The Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund

Advanced Polymer Monitoring Technologies, Inc.

Yokogawa Fluence Analytics, Inc.

Polymer Laboratories Limited

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Wayne Frederick Reed

Michael Felix Drenski

Alex W Reed

Rick D Montgomery

Aide Wu

Stephen J O'Donohue

Alina Alb

Robert M Anderson

Natalie Leonardi

Alex Wayne Reed

Daniel J Rees

Alina M Alb

Devices and methods for rapidly and incrementally or continuously, measuring rheological properties of polymers under different shear rates. The device includes a pump configured to accept a continuous stream of sample solution during an interval of time, an injector configured to inject a flow of the sample solution through two or more viscometers, and a computing and processing device configured to monitor and measure rheological properties of the solution under at least two shear rates simultaneously in the two or more viscometers.

Device and methods for simultaneous determination of intrinsic viscosity and non-newtonian behavior of polymers

Devices and methods for actively controlling the production of multistage and multimodal polymers. The device may include a reaction vessel configured to contain a polymer solution and generate polymer reactions in at least two stages as well as one or more detectors configured to monitor at least one reaction characteristic of the polymer solution contained in the reaction vessel. The device may further include a controller coupled with the reaction vessel and the one or more detectors, the controller configured to actively control the development of a predetermined reaction characteristic by modifying at least one process control variable based on the at least one reaction characteristic monitored by the detector.

Device and methods to actively control the production of multi-stage polymer production

Devices and methods for characterization and control of biopolymers and synthetic polymers during manufacturing. The device may include a body defining a fluid flow path. The body may be configured to receive a process flow liquid such that the process flow liquid may flow through an interior portion of the body. The body may also include a plurality of detectors inserted into said body, each of the plurality of detectors configured to monitor one or more process characteristics.

Devices and methods for characterization and control of biopolymers and synthetic polymers during manufacturing

Devices and methods for determining the cumulative distribution of a polymer property in a reactor without physical separation of reaction subcomponents. The device includes a means of measuring an instantaneous property of the polymers being produced in a reaction vessel a plurality of times during a polymerization reaction as well as a means of determining the corresponding change in polymer concentration in the reaction vessel between measurements of the instantaneous polymer property. The device also includes a means of computing a statistical distribution appropriate to the polymer characteristic and applying the statistical distribution to a recently measured instantaneous value of the polymer property so as to have an instantaneous distribution of the polymer property and a means of adding together the instantaneous distributions of the polymer property in order to obtain the cumulative distribution of the polymer property in the reactor.

Device and methods for determination of molecular weight distributions of polymers and distributions of other polymer properties without physical separation

Disclosed herein is a device and method for changing the conditions of a solution flowing in a serial path. In particular, disclosed herein is a device that includes a chemical reactor, a first system, and a second system that are each serial to one another. Each of the first system and the second system include a mixing chamber, a solvent reservoir, a solvent pump, and one or more detectors. Also disclosed herein is a method for changing the condition of a solution that includes flowing a liquid sample in a path, serially mixing the sample with at least two discrete solvents while it flows through the path, and detecting the condition of the sample after it is mixed with each solvent.

Device and method for changing solution conditions in serial flow

Method, device, and system for identifying a model-based time dependent light scattering signature that includes receiving an experimental time dependent light scattering signature comprising experimental data descriptive of an average molecular weight of protein components in a solution over time. The method further includes identifying an Ansatz for evaluating the experimental time dependent light scattering signature, the Ansatz being an initial model-based time dependent light scattering signature, the initial model-based time dependent light scattering signature identifying at least one key variable. The method also includes adjusting the at least one key variable in the initial model-based time dependent light scattering signature until a final model-based time dependent light scattering signature is identified. In some instances, the final model-based time dependent light scattering signature identifies at least one protein aggregation mechanism.

Distinguishing protein aggregation mechanisms

Devices and methods for determining the cumulative distribution of a polymer property in a reactor without physical separation of reaction subcomponents. The device includes a means of measuring an instantaneous property of the polymers being produced in a reaction vessel a plurality of times during a polymerization reaction as well as a means of determining the corresponding change in polymer concentration in the reaction vessel between measurements of the instantaneous polymer property The device also includes a means of computing a statistical distribution appropriate to the polymer characteristic and applying the statistical distribution to a recently measured instantaneous value of the polymer property so as to have an instantaneous distribution of the polymer property and a means of adding together the instantaneous distributions of the polymer property in order to obtain the cumulative distribution of the polymer property in the reactor.

Manual and automatic methods and devices using a ACOMP system for active control of polymerization reaction processes. An ideal desired trajectory of one or more reaction and polymer characteristics can be established to produce a desired final polymer product with specified characteristics from a polymerization reaction process. A current reaction trajectory of a polymerization reaction process can be driven to an ideal or desired reaction trajectory. In a manual embodiment an operator can use ACOMP data to adjust process variables in order to drive the current reaction trajectory toward the ideal or desired reaction trajectory. In an automated mode a control program can use ACOMP data to make adjustments to process variables to drive the polymerization reaction process toward the desired trajectory as closely as possible either empirically or by solving the governing equations for the polymerization reaction process.

Systems and methods for control of polymer reactions and processing using automatic continuous online monitoring

Devices and methods for controlling the properties of chemical species during time-dependent processes. A device includes a reactor for containing one or more chemical species of a time-dependent process, an extraction pump for automatically and continuously extracting an amount of the one or more chemical species from the reactor, one or more detectors for measuring property changes of the one or more extracted chemical species and generating a continuous stream of data related to the one or more property changes to the one or more chemical species during a time interval, and a process controller configured to fit the continuous stream of data to a mathematical function to predict one or more properties of the one or more chemical species at a future time point and make one or more process decisions based on the prediction of one or more properties at the future time point.

Systems and methods for predicting and controlling the properties of a chemical species during a time-dependent process

Simultaneous Multiple Sample Light Scattering systems and methods can be used for polymer stability testing and for applying stressors to polymer or colloid solutions including heat stress, ultrasound, freeze/thaw cycles, shear stress and exposure to different substances and surfaces, among others, that create a polymer stress response used to characterize the polymer solution and stability.

Characterization of polymer and colloid solutions

A method of monitoring the evolution of polymer and/or colloid stimuli responsiveness during synthesis of polymers and/or colloids, including postpolymerization modifications on natural and synthetic polymers, includes providing a reactor in which the polymers and/or colloids are synthesized; and providing a means of monitoring the stimuli responsiveness of the polymers and/or colloids during said synthesis. Preferably, the method also includes monitoring the evolution of the characteristics of the polymers and/or colloids during said synthesis. Preferably, evolution of polymer and/or colloid stimuli responsiveness is correlated to the evolution of the properties of the polymers and/or colloids themselves. Also, preferably the conditions of the fluid in the reactor in which the synthesis occurs is determined. The determination can be by detection, choice of materials and temperature conditions, for example, and combinations thereof. The method and instrumentation disclosed can lead to optimization and control of processes and synthetic and modification strategies leading to polymers and colloids with desired stimuli responsiveness.

Methods and instrumentation for during-synthesis monitoring of polymer functional evolution

The present invention provides an automatic sampling and dilution apparatus for use in a polymer analysis system. The apparatus comprises (a) a primary mixing chamber; (b) a primary pump capable of continuously withdrawing a variable viscosity liquid from a reactor at a selectable, fixed withdrawal rate over a varying viscosity range of about 50 to about 5,000,000 centipoise (cP) for continuously conveying the variable viscosity polymer-containing liquid into the primary mixing chamber; (c) a first dilution pump for continuously delivering a first dilution solvent into the primary mixing chamber at a selectable, fixed flow rate to mix with the variable viscosity liquid in the mixing chamber and thereby form a diluted polymer-containing liquid therein; and (d) a secondary pump for continuously conveying the diluted polymer-containing liquid into a flow-through detector. A polymer analysis system utilizing the automatic sampling and dilution apparatus is also provided.

Automatic sampling and dilution apparatus for use in a polymer analysis system

A method and apparatus for continuously extracting liquid in at least two separate streams from a vessel, continuously diluting and/or conditioning a first stream in one or more stages, producing, as a result of the extraction, dilution and/or conditioning, the first stream consisting of a dispersion of particles to be characterized, and diluting and/or conditioning a second stream, the second stream consisting of soluble components; and subjecting the first and second streams to various characterizing measurements.

Methods and devices for simultaneously monitoring colloid particles and soluble components during reactions

A method involving the automatic, online dilution of polymer and/or colloid solutions, such that, when the diluted polymer stream flows through suitable detectors, non-equilibrium processes, such as polymerization, degradation and aggregation, can be monitored. The dilution involves a reacting or stock solution of polymer and/or colloid, and at least one solvent. The online dilution technique can also be used to assess the effects of solvent quality and other solutes on polymer/colloid characteristics and reactions, and also permits equilibrium characterization of polymers/colloids by making a single stock solution of the polymer/colloid.

Automatic mixing and dilution methods for online characterization of equilibrium and non-equilibrium properties of solutions containing polymers and/or colloids

Growing community of inventors

New Orleans, LA, United States of America

Wayne Frederick Reed