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US 9,176,041 B2Granted
Filtration particle quantifier
AssigneeSpectro Scientific, Inc.
InventorsThomas G. Barraclough, Stephen D. Lawrence
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A particle quantifier includes a filter with a predetermined number of pores of a first predetermined size, a pump, and a fluid path from the pump to the filter. A pressure sensor is responsive to fluid pressure in the fluid path, and a processing module is responsive to the pressure sensor. The pressure increase of a sample fluid in the fluid path is determined as it is pumped through the filter and particles in the fluid are trapped by the filter. This pressure increase is compared with calibration data and an estimate is made concerning the concentration of particles greater than a second predetermined size present in the sample.
Claims40
A particle quantifier comprising:
- a filter system with at least a first filter having a predetermined number of pores of a first predetermined size;
- a pump;
- a fluid path from the pump to the filter system;
- a pressure sensor responsive to fluid pressure in the fluid path;
- and
- a processing module responsive to the pressure sensor and configured to:
- determine the pressure increase of a sample fluid in the fluid path as it is pumped through the filter system and particles in the fluid are trapped by the first filter,
- compare the determined pressure increase with calibration data, and
- based on the calibration data, estimate the concentration of particles greater than a second predetermined size present in the sample.
6 more elements
A particle quantifier comprising:
- a removable filter cartridge including a membrane filter disposed over a well in a filter holder, the filter membrane including a predetermined number of pores of a first predetermined size;
- a syringe;
- a pump with a motor driven plunger received in the syringe;
- a syringe holder receiving the syringe therein;
- a fluid path from the syringe to the filter;
- a pressure sensor responsive to fluid pressure in the fluid path;
- and
- a processing module, responsive to the pressure sensor and configured to:
- determine the pressure increase of a sample fluid in the fluid path as it is pumped from the syringe through the membrane filter and particles in the fluid are trapped by the pores of the membrane filter,
- compare the determined pressure increase with calibration data, and
- based on the calibration data, estimate the concentration of particles greater than a second predetermined size in the sample.
8 more elements
A particle quantifier comprising:
- a filter system with at least a first filter having a predetermined number of pores of a predetermined size;
- a pump;
- a fluid path from the pump to the filter system;
- a pressure sensor responsive to fluid pressure in the fluid path;
- and
- a processing module responsive to the pressure sensor and configured to:
- determine the pressure increase of a sample fluid in the fluid path as it is pumped through the filter system and particles in the fluid are trapped by the first filter,
- compare the determined pressure increase with calibration data including the pressure increase of a plurality of calibration fluid samples each with a known concentration of particles of a known size driven by the pump through the first filter, and
- based on said calibration data, estimate the concentration of particles greater than a predetermined size present in the sample.
6 more elements
A particle quantifier comprising:
- at least a first filter with a predetermined number of pores of a predetermined size;
- a variable speed pump;
- a fluid path from the pump to the filter;
- a pressure sensor responsive to fluid in the fluid path;
- and
- a processing module responsive to the pressure sensor and configured to:
- control the pump and its speed,
- determine the pressure increase of a sample fluid in the fluid path as it is pumped by the pump through the filter and particles in the fluid are trapped by the filter,
- compare the determined pressure increase with calibration data, and
- based on the calibration data, estimate the concentration of particles greater than a second predetermined size present in the sample.
7 more elements
A particle quantifier comprising:
- a first filter with a predetermined number of pores of a first predetermined size;
- a second filter with a predetermined number of pores of a second predetermined size;
- a pump;
- a fluid path from the pump to a filter;
- a pressure sensor responsive to fluid in the fluid path;
- and
- a processing module responsive to the pressure sensor and configured to:
- determine the pressure increase of a sample fluid in the fluid path as it is pumped through the filters and particles in the fluid are trapped by the filters,
- compare the determined pressure increase with calibration data, and
- based on the calibration data, estimate the concentration of particles between the first and second predetermined sizes present in the sample.
7 more elements
A particle quantification method comprising:
- driving a sample fluid through a filter system with at least a first filter having a predetermined number of pores of a first predetermined size;
- determining the pressure increase of the sample fluid as it is driven through the filter system;
- comparing the determined pressure increase with calibration data representing the pressure increase of a plurality of calibration fluid samples as they were driven through one or more filters with the same or a similar predetermined number of pores of the first or a similar predetermined size;
- and
- based on the comparison, estimating the concentration of particles present in the sample greater than a second predetermined size equal to or greater than the first predetermined size.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.