Apparatus and Methods for Storing Sensitive Materials
AssigneeRoylan Developments Limited
InventorStuart Naylor
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Abstract
Apparatus is described for storing sensitive materials in containers (32) which are sealed and in which the internal atmosphere may be purged by flushing with an inert gas fed in from a purger unit (30) via a suitable feed lead (35). The gas exhausted from inside the container (32) is fed back into the purge unit (30) and then checked against a desired parameter, for example oxygen concentration, until the value of that parameter reaches a desired level. Purging may then be stopped and the container left sealed, preferably at a slight over pressure relative to the ambient atmosphere. The use of a separate purge unit enables many containers to be sequentially and effectively processed. The containers are particularly useful for storing sensitive chemical and biological samples.
Claims10
A system for storage of sensitive materials, comprising a plurality of portable containers, wherein each portable container of which comprises a box with an inlet port and an exhaust port in a wall thereof, and means for sealing an interior of the box against outside of the box, together with a container interior conditioning apparatus constructed and arranged to inject an inert gas under pressure into one of the portable containers via the inlet port thereof, and to analyze and monitor gas emerging from the exhaust port thereof, and further constructed and arranged to, on detection of a predetermined condition of the gas exhausted from the container, to discontinue injecting further inert gas via the inlet port.
A method of preserving sensitive materials which comprises placing the materials in a gas-impermeable container comprising a box with an inlet port and an exhaust port in a wall thereof, sealing an interior of the box against outside of the box, injecting a purge gas from a purge gas apparatus into the inlet port, monitoring a parameter of exhaust gas by means located in the purge gas apparatus, detecting when a value of the parameter has reached a predetermined level, and stopping injection of the purge gas once the predetermined level has been reached.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.