Savant Instruments, Inc.

Yury Zlobinsky

Michael Glater

Donald A Mattes

Warren Meeks

Silvio Bellotti

Frank Vilardi

Felicia Celaru

Carlos Barreda

Frank Grave

Jules S Lux

Phillip E Bracht

James Boncore

Apparatus and method for rapidly oscillating specimen containing vessels such as those used in an RNA recovery operation wherein small sized glass sized beads in the vessel are employed to disrupt the cell walls of an RNA component to release the RNA, includes a specimen vessel holder provided as a disc in which the containers are received. The disc is operably connected with oscillatory motion producing means that in operation oscillates the disc rapidly in an oscillatory movement up and down symmetrically of a fixed vertical axis. The disc is haltered so it cannot rotate about the fixed axis. Locking means in the form of a locking plate locks the vessels on the vessel holder and applies a clamping force thereto to prevent relative movement between the vessels and the holder to prevent generation of heat that could be of deleterious effect to the specimen material or the vessels holding same.

Apparatus and method for rapidly oscillating specimen vessels

A vial holding a material such as an organic liquid-containing biological specimen is received in the receptor of a holder assembly, the assembly further including a centrifugal valve. The holder is mounted on a rotor in a centrifugal vacuum concentrator and the specimen is then subjected to a treatment such as drying in the vacuum chamber. Vapor from the drying vents into the concentrator vacuum chamber, the centrifugal valve which is a normally closed component opens due to imposition thereon of centrifugal force created during and attending rotor speed above a certain RPM. At completion of the treatment and before the rotor falls from its certain RPM, a dried material protective gas blanket can be flowed into the vial, the valve closing to seal the vial and protected contents when RPM of the rotor falls below the certain RPM. The valve also is a pressure relief valve that functions when the rotor is at rest to open when a pressure is present in the vial at or above a predetermined value to relieve the pressure and thereby protect the vial and its contents. The holder assembly can serve as a sealed, protected specimen package facilitating handling and storage of the specimen.

Centrifugal vacuum concentration with holder assembly

Acid digestion of liquid specimens which are to be subsequently analyzed by spectroscopy to identify recoverable or dissolved metals is effected in an open digestion operation in apparatus which includes inclined, vertically spaced saddles on which specimen containing glass jars are supported in corresponding inclined orientation so that a surface of the specimens in the jars is overlaid by the wall of the jar and the jar opening is remote from the specimen, this arrangement allowing that the vessel wall facing the specimen surface, during digestion, will serve as a condensing surface for specimen vapors evolved incident digestion. The saddles are carried on an upright frame rotatably mounted on a base so that the upright frame can be moved between jar loading/unloading and digestion operation positions, jar loading/unloading on the upright frame involving inserting/removing the jars on the saddles while the frame is in a position where it is conveniently accessed by an operator for this purpose, but the upright frame thereafter being rotated to a digestion position thereof that reduces greatly, to the safety advantage of an operator, any chance of splatter of specimen during the digestion striking the operator. The saddles each embody a heater therein.

Method and apparatus for open digestion of specimens utilizing inclined

In the drying of solvents-containing material in a vacuum concentrator and which involves condensation of evolved solvents in a cold trap, simplified and inexpensive flow blocking devices are provided intervening an outlet of the cold trap and an inlet to the vacuum pump with which the concentrator is evacuated. The flow blocking practiced allows cryopumping effect to ensue between the concentrator and cold trap such being the agency by which solvent vapor outflows from the concentrator and is recovered by condensation thereof in the cold trap. Near complete solvent recovery can be achieved and carryover of solvent to the vacuum pump is reduced to insignificant measure. In one form, flow blocking is attained by use of a simple pressure differential valve. This valve will stay closed as long as absolute pressure differential acting on the valve is a desired value, such as one corresponding to difference of condition of vacuum at pump inlet and at the upstream end of the valve, such differential being one at which cryopumping conditions exist. If the differential is greater, the valve will open to reconnect system flow to the vacuum pump which continues until cryopumping condition is again achieved when the valve will again close. Flow blocking also readily can be provided with a solenoid operated valve, the solenoid being controlled by a pressure differential switch sensing condition of vacuum at the pump inlet and at a location upstream in the system. When the differential of vacuum conditions sensed is as desired, the switch is closed maintaining a signal to the valve keeping it closed allowing cryopumping of solvent to occur. When the sensed differential is greater than desired, the switch opens, the signal terminates and the valve opens to connect the system to the vacuum pump.

Vacuum drying system with cryopumping of solvent recovery feature

Amino acid-containing specimens are hydrolyzed with a method and in a hydrolysis unit by which a specimen holder having an upper face side against which a cover can be tightly engaged to seal compartments formed in the holder and define a sample chamber in which the specimens are received and hydrolyzed. The holder and cover are housed in a sealable casing, and a heating device is provided to apply heat to the specimens while same are in contact with a hydrolyzing agent, this being done while the casing is sealed from the ambient atmosphere and the holder compartments in turn sealed from the casing enclosed space. The unit embodies a device to impose vacuum on the casing interior during the hydrolysis cycle, or to fill the casing enclosed space with an inert gas for cooling at the end of hydrolysis. The sealable nature of the holder compartments and casing interior facilitates pre and/or post-hydrolysis cleaning and purging of the holder compartments to insure specimen contamination avoidance during hydrolysis. Structure is provided to cool down the specimen holder on completion of a hydrolysis cycle to shorten the overall hydrolysis procedure and facilitate further handling of the hydrolyzed specimens as well as early reuse of the unit for further hydrolysis operation.

Unit for hydrolyzing amino-acid containing specimens

A vacuum concentrator uses microwave heating to enhance the rapid drying of a liquid specimen. Microwave heating without excessive arcing is made possible in a vacuum chamber by controlling the power of a microwave generator, by modifying antenna-like objects, and by interposing air in a direct path between opposing edges of microwave injection slots, while maintaining the vacuum condition in the vacuum chamber. This can be accomplished by using air filled plastic bosses passing through, and substantially filling the microwave injection slots. An alternate to the air filled bosses can be a non-metallic closure plate that excludes the microwave injection slots from the vacuum chamber, while allowing energy to be injected freely into the chamber. The microwave heating energy is absorbed by a vacuum chamber cover and dissipated to the atmosphere as heat.

Microwave heating in a vacuum centrifugal concentrator

A solvent-containing biological material specimen is dried in a vacuum chamber with solvent evolving during the drying cycle being condensed in a refrigerated cold trap. During the drying cycle, communication of the drying chamber with the vacuum pump with which the chamber is evacuated, selectively is established or interdicted in response to raising or lowering of the vacuum condition in the chamber with respect to an initially set predetermined vacuum condition. Evolving of solvent from the specimen proceeds during interdiction by way of 'cryopumping' due to the differential in pressure between the chamber and the refrigerated trap. Thus maximized solvent recovery in the trap is achieved, and carry over of solvent to the vacuum pump wherein its presence would be contaminating of the pump oil is for practical purpose eliminated. Selective establishment and interdiction of chamber/pump communication provides a controlled vacuum drying operation and lessens 'bumping' or foaming of certain highly volatile solvents and volatile biological material as well which if occurring, can cause defects or altered character in the specimen. A unique arrangement of a pair of two-way valves is employed to effect and maintain vacuum control as well as control bleeding of a gas to the chamber and pump at the end of the drying cycle.

Apparatus for drying biological specimens

A heater equipped pre-trap chamber is provided at the upstream side of the inlet to a vacuum diaphragm pump so that gas products and solvent drawn from a specimen in a drying chamber can be subjected to a separation operation in the pre-trap chamber to remove liquid and readily condensable vapor forms of solvent. This thereby prevents entry of liquid solvent to the pump unit where it could cause damage. The inlet to the pump is located some distance above the outlet from the pre-trap chamber so that any liquid as may carryover in the flow from the pre-trap chambers towards the pump inlet, will return to the pre-trap as a gravity induced back flow. Solvent collected in the pre-trap chamber is heated to vaporize it and pass it out through the pump in that form to the outside atmosphere, making the pre-trap self-cleaning.

Vacuum pump with heated vapor pre-trap

A pressurized flow of a refrigerant gas discharged from a gas compressor and which has compressor lubricating oil entrained as a mist therein, is subjected to an oil separation in a separating unit of a separator assembly wherein by impacting flow of the oil-containing gas against impact structure in the separating unit, oil is caused to separate from the gas with the oil falling to the bottom of the separating unit, post-impact flow of the refrigerant gas being in a torturous flow path in the separating unit which torturous flow produces further and additional oil separation from the gas. The gas ultimately, has outlet from the unit at an upper end thereof from whence the gas passes to a point of use, the separated oil passing from the unit through a return capillary tube conduit to the compressor.

Oil separation from refrigerant gas flow

A cell preservation system utilizes a pre-chilled coolant stored in a coolant reservoir, which is pumped at a controlled rate into a specimen vessel containing a specimen. This allows the achievement of a controlled rate of cooling the specimen and controls the formation of crystals in the specimen. The coolant reservoir is sealed, and the coolant is pumped from the specimen vessel to the coolant reservoir, whereby heat from the pump is not entered into the specimen vessel. A magnetic stirrer is selectively controlled to maintain a uniform temperature in the specimen vessel or, alternatively, is deenergized to permit temperature stratification to occur. A heater is included in the specimen vessel for precise heat control, and for raising the temperature of the coolant in the specimen vessel to a value suitable for beginning a cooling cycle.

Cell preservation system

A simply constructed, inexpensively manufactured rotary valve includes a molded plastic valve body having a seat on which is received a molded plastic rotary valve cover, the underface of the valve cover having an elongate flow groove therein, that groove being encircled by another groove in which a seal is disposed. The ends of the valve cover flow groove can be registered with a circularly spaced pair of openings in the valve body seat to establish communication through the valve between an evacuation space and a vacuum producing means, these seat openings in turn leading to valve body passages that are in communication with respective ones of a pair of integrally formed nipples on the body. The nipples which extend laterally from the valve body, serve as receptive mounting locations for tubes connected to the evacuation space and vacuum producing means. Telltale means are provided on the valve cover to facilitate orienting same when connection between the evacuation space and vacuum producing means is to be made. A vent passage in the valve cover can be registered with one and/or the other of the seat openings when it is desired to bleed air into the evacuation space and/or vacuum producing means from ambient atmosphere.

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Massapequa, NY, United States of America

Yury Zlobinsky