulates and preparation of the liquid sample without removing the collection surface is preferable.
In one embodiment of an integrated system, the collection surface is an archival quality medium, preferably capable of retaining collected particulates in a stable environment for a relatively long period of time. Such a surface will function as an archive on which are deposited many spots collected at known temporally spaced-apart times from a known site. The archive will likely be useful if it is necessary to investigate environmental conditions at a particular site at a future time. Archived particulates can include, but are not limited to, viruses, bacteria, bio-toxins, and pathogens. When one or more spots from such an archive require analysis, the integrated system facilitates removal and transfer of the particulates to a sample container to provide a sample for analysis.
Preferably, such an integrated system employs a virtual impactor to efficiently collect and concentrate airborne particulates. The minor flow from the virtual impactor is directed toward a suitable archival quality surface to deposit concentrated spots of particulates. The archival surface is moved relative to the concentrated stream of particulates from the virtual impactor over time, so that spots or samples of the particulates that have been collected on different portions of the archival surface correspond to different times at which the particulates were collected. Preferably, the invention includes means for associating a date and time with each spot for the purpose of accurately archiving the sample collected, so that a specific spot can be located and retrieved.
A preferred integrated system also includes a control unit, such as a computing device or hard-wired logic device that executes sample protocols to determine when the fluid is sampled to produce each of the spots. Sample protocols can be applied to determine when a particular spot should be transferred from the collection surface to a sample container.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other embodiments of an integrated system are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, while it is deemed preferable to use a virtual impactor in such an integrated system, other types of particulate collectors can alternatively be employed.
In the following description, the prefix “micro” is applied generally to components that have sub-millimeter-sized features. Micro-components are fabricated using micro-machining techniques known in the art, such as micro-milling, photolithography, deep ultraviolet (or x-ray) lithography, electro-deposition, electro-discharge machining (EDM), laser ablation, and reactive or non-reactive ion etching. It should be noted that micro-machined virtual impactors provide for increased collection efficiency and reduced pressure drops.
Also as used hereinafter, the following terms shall have the definitions set forth below:
Particulate—any separately identifiable solid, semi-solid, liquid, aerosol, or other component entrained in a fluid stream that has a greater mass than the fluid forming the fluid stream, and which is subject to separation from the fluid stream and collection for analysis. For the purposes of the present description, the mass density of particulates is assumed to be approximately 1 gm/cm3. It is contemplated that the particulates may arise from sampling almost any source, including but not limited to, air, water, soil, and surfaces, and may include inorganic or organic chemicals, or living materials, e.g., bacteria, cells, or spores.
Fluid—any fluid susceptible to fluid flow, which may comprise liquids or gases, and which may entrain foreign particulates in a flow thereof. Unless otherwise noted, fluid shall mean an ambient fluid containing unconcentrated particulates that are subject to collection, not the fluid into which the particulates are concentrated after collection or capture.
Spot—an aggregate of particulates deposited upon an archival surface in a relatively small area, so that the individually small particulates are aggregated together to form a larger spot, which can be more readily observed by magnification or by the naked eye.
The following description will first describe a preferred particulate collector and concentrator to be used in an integrated system. Then, archival surfaces for such an integrated system will be discussed, as well as suitable apparatus for moving the archival surface relative to the collector. Finally, suitable means for removing and transferring particulates from a collection surface to a container are discussed.
Because particulates of interest are often present in quite small concentrations in a volume of fluid, it is highly desirable to concentrate the mass of particulates into a smaller volume of fluid. Virtual impactors can achieve such a concentration without actually removing the particulates of interest from the flow of fluid. As a result, the particulate-laden fluid flow can be passed through a series of sequentially connected virtual impactors, so that a fluid flow exiting the final virtual impactor represents a concentration of particulates two to three orders of magnitude greater than in the original fluid flow. The concentrated particulates can then be more readily deposited on an archival surface.
A virtual impactor uses a particle's inertia to separate it from a fluid stream that is turned, and a basic virtual impactor can be fabricated from a pair of opposing nozzles. Within a virtual impactor, the intake fluid coming through the inlet flows out from a nozzle directly at a second opposed nozzle into which only a “minor flow” is allowed to enter. This concept is schematically illustrated by a virtual impactor 1 shown in
As a result of inertia, most of the particulates that are greater than the selected cut size are conveyed in this small minor flow and exit the virtual impactor. Most of the particulates smaller than the virtual impactor cut size are exhausted with the majority of the inlet air as the major flow. The stopping distance of a particle is an important parameter in impactor design. The cut point (the size at which about 50% of the particles impact a surface, i.e., flow into the second nozzle) is related to the stopping distance. A 3 micron particle has nine times the stopping distance of a 1 micron particle of similar density.
For the present invention, several types of virtual impactors and their variants are suitable for use in collecting samples as spots for archiving purposes. Because any particular design of the minor flow nozzle can be optimized for a particular size of particles, it is contemplated that at least some embodiments of the present invention may include multiple nozzles, each with a different geometry, so that multiple particle types can be efficiently collected.
In one preferred embodiment, two virtual impactors are aligned in series, such that a concentration of particulates entrained in the minor flow of fluid exiting the second virtual impactor is approximately 100 times the original concentration.
Each virtual impactor 16 comprises a pair of generally fin-shaped projections 24 having height “H.” Each fin-shaped projection 24 includes an inner wall 26 and a generally convex outer wall 28. Inner walls 26 of fin-shaped projections 24 (for a pair) are spaced apart and face each other to define an upstream minor flow passage 30 a there between. Convex outer walls 28 of the pair of fin-shaped projections 24 cooperatively present a generally convex surface 31 facing the fluid flow direction. Referring specifically to
First surface 10 a of separation plate 10 may further include a plurality of virtual impactor bodies 33 extending downstream from the downstream ends of adjacent fin-shaped projections 24 of adjacent pairs of virtual impactors 16. Each virtual impactor body 33 includes opposing external walls that extend downstream from the downstream ends of inner walls 26. External walls of adjacent virtual impactor bodies 33 are spaced apart to define a downstream minor flow passage 30 b there between. Upstream and downstream minor flow passages 30 a and 30 b are aligned and communicate with each other to form minor flow passage 30. As illustrated in
In operation, particulate-laden fluid stream 23 is caused to enter inlet ends 14 a of nozzles 14. Nozzles 14 aerodynamically focus and accelerate particulates entrained in fluid stream 23. In this telescoping design, the aerodynamically focused fluid stream 23 exiting outlet ends 14 b of nozzles 14 advances to convex surfaces 31 of virtual impactors 16. A major portion (at least 50%, and preferably, at least about 90%) of fluid stream 23 containing a minor portion (less than about 50%) of particulates above a certain particulate diameter size, or a cut size, hereinafter referred to as a “major flow,” changes direction to avoid the obstruction presented by convex surfaces 31. Concave walls 22 of nozzle projections 18 and convex outer walls 28 of fin-shaped projections 24 cooperate to direct the major flow toward the upstream end of virtual impactor bodies 33. Bodies 33 prevent the major flow from continuing in its current direction. Orifices 34 are provided through bodies 33, so that the major flow enters orifices 34 and travels through passageways 36 to second surface 10 b of separation plate 10, where it is exhausted or processed further. A minor portion (less than 50%, and preferably less than about 10%) of fluid stream 23 containing a major portion (at least about 50%) of particulates above the cut size, exits as the minor flow and is collected near a “dead” zone or a zone of nearly stagnant air created adjacent to the convex surfaces 31 of virtual impactors 16. The major portion of the particulates entrained in the minor flow “virtually” impacts the virtual impact voids at inlet ends 32 of upstream minor flow passages 30 a and enters minor flow passages 30. The minor flow travels through and exits minor flow passages 30, enabling the particulates entrained therein to be collected for analysis and/or further processing.
Nozzles 14 contribute very little to particulate loss because they have a long telescoping profile, which prevents particulate deposition thereon. The long telescoping profile of the nozzles 14 also serves to align and accelerate particulates. Focusing the particulates before they enter the minor flow passage using the telescoping design may enhance the performance of the virtual impactor, since the particulates in the center of the nozzle are likely to remain entrained in the minor flow. Thus, as used herein, the term “aerodynamic focusing” refers to a geometry of a particulate separator that concentrates particulates toward the center of a central channel through the particulate separator. Because nozzles 14 aerodynamically focus and accelerate particulates in a fluid stream, virtual impactors 16 placed downstream of nozzles 14 are able to separate particulates very efficiently. By improving the particulate separation efficiency of each of virtual impactors 16, the present invention enables only one layer or row of virtual impactors 16 to carry out the particulate separation, which eliminates the chances of particulates being lost due to impact on surfaces of additional layers or rows of virtual impactors. The present invention further reduces particulate loss on inner surfaces of minor flow passages, by enabling minor flows to advance straight through the minor flow passages upon virtual impaction, without having to change their flow direction.
A separation plate 10 configured in accordance with the dimensions (all in inches) shown in
With reference to
A separation plate of the present invention may be easily modified to process virtually any volume of fluid stream at any flow rate, by varying the number of nozzles 14 and virtual impactors 16 provided on the separation plate. Furthermore, the throughput of separation plate 10 may be almost indefinitely modifiable by increasing or decreasing height “H” of nozzles 14, virtual impactors 16, and virtual impactor bodies 33. It should be noted that height “H” of a separation plate of the invention could be freely increased without a significant increase in particulate loss. This capability is made possible by the design of this virtual impactor that allows minor flows to advance straight through without experiencing any deflected path.
Separation plate 10 of the present invention may be readily incorporated into various particulate separation/concentration apparatus. Referring to
A further example of a virtual impact collector formed in accordance with the present invention is schematically illustrated in
In operation, particulate-laden fluid streams enter nozzles 14 through inlet ends 14 a and advance radially inward. When aerodynamically focused fluid streams advance toward virtual impactors 16, they are separated into a minor flow and a major flow, as described above. The major flow flows around virtual impactors 16, is redirected by bodies 33, and is exhausted through either or both of orifices 39 in separation plate 50 and/or orifices 58 in cover plate 56. The minor flow advances through minor flow passages 30 into central minor flow collection portion 54. When impactor pillars 38 are provided, some of the particulates entrained in the minor flow may impact and become deposited on impactors 38. The particulates collected on impactor pillars 38 may be subsequently collected, for example, by washing impactor pillars 38 with a small amount of liquid to capture the particulates therein. An example of impactors suitable for use in conjunction with the present invention can be found in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/191,979, filed Nov. 13, 1998, concurrently with the parent case hereof, and assigned to the same assignee, which is herein expressly incorporated by reference. The minor flow may be exhausted from central minor flow collection portion 54 through either or both of minor flow outlets 59 and 60.
When both minor flow outlets 59 and 60, and both orifices 39 and 58 are provided, as illustrated in
In operation, particulate-laden fluid streams flow along first surface 10 a through nozzles 14 and advance toward convex surfaces 74 of virtual impactor projections 72. Major flows continue around projections 72 to avoid obstruction presented by convex surfaces 74, and flow along first surface 10 a. Minor flows are collected in a zone of stagnant fluid created near convex surfaces 74, and enter virtual impact voids 76 defined through convex surfaces 74. The minor flows travel through minor flow passages 78 to second surface 70 b, where they can be collected, and analyzed or processed after being archived, as discussed below. Thus, unlike separation plates 10 and 50 of the previous embodiments, separation plate 70 of the present embodiment separates a particulate-laden fluid stream into a minor flow on the second surface, and a major flow on the first surface.
Another embodiment of a separation plate 100 is illustrated in
In this preferred embodiment of separation plate 100, one-half of the thickness of passage 102 is formed in plate 104 a, and the other half of the thickness of the passage is formed in plate 104 b. However, it is also contemplated that the portions of the passage defined in each of plates 104 a and 104 b need not be symmetrical or identical, since a desired configuration for passage 102 can be asymmetric relative to the facing opposed surfaces of the two plates.
Immediately distal of the point where minor flow portion 112 of passage 102 begins, slots 115 a and 115 b are defined and extend transversely into the plates relative to the direction between the inlet and the outlet of passage 102 and extend laterally across separation plate 100 between the sides of the passage. Slots 115 a and 115 b respectively open into major flow outlet ports 114 a and 114 b in the ends of plates 104 a and 104 b, as shown in
Fastener holes 118 a are formed through plate 104 b adjacent to its four corners and do not include threads. Threaded fasteners (not shown) are intended to be inserted through holes 118 a and threaded into holes 118 b, which are formed at corresponding corner positions on plate 104 a. The threaded fasteners thus couple edge seals 120 on the two plates together, sealing the edges of passage 102 and connecting plates 104 a and 104 b to form separation plate 100. Although not shown, a manifold may also be connected to the back surface of separation plate 100 overlying outlet 106 to collect the minor flow of fluid in which the major portion of particulates exceeding the cut size is entrained. In
The desired flow through the separation plate will determine the width of passage 102, as measured along the longitudinal axis of the separation plate, between sealed edges 120. Additional fluid flow can also be accommodated by providing a plurality of the separation plates in an array, which will also avoid using extremely long and thin structures that may not fit within an available space.
In this preferred embodiment of separation plate 200, one-half the thickness of passage 202 is formed in plate 204 a, and the other half of the thickness of the passage is formed in plate 204 b, just as in the previous embodiment. Again, it is contemplated that the portions of the passage defined in each of plates 204 a and 204 b need not be symmetrical or identical, since a desired configuration for passage 202 can be asymmetric relative to the facing opposed surfaces of the two plates.
Immediately distal of the point where minor flow portion 212 of passage 202 begins, slots 215 a and 215 b are defined and extend transversely into the plates relative to the direction between the inlet and the outlet of passage 202 and extend laterally across separation plate 200 between the sides of the passage, just as in separation plate 100. Slots 215 a and 215 b respectively open into major flow outlet ports 217 a and 217 b, which are open to the ends and outer surfaces of plates 204 a and 204 b, as shown in
Fastener holes 218 a are formed through plate 204 b adjacent to its four corners and do not include threads. Threaded fasteners (not shown) are intended to be inserted through holes 218 a and threaded into holes 218 b, which are formed at corresponding corner positions on plate 204 a. The threaded fasteners thus couple edge seals 220 on the two plates together, sealing the edges of passage 202 and connecting plates 204 a and 204 b to form separation plate 200. Although not shown, a manifold may also be connected to the back surface of separation plate 200 overlying outlet 206 to collect the minor flow of fluid in which the major portion of particulates exceeding the cut size is entrained, for use in creating an archive of the samples thus collected as explained below. In
Separation plates 100 and 200 cost less to manufacture than the other embodiments discussed above. As was the case with separation plate 100, the desired flow through the separation plate will determine the width of passage 202 along the longitudinal axis of the separation plate, between sealed edges 220, and additional fluid flow can also be accommodated by providing a plurality of the separation plates in an array configured to fit within an available space.
Finally, yet another embodiment of the present invention, a separation plate 300 is illustrated in
As will be apparent from the preceding description, a number of gentler steps are used in the central passage of separation plate 300 than in the preceding embodiments of
In all other respects, separation plate 300 operates like separation plate 100, and can be modified to collect the major flow like separation plate 200. The desired flow through the separation plate will determine the width of passage 302 along the longitudinal axis of the separation plate, between sealed edges 320. It will also be apparent that a plurality of separation plates 300 can be stacked, just as in the previous embodiments, to increase the volume of fluid processed.
Once the particulate concentration of the fluid stream has been enhanced by the use of a virtual impactor as described above, collection of the concentrated particulates can be effected. It should be noted that impact based collectors (as opposed to the virtual impact collectors described above) can also achieve significant particulate concentrations. However, the impact surface portion of such impact collectors is generally an integral portion of the impact collector, and it is not practical to archive the impact collector itself. The collection surface of impact collectors is generally rinsed with a fluid to obtain the collected particulates for analysis. While such particulates collected in that fashion could also be archived, the volume of fluid required to rinse the collected particulates from the impact collector significantly increases the volume of material that must be archived. Furthermore, the steps of rinsing, collecting, and storing the rinsate add significant time and effort (and thus cost) to archiving particulates. The use of a virtual impactor enables an archival surface to be employed that is a separate component. Such a separate component can be readily removed from the virtual impactor and replaced with a fresh surface for collecting particulate samples. The archival surface on which the sample have been collected can then be stored without significant additional processing until needed.
Any surface material amenable to spot deposition can be used. The present invention contemplates several different deposition methods. A first method involves directing the minor flow described above toward a filter through which the fluid in the minor flow can pass and upon which the particulates are deposited. In a different embodiment, the particulates are directed toward an impaction surface that is enveloped in a vacuum system. The archival (impaction) surface can also be coated with a material that aids in the deposition and retention of particulates that have impacted on the surface.
Preferably the area between the introduction of the minor flow and the filter is sealed, so the particulates will not be lost prior to impact. The sealing preferably extends between the bottom of the porous filter and vacuum source 340. While not readily apparent from
As shown in
Note that in both
It should be noted that the archival surface, with or without a coating, need not be flat. Preferentially, a surface with portions raised significantly above the bulk of the surface can also be used to collect spots of particulates. For example, a textured surface with portions raised substantially above a background portion of the surface can be used to collect spots of particulates. Such textured surfaces are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,110,247, the disclosure and drawings of which are hereby specifically incorporated herein by reference. Such surfaces reduce the tendency of particles to bounce and therefore increase spot formation efficiency.
Archival Surface Coatings
The relatively greater density of particulates 414 evident on coated impact collection surface 416, compared to impact collection surface 412, is due to a characteristic of the coating that causes it to better retain particulates and thus more efficiently separate the particulates from the fluid in which they are entrained, compared to the prior art impact collection surface that is not coated. In the embodiment of the present invention shown in
In an alternative embodiment shown in
The material used for producing coated impact collection surface 423 and other coated areas or surfaces employed in this description for collecting particulates in accord with the present invention, is selected because of certain characteristics of the material that increase the efficiency with which the particulates are separated from the fluid in which they are entrained. Each material used for a coating has certain advantages that may make it preferable compared to other materials for separating a specific type of particulate from a specific type of fluid. For example, for use in collecting particulates in a dry air or other dry fluid, a material called TETRAGLYME can be used for the coating. This material is hydrophilic until it is exposed to water and when dry, is relatively very sticky, tending to readily retain particulates that impact it. However, once water is sprayed onto the TETRAGLYME coated surface so that it is wetted, the coating becomes hydrophobic. When hydrophobic, the TETRAGLYME coated surface is no longer sticky or tacky, and in fact, readily releases the particulates that previously were retained by it. The water (or other liquid containing water) easily washes the particulates away from the coated impact collection surface. TETRAGLYME, which is available from chemical supply houses, is bis(2-[methoxyethoxy]ethyl) ether tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether dimethoxy tetraethylene glycol and has the formula: CH3OCH2 (CH2OCH2)3 CH2OCH3 CH3—O—CH2—CH2—O—CH2—CH2—O—CH2—CH2—O—CH3. Tests have shown that TETRAGLYME coating can collect more than three times as many particulates as an uncoated surface. Water molecules are retained by the molecule by links to the oxygen atoms, as shown below.
A second type of material usable for a coated particulate collection surface is PARYLENE, which is a tetrafluoromore manufactured and sold by DuPont Chemical Company under the trademark INSUL-COTE™, Type N. The PARYLENE material is characterized by a relatively low coefficient of friction, causing it to be extremely slippery and not sticky. Accordingly, particulates impacting against a coated surface comprising PARYLENE are initially separated from the fluid in which they are carried by the impact with the coated surface and are initially retained by the coated surface. However, these particulates are readily washed away from the PARYLENE coated surface by water or other liquid sprayed onto the coating. The particulates retained by a PARYLENE coated surface on tape 420′ are readily washed away from the coating by water or other liquid spray.
The TETRAGLYME material is an example of a class of materials that has two distinct states related to particulate collection. When dry and hydrophilic, the TETRAGLYME material is in a first state, in which it is sticky and is very efficient at separating particulates from the fluid in which they are entrained, compared to an uncoated surface. However, when wetted, the TETRAGLYME material changes to its second state, in which it readily releases the particulates.
As shown in
It is also contemplated that the coated impact collection surface need not be planar. Indeed, it is likely that enhanced particulate collection efficiency can be achieved by using a non-planar coated surface to collect particulates.
In at least one embodiment, the archival surface incorporates a material that helps maintain the particulates deposited on the archival surface in good condition, without substantial degradation. For some particles, such as living cells, this material may be a liquid that contains nutrients. Applying a hydrogel or equivalent coating on the archival surface would allow localization of water. The water can be used to deliver salts, sugars, proteins, and other nutrients to enable the cells to survive on the archival surface during the time interval between deposition on the archival surface and subsequent analysis of the collected samples of particulates.
For all of the above surfaces, some portion of the analysis/detection scheme could be included as part of the surface. For example, if the analysis employed to detect a specific particulate involves incubating the collected particulates (some of which are likely to be bioparticles) with a reagent, the reagent can be incorporated onto the surface so that the incubation period is initiated upon deposition.
Orientation of Archival Surface Relative to Virtual Impactor
As noted above, because the location of a “spot” of particulates deposited on the archival surface is indicative of a time the particulates were collected, it is preferable to move the archival surface relative to the virtual impactor, at least at spaced-apart times to form spots of particulates (or continually to form streaks of particulates). Moving the archival surface at successive time intervals permits multiple sample spots to be deposited on a single archival surface without commingling the spots. The time at which each spot is deposited is associated with the spot. Alternatively, time can be linear in its association with a position in a streak of particles that are deposited continuously.
One embodiment providing for intermittent relative motion between the archival surface and the adjacent stream of particulates is shown in
The nozzles directing the minor flow toward disk 516 cannot be seen in
Disk 516 can be moved using an appropriate prime mover 520, such as a stepping motor. As shown, one such means includes a shaft 518 detachably coupled to disk 516 and driven by prime mover 520. It is anticipated that disk 516 will remain stationary for a desired time interval, and then will be rotated a sufficient amount to align another set of depressions in the deposition areas with the minor flow nozzles of virtual impactor 510, so that the spots of particulates can be deposited within the depressions, if depressions are indeed provided. The virtual impactor can be cycled on and off during the movement if desired.
As noted above, is also possible to deposit streaks of particulates instead of spots. In a more elaborate embodiment, the archival surface is continually moved at a fixed rate, resulting in annular rings defined by streaks of particles on the archival surface, instead of discrete spots. The use of streaks somewhat simplifies the operation of the collector, in that it can operate continuously, rather than being cycled on and off.
Note that more or fewer minor flow nozzles can be incorporated into a virtual impactor. Preferably, each virtual impactor minor flow nozzle will be directed to a different location on the archival surface. It should also be noted that different configurations of archival surfaces can be employed (i.e., shapes other than disks), and that different configurations of spots can be deposited on archival surfaces (i.e., configurations other than streaks or concentric rings of spots).
Exemplary Archival Collection System with Employing Dual Ticket Magazines
One preferred embodiment of an automated system that automatically changes collection surfaces when triggered to do so (or according to a pre-programmed schedule) includes a plurality of tickets. This Indexed Particle Collection System (IPCS) allows multiple samples to be taken without user intervention. Unused collection tickets are stored in a “magazine.” When a new sample is needed, the indexed system automatically removes a new collection ticket from the fresh magazine and places it in position for sample collection. When the sample is complete, the collected sample is moved into a spent magazine and a fresh ticket is placed into position for collection of the next sample. In a prototype unit, up to 24 sample tickets fit in a magazine. Samples can be changed on a pre-programmed time interval or by a trigger signal.
To collect a sample, a ticket is loaded into a collection zone 924 from a fresh magazine 926. Once the sample is collected, the ticked is moved to a spent magazine 928, and a new ticket is placed into the collection zone from fresh magazine 926. While not separately shown, it should be understood that a prime mover is employed to move the tickets from the fresh magazine to the collection zone, and then to the spent magazine. Each impact surface 908 of the tickets can incorporate any of the coatings discussed above, or no coating. Preferably each impact surface on a ticket is provided with the same coating, particularly if one impact surface will be archived. Of course, in some collections strategies, such as comparing one coating to another, different coating can be employed. Note that system 915 does not incorporate any rinsing of the sample to produce a liquid sample, but rather is intended for use in applications where the samples would be returned to a laboratory for analysis.
General Rinse System Concept
While system 915 is quite useful for collecting dry samples for later analysis or archiving, many analytical techniques require samples in liquid forms. It would be desirable for a sample collection system to provide a liquid sample, not only to eliminate the requirement of generating such a liquid sample at the laboratory, but most importantly if analytical instrumentation requiring liquid samples is integrated into the collection system. One way to include such functionality would be to provide a rinsing module as a separate, add on module to a sampling system, as is indicated by module 932 in
The basic steps of the rinsing preferably include: 1) receiving a signal to rinse a collected sample; 2) removing the appropriate ticket from either the collection zone or the spent magazine; 3) delivering the appropriate ticket to the rinse module; 4) applying a rinse liquid to the ticket; 5) agitating or otherwise performing steps to facilitate removal of material from the ticket; 6) delivering the liquid sample to a sample vial; and 7) delivering the required liquid sample volume from the sample vial to the analysis system.
One variation would be to include the step of removing only the portion of the collection surface on the ticket that contains the spot of impacted particles. This will minimize the rinse volume required to remove the particles. Such minimal removal may correspond to a physical removal (or “punching out”) of the impaction spot. Conversely, such minimal removal can be achieved using means (such as a sample tube that is brought in contact with, or immediately adjacent to, the surface of the ticket) that isolates the spot and minimizes the rinse area to be rinsed.
It is anticipated that a target rinse volume would result in the collection of 1 millimeter or less of fluid sample. It is also anticipated that not all samples collected in the field will need to be rinsed in the field. The rinsing will preferably be performed based on a predefined trigger event, an external input, or based on some predefined schedule. Most often, such a trigger event will cause the system to collect a liquid sample from the ticket in the collection zone. However, it would be useful to include the ability to collect a liquid sample from a previously used ticket stored in the spent magazine. Such an ability would be useful, but not required. Arrows in
There are a number of technological features and techniques that can be utilized to improve both the efficiency of the particle impaction process as well as the efficiency of particle removal after impaction. These features include:
Use of a porous impaction surface: in traditional impactors, the surface is solid, causing the air directed towards the surface to diverge tangentially. The air retains some portion of particles, meaning that this fraction fails to impact on the surface. If the impactor surface contains very small pores, some or all of the airflow passes directly through the surface, retaining those particles that would otherwise be lost in a traditional impactor. To be effective, the pores must either be smaller than the desired particle size, or the material must contain some other means for capturing the particles as they pass by (such as an electrostatic charge).
Use of a dissolvable impaction surface: after particles are impacted, their collection can be assisted by use of a dissolvable impaction surface. Ideally, the surface is comprised of a substance that is tolerable in the resultant liquid sample, or can be easily removed from the liquid sample. An example of a tolerable substance is cellulose, which can be formed into an impaction surface and then dissolved by exposure to the enzyme cellulase. Whether any particular substance is tolerable or easily removable depends on the specific particles of interest, as well as intended methods of analysis. The surface structures illustrated in
Dissolution of surface by other methods: it is also possible to use surfaces or surface layers that lose structural integrity when exposed to other conditions, such as ultraviolet light (e.g. depolymerization), heat, acoustics, magnetic fields, electric fields, or other phenomena. For example, a collection surface could be charged to include an electrostatic field, thereby collecting particles having an opposing charge. Reversing the polarity of the applied field would repel the collected particles. Polonium or other materials can be used to apply a charge to the particles before they impact the collection surface to facilitate such electrostatic collection/repulsion. Depending on the ambient temperatures where the system is to be used, the collection surface could be a frozen or semi-frozen impaction surface that is melted to obtain the sample. Similarly, a material having a relatively low melting point could be used either as the entire impact surface, or a coating on the impact surface. Upon the application of heat, the surface or coating would melt and flow into a sample vial, along with the sample. Such a material must be either readily removable from the sample, or must not interfere with the analysis to be employed. Filters or absorbents can be used to remove some types of unwanted material.
Use of a removable surface coating: the particles may also be efficiently rinsed if a layer on top of the surface is removable. The simplest such example is a dissolvable coating, such as a sugar layer. Another possibility is a surface coating that is held initially by a chemical bond that is later broken. One such example is a layer of streptavidin that is chemically bonded to a layer of biotin, which is covalently attached to the surface. If the rinse fluid contains excess biotin, the streptavidin will release from the surface. Many other such scenarios are possible. A viscous coating can be used, which when heated or cut with a thinner flows easily, enabling the coating to be poured into a sample container.
Continuous surface rinse: use of a continuous process that immediately removes impacted particles. One example is a liquid jet directed at the impaction region. A different example involves use of a continuous layer of water run across the impaction surface. In another embodiment, the surface itself can be rotated or translated such that newly-impacted particles become wetted and rinsed, perhaps with the aid of ultrasonics, vibration, or dissolving coatings. A number of other scenarios are possible. One preferred waterfall approach involves continually pumping fluid over a surface toward which a fluid jet is directed. In such continually rinsing embodiments, the rinse fluid can be continuously collected and re-circulated.
Use of an impaction surface with protrusions or roughness: use of surface roughness, such as impaction microstructures, will enhance the collection efficiency of particle impaction by providing an additional filtering effect. In addition, the surface features may be removable or dissolvable in order to aid in particle recovery. As noted above,
Use of a live impaction surface: use of a surface that can be deformed, flexed, twisted or vibrated to facilitate the removal of a sample. This can be done either in conjunction with a rinse fluid, or in the absence of a rinse fluid. One variation on such a live impaction surface involves a “balloon” type impaction surface, which is inflated such that the surface area of the balloon increases for sample collection, and then decreases as the balloon is deflated for rinsing. Note the deflated balloon has a smaller surface area, so that less fluid is required for rinsing, and the bond between the impacted particles and the balloon's surface is disturbed, requiring less force to remove the particles. An inflated balloon could be coated with a material that tends to flake off when the balloon is deflated. Such a material coating would preferably be relatively inflexible, such that the change in the balloon's size causes the coating to fracture. Sugar based coatings, and other materials that tend to form crystalline lattice structures (such as salts) are useful in such an application.
Use of extended collection times: the time the impact surface is exposed to the minor flow can be extended, thereby accumulating larger spots that would tend to agglomerate into particles, making them larger and stickier, and thus easier to collect.
Soaking or dipping the collection surface: use of a bath of rinse fluid that the collection surface, or a portion thereof, is repeatedly dipped into, or placed into for an extended period. This could be particularly useful if the collection surface includes a plurality of structures. Consider a plurality of elongate, “flagellating” strips whipping around in the minor flow to collect sample, which are then dissolved into or rinsed off by placing them into a fluid bath (like rinsing a mop).
Incorporating analytical reagents into collection surface: use of a test strip as the collection surface. Such test strips generally include one or more reagents, which must be exposed to a “developing” solution to complete the analysis. Instead of rinsing such a collection surface to obtain a sample, the collection surface is exposed to the developer, and the collection surface itself provides an indication (generally a color change) as to whether a suspected particulate is present.
Use of an inert rinse fluid: preferably the rinse fluid will be inert, unless a specific rinse fluid is required to dissolve a coating, or required for some other functionality described above. Jets of fluid can be used to remove the impacted particles.
Manipulate the orientation of the collection surface to the minor flow: in general, the collection surface (i.e. the impact surface) will be disposed substantially normal (i.e. perpendicular) to the direction of the minor flow. Orienting the minor flow to be parallel to a collection surface would result in the particles entrained in the minor flow settling out onto the collection surface as a function of the mass of the particles. Such a surface could be periodically rinsed, and sub portions of the surface relating to specific particle masses, or a range of particle masses, could be individually rinsed.
Use of a wiper blade: either in conjunction with the use of a rinse fluid, or alone, a blade can be used to remove collected particulates. A “windshield wiper” approach corresponds to the use of a liquid sprayed onto the collection surface and a physical blade being used to wipe off the particles.
Use of a large volume rinse: a large volume of rinse fluid can be used to remove the particles, and collected into a sample container. The large volume of fluid can be subsequently reduced (such as by evaporation), or the sample container can include binding targets, to which specific particles will bind to (such as the antibody/antigen binding discussed in conjunction with
Incorporation of colormetric detection: Colormetric detection can be incorporated into many of the above scenarios, such that the presence of a target particle will be indicated by a color change. While such color changes are primarily qualitative, they provide a rapidly recognizable means to indicate which fluid samples include some level of target particles.
Combination of a movable collection surface (or minor flow nozzle) and a fluid rinse or bath: The nozzle of the minor flow could impact onto a disk shaped impact collection surface, which would slowly rotate so that the impact collection surface is dunked into a bath where soaking, vibration, dissolvable coatings or an individual one of, or a combination of the above disclosed techniques is employed to procure a liquid sample. This could be implemented as a continually rotating/rinsing embodiment or as a batch rinse approach. Instead of a disk, a strip of material could be used with a “reel to reel” type configuration where the strip is fed into a collection area, then through a rinse chamber, and then onto a “take up reel”
Note it is contemplated that some embodiments of rinsing systems will beneficially incorporate combinations of the various methods discussed above. Having now discussed rinsing in general, specific examples will be provided, along with other sample retrieval techniques (i.e. non-liquid based retrieval).
Exemplary Archival Collection System with Means for Removing and Transferring Particulates from a Collection Surface to a Container
System 530 also includes a virtual impactor 532 adapted to separate the fluid into a major flow and a minor flow that includes particulates of a desired size range that are directed onto an archival surface 534. Virtual impactor 532 can be one of the virtual impactors described above, although it is also contemplated that other designs of virtual impactors might also be used. A fluid is forced into virtual impactor 532 by fan 533, and as described above, that fluid is separated into both a major flow and a minor flow. The major flow is directed to exhaust 535, while the minor flow is directed to an archival surface 534.
Archival surface 534 can incorporate any of the coating discussed above, or no coating. The configuration of archival surface 534 can include, but is not limited to, a plate, a disk, or an elongate tape. Preferably, archival surface 534 can be readily removed and replaced with a new archival surface either when the original archival surface is full, or particulates deposited on the archival surface require analysis.
Means 546 is employed to remove particulates collected on surface 534, and to transfer those particulates to a sample container 547. Specific examples of means 546 are described in greater detail below. Means 546 is operatively coupled to a control 538, which is also discussed in greater detail below.
Preferably, archival surface 534 is coupled to a prime mover 536 that moves the archival surface relative to virtual impactor 532 over time, so that particulates collected at different times are deposited on different portions of archival surface 534. It should be noted that prime mover 536 can instead optionally move virtual impactor 532, instead of, or in addition to, moving archival surface 534.
With respect to embodiments in which prime mover 536 is drivingly coupled to archival surface 534, several different types of motion are contemplated. If archival surface 534 is a disk, prime mover 536 will likely be used to rotate the disk. If archival surface 534 is an elongate tape, then prime mover 536 will likely be used to cause one or both of a take-up wheel or a drive wheel (not shown) to be moved, to cause a corresponding movement in the elongate tape. Note that archival surface 534 is a consumable component, which when full, will be replaced with a fresh archival surface.
Prime mover 536 is controllably coupled to a control 538. The purpose of control 538 is to control the movement of prime mover 536 to achieve the desired movement of either virtual impactor 532 or archival surface 534, and to actuate means 546 when a sample of particulates is to be transferred from surface 534 to container 547. Means 546 can be actuated based on the occurrence of a predefined condition (such as a sensor indicating that a triggering event has occurred), based on an affirmative user command, or according to a predefined sampling protocol. For example, an integrated system can be designed to deposit a plurality of spots during a given time period, where some of the spots are to remain on the archival surface, and others of the spots are to be transferred to a sample container.
It is anticipated that control 538 can be one of a computing device, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a hardwired logic circuit, or a simple timing circuit. In at least one embodiment, software is executed to control the operation of the device, and the control includes memory and a microprocessor. This software preferably includes a program that determines the positioning of the archival surface relative to the minor flow. The software may also include a program that controls the schedule for taking environmental samples at predetermined times, thereby producing a spot on the surface at specific spaced-apart times. In addition, the invention may execute logic that modifies the sampling schedule in accordance with algorithms that are responsive to onboard sensors 540. Finally, the software can monitor the particulate collection, generating a log of the actual time when each sample is taken in association with the disposition of the spot deposited on an archival surface at that time. This log facilitates correlating a specific sample (i.e., a specific spot) with a particular moment in time at which the spot was deposited. Control 538 is shown as being controllably coupled to fan 533. According to one sampling protocol, fan 533 will operate continuously. According to another sampling protocol, fan 533 will operate for a predefined period of time while a spot is being deposited on the archival surface, and then will be de-energized by the control. It is preferable that the flow of fluid into the system be interrupted between the deposition of samples that are deposited as spots, and when the archival surface is being replaced.
Empirical tests of a prototype device, functionally similar to system 530, and employing a polymeric tape as an archival surface, have confirmed the ability of a virtual impactor to deposit spots of particulates on a movable archival surface.
As noted above, in some embodiments, system 530 may beneficially include sensors 540, which communicate with control 538 to cause a sample to be collected in response to an event that is detected by the sensors (i.e., one or more sensors). For example, an archival system may be mounted in a smokestack of a manufacturing facility, to generate an archival record of emissions from the smokestack. Such a system might be equipped with a carbon monoxide monitor, and when levels of carbon monoxide achieve a predetermined level, controller 538 (based on sensor data from sensors 540) can be programmed to initiate a sampling event, to deposit particulates on the archival surface for later analysis in response to the sensor readings. Such sensors can be used to measure relevant environmental factors that include, but are not limited to, pressure, humidity, temperature, particulate count, and presence of a particular target bio-molecule (such as particular cell types, pathogens, and toxins). Based on the detection of a specific environmental factor by such a sensor, or in accord with a sampling protocol programmed into control 538, one or more of the following functions can be executed by control 538:
Referring once again to
One or more optional detectors 544 can be included, to analyze particulates deposited on the archival surface. It is expected however, that the archival surface will most often be removed from the system before any of the particulates (i.e. spots) are analyzed. By using a separate detector, the cost of system 530 can be reduced, as detectors are often sophisticated and expensive. Furthermore, many detection methods require particulates comprising the spots to be removed from the archival surface before being analyzed. If detector 544 requires the particulates comprising the spots to be removed from the archival surface prior to analysis, a particulate removal system (generally a liquid rinse directed at a specific spot) must also be incorporated. Particulates comprising the spots can also be removed by scraping, and other means.
Preferably system 530 will often be used in a fixed (permanent) location to monitor a specific geographical location over a long period of time. Spent archival surfaces will be removed for storage and or analysis, and new archival surfaces will be inserted in system 530. It is anticipated that system 530 can also be used as a survey instrument that is moved from one location to another, to sample different geographic regions. Such a survey instrument can be used to obtain samples (spots) from many locations within a region on a single archival surface. This feature has utility in determining the source of a particular contaminant and monitoring a number of locations when the spots on the archival surface are subsequently analyzed.
While not specifically shown, it is further contemplated that system 530 can beneficially incorporate the ability to communicate with a control system at a remote location, to send and receive control signals and other data.
In many applications, it will be important that the system be able to sample a large volume of air (≧300 lpm), but it is also desirable that the sample collected be deposited in a small area (i.e., as spots ˜1 mm in diameter). To achieve these goals, it will be important to achieve the separation of particulates from a large air volume and their concentration in a relatively smaller air volume (i.e., the minor flow). In such applications, it is contemplated that two in-line stages of virtual impaction may be preferable. In the first stage, 90% of the inlet fluid is discarded, and the remaining 10% of the fluid (first stage minor flow) contains the desired particles. This first stage minor flow then enters a second virtual impactor stage with 90% of fluid that enters the second stage being exhausted. Therefore, the two stages have the combined effect of concentrating the outlet minor fluid volume to 1/100th of the initial inlet flow volume. This relatively small minor flow should then be in the correct range for depositing the concentration of particulates as spots onto a small surface area. Preferably, the spot density on the surface will be as high as possible, without cross-sample contamination occurring, in order to minimize the required area of the archival surface.
Means for Transferring Particles from a Collection Surface to a Container
In several embodiments of the present invention, a fluid is used to remove and transfer the particulates from the collection surface to a container. Depending upon the collector employed, the fluid can be a liquid or a gas.
Other elements of particle impact collector 625 include a fan 628, which is rotatably driven by an electric motor 630. Fan 628 impels fluid 610 in stream 621 toward coated impact collection surface 623. Other types of fans or impellers can alternatively be used. For example, a centrifugal fan (not shown) can be employed to move the fluid. If the fluid in which the particulates are entrained is a liquid, a pump (not shown) would be used instead of fan 628 to move fluid 610 toward coated impact collection surface 623.
To obtain a concentrated sample of particulates 614 from those collected on coated impact collection surface 623 a, particle impact collector 625 preferably includes a specimen container 636 that is filled with a collected sample through a funnel 634. A liquid 638 that is rich in the particulates collected on the coated impact collection surface partially fills sample container 636. Liquid 638 is obtained by washing the particulates from the tape. A reservoir 642 is included to supply the liquid for this purpose. The liquid from the reservoir is conveyed through a fluid line 644 and sprayed toward tape 610 through a nozzle 646, which creates a fan-shaped spray 648 that washes the particulates from the tape. If necessary, a pump, e.g., a centrifugal or a peristaltic pump (not shown) may be used to force the liquid through nozzle 646 under sufficient pressure to wash away the particulates retained by the coated impact collection surface. These particulates are carried by a stream 650 of the liquid into funnel 634 and thus are conveyed into sample container 636. Preferably, a relatively small volume of liquid is employed, so as to avoid unnecessarily diluting the sample.
The material used for producing coated impact collection surface 623 and other coated areas or surfaces employed in other embodiments discussed herein for collecting particulates in accord with the present invention, is selected because of certain characteristics of the material that increase the efficiency with which the particulates are separated from the fluid in which they are entrained, and to enhance the removal of the particulates so that they may be transferred to a sample container. Each material used for a coating has certain advantages that may make it useful for separating a specific type of particulate from a specific type of fluid. For example, for use in particle impact collector 625, the TETRAGLYME™ material described above can be used for the coating. As noted above, this material is hydrophilic until it is exposed to water and when dry, is relatively tacky, tending to readily retain particulates that impact it, yet once water is sprayed onto the TETRAGLYME coated surface, such particulates are readily released.
The fluid jet is directed at a selected group (or spot) of particles, which are “blasted” off the collection surface and into container 720. Container 720 should be properly positioned so that substantially all of the particles blasted from the collection surface are directed into the container. If desired, container 720 can be coupled in fluid communication with a vacuum source 722, so that particles are affirmatively drawn into container 720. Such a configuration reduces the likelihood of particles being dispersed in directions other than toward the sample container. Of course, a suitable filter must be employed to prevent the particles from escaping container 720 through the line that couples the vacuum source to the container. The angle at which fluid jet 718 is directed toward the collection surface should be selected to direct the blasted particles into the collection container.
When fluid jet 718 comprises a gas, the particles are transferred into the sample container without the use of any liquid, and no dilution of the sample has taken place. A further benefit of using a gas for the jet is that container 720 can be sealed and stored dry, so that a liquid is added only immediately before analysis of the sample stored in the sample container. This approach also reduces the weight of the sample, which can be important, particularly in an integrated system embodiment in which many samples are taken, since use of dry samples can significantly reduce the total weight of the samples. The gas selected for the fluid jet should be inert with respect to the particles collected, so that no undesired reactions occur between the sample particles and the gas. Preferred gases include compressed air, compressed nitrogen, compressed carbon dioxide, and inert gases such as argon.
When fluid jet 718 comprises a liquid, care should be taken not to use too much liquid, so that the sample of particles are not unduly diluted. Because of the energetic nature of the fluid jet, even a small amount of liquid is expected to be effective in transferring the particles from the collection surface and into the sample container.
A mechanical scraper 724 can be employed to remove and transfer selected particles 714 to container 720, as shown in the end view of
Another method of removing particles from scraper 724 without the use of a liquid rinse is to place the scraper in or immediately adjacent to container 720, and then to rapidly vibrate scraper 724, as is shown in
Instead of removing the particles from the collection surface, in some embodiments, the portion of the collection surface containing a specific spot of particulates is removed and placed into a container. In a first such embodiment, shown in
If the collection surface is easily cut (such as a thin fiber or plastic material), then pre-scoring is not required. Particularly if the outer periphery of the punch is sharp, the punch will be able to remove unscored portions of such a thin collection surface. Note that the punch, or other member used to remove a portion of the collection surface, should not disturb the spot of particles on the collection surface.
Preferably the “punched” portion of the collection surface will fall into the container due to gravity. However, it may be useful for the container to be in fluid communication with a vacuum source as described above, to draw the removed portion into the container. A fluid jet 718 (preferably air) can be directed toward the cut portion of the collection surface to drive that portion into the container, however, such a jet has the potential to direct the particles in the spot in undesired directions (i.e. away from, rather than into, the container).
Note that a collection surface can be fabricated from a soluble material, such as starches or gelatin. When a portion of such a surface is placed into a container and a suitable liquid is added, the collection surface will dissolve, enabling the particles to freely disperse within the sample container. This can be quite beneficial, particularly in cases in which the presence of a portion of a collection surface in a liquid sample is not compatible with a particular analytical method.
It is anticipated that combinations of the above techniques can be useful. For example, a collection surface can be coated with a dissolvable coating, so that when a liquid jet is directed at that portion of the collection surface (see
Yet another variation, shown in
Preferable containers are plastic, although glass, metal, and ceramic can alternatively be employed. As with any sample container used to collect a sample for analysis, containers should be inert and clean, so that contaminants are not introduced into the sample.
Although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred form of practicing it, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that many modifications can be made thereto within the scope of the claims that follow. Accordingly, it is not intended that the scope of the invention in any way be limited by the above description, but instead be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.
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|U.S. Classification||436/53, 422/88, 436/110, 436/106, 422/83, 73/23.2, 436/104, 436/174|
|Cooperative Classification||Y10T436/25, Y10T436/173076, B07B7/00, Y10T436/118339, Y10T436/17, Y10T436/163333|
|Feb 28, 2014||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|Jul 20, 2014||LAPS||Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees|
|Sep 9, 2014||FP||Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee|
Effective date: 20140720
|Nov 11, 2014||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: MEOSYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY, INC., NEW MEXICO
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:CALL, CHARLES J.;KAMHOLZ, ANDREW;HANCZYC, ERIC;SIGNING DATES FROM 20050610 TO 20050614;REEL/FRAME:034142/0058
|Nov 13, 2014||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: FLIR DETECTION, INC., OKLAHOMA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:MESOSYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY, INC.;REEL/FRAME:034162/0877
Effective date: 20140320


upgrade from Lubuntu 12 LTS to Lubuntu 14 LTS on old desktop?
Aere at Dvorak-Keyboards.com
Fri Aug 7 05:28:33 UTC 2015
On 08/06/2015 09:58 PM, Richard H. McCullough wrote:
> Adding more RAM is not attractive -- this computer has older RAM which
> is much more expensive than today's RAM. It would be more cost effective
> to buy a new computer.
512 megabytes RAM should be enough for it.
When I asked a computer store about upgrading my Dell 8200 machine (that
had only 256 megabytes), I was told what you said above.
But when I did a google search for:
dell 8200 memory upgrade
I see from the search results, rambus memory for upgrading it in the $41
to $60 range.
That was true years ago, when I upgraded my machine to 1GB RAM - it
wasn't as expensive as I had been led to believe, and that machine is
now (with the memory upgrade) the primary machine of my daughter's
family, which they have used for years, as of now.
But then again, 512 megabytes of RAM will work (for 32-bit
architecture). 256 megabytes (which was all my machine had), was not
enough memory for general usage, and I had to upgrade it. Fortunately,
it was not overly expensive to upgrade it.
More information about the Lubuntu-users