US 6,199,437 B1Granted

Apparatus for studying the effects of flow fields imposed on a material during processing

AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology

InventorsGuruswamy Kumaraswamy, Ravi K. Verma, Julia A. Kornfield

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Abstract

A apparatus for studying the effects of steady and transient flow fields on a sample. The apparatus includes: (a) a flow chamber through which a sample can flow comprising a port arranged to accommodate an analytical probe for measuring the properties of the sample as it moves through the flow chamber; (b) a temperature-controlled thermal reservoir that houses the flow chamber; (c) a sample reservoir comprising a chamber in communication with the flow chamber; (d) a displacement piston arranged to apply pressure, upon activation, to a sample residing in the chamber of the sample reservoir to force the sample into the flow chamber; and (e) an actuator arranged to apply pressure to the displacement piston to activate the displacement piston.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An apparatus for studying the effects of steady and transient flow fields on a sample,

said apparatus comprising:
(a) a flow chamber through which a sample can flow comprising a port arranged to accommodate an analytical probe for measuring the properties of the sample as it moves through said flow chamber;
(b) a temperature-controlled thermal reservoir that houses said flow chamber;
(c) a sample reservoir comprising a chamber in communication with said flow chamber;
(d) a displacement piston arranged to apply pressure, upon activation, to a sample residing in said chamber of said sample reservoir to force the sample into said flow chamber;
and
(e) an actuator arranged to apply pressure to said displacement piston to active said displacement piston,
wherein said apparatus is capable of rapidly and controllably altering the flow fields to which the sample is exposed.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.