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US 9,040,301 B2Granted
Separator device, deposition device and system for handling of somatic plant embryos
AssigneeGeorgia Tech Research Corporation
InventorCyrus K. Aidun
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and devices for separating fluid-suspended plant somatic embryos and embryogenic tissue based on differences in their fluid drag properties are disclosed. Deposition method and device for depositing plant somatic embryos into embryo receiver comprising growth substrate by means of a fluid jet is disclosed. An automated system for processing plant somatic embryos from the bioreactor to the growth substrate is also disclosed.
Claims30
A method of separating fluid-suspended embryos from immature embryogenic tissue comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a suitable separator container, said container containing fluid having a density lower than of the embryos to be separated, being essentially cylindrical in shape, having an essentially flat bottom wall and an essentially vertical axis, and comprising a conduit in communication with the fluid in the container at an axial region of the bottom wall during operation, and providing a rotation object positioned inside the container for inducing an axisymmetric rotating flow;
- b) creating a sink vortex at the axial region of the bottom wall by draining fluid from said conduit, and inducing an axisymmetric rotating flow in the fluid relative to the bottom wall by rotating the rotation object, thus:
- i) creating a viscous boundary layer at the bottom wall;
- and
- ii) creating a radial pressure gradient in the separator container;
- c) introducing the fluid-suspended embryos and immature embryogenic tissue to be separated into the fluid present in the separator container at a location away from the bottom wall, thus:
- i) sedimenting the embryos faster than the immature embryogenic tissue;
- ii) allowing the embryos to enter the viscous boundary layer while not allowing the immature embryogenic tissue to enter the viscous boundary layer;
- iii) drawing the embryos entering the viscous boundary layer into the axial region of the bottom wall;
- and
- d) collecting embryos from said axial region of the bottom wall in the fluid drained from the conduit, whereby the embryos collected are essentially separated from immature embryogenic tissue.
8 more elements
A device for separating fluid-suspended embryos and immature embryogenic tissue from each other comprising:
- a) separator container, which during operation contains fluid having a density lower than the density of the embryos to be separated, said container being essentially cylindrical in shape, having an essentially flat bottom wall, an essentially vertical axis and comprising a fluid conduit in communication with the inside of the container, located at the axial region of the bottom wall;
- b) rotation object positioned inside the container for inducing an axisymmetric rotating flow in the fluid relative to the bottom wall, whereby during operation:
- i) a viscous boundary layer is created at the bottom wall;
- ii) a radial pressure gradient is created in the separator container;
- c) means of introducing the fluid-suspended embryos and immature embryogenic tissue to be separated into the fluid present in the separator container at a location away from the bottom wall, whereby during operation:
- i) the embryos sediment substantially faster than the immature embryogenic tissue;
- ii) the embryos enter the viscous boundary layer while the immature embryogenic tissue remains substantially outside the viscous boundary layer;
- iii) the embryos entering the viscous boundary layer are drawn into the axial region of the bottom wall and into the conduit;
- and
- d) means of collecting embryos from said conduit;
- whereby the embryos collected are essentially separated from immature embryogenic tissue.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.