Patent Grant
9126749
The present disclosure relates to novel and advantageous storage and dispensing systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to novel and advantageous connector assemblies for use with liner-based assemblies, where material may be stored in, shipped in, and dispensed from the liner-based assembly.
Numerous manufacturing processes require the use of ultrapure liquids, such as acids, solvents, bases, photoresists, dopants, inorganic, organic, and biological solutions, pharmaceuticals, and radioactive chemicals. Such industries require that the number and size of particles in the ultrapure liquids be controlled to ensure purity. In particular, because ultrapure liquids are used in many aspects of the microelectronic manufacturing process, semiconductor manufacturers have established strict particle concentration specifications for process chemicals and chemical-handling equipment. Such specifications are needed because, should the liquids used during the manufacturing process contain high levels of particles or bubbles, the particles or bubbles may be deposited on solid surfaces of the silicon. This can, in turn, lead to product failure and reduced quality and reliability.
Storage and dispensing systems that are used to store, ship, and dispense the liquids described above, as well as other liquid-based contents, typically include a container of some kind, and/or a liner, a cap that may be used to seal and protect the contents of the storage system when the contents are not being dispensed, and a connector that may be used to dispense the contents from the container. The connector that is used during dispense is typically uniquely configured to provide a particular type of dispense. Accordingly, the connector that is used during dispense will have an effect on several aspects of the dispense, for example, whether the dispense is a pump or pressure dispense, what the flow rate of dispense may be, and/or how much residue may remain in a liner or container after dispense. In this regard, there is a need for a connector that increases the flow-rate during dispense and/or increases the total amount of material that may be dispensed.
The present disclosure relates to novel and advantageous connector assemblies for use with a liner-based assembly. In one embodiment, a connector assembly for use with a liner-based assembly can include a pressure port, a dispense port, a headspace removal port, and a locking mechanism. The pressure port can be adapted for connection to a pressure source. The dispense port can be adapted for fluid communication with a source of material to be dispensed from the liner-based assembly. The headspace removal port may be configured for removing a gas from the liner-based assembly. The locking mechanism may be used for locking the connector to the liner-based assembly when contents therein are under pressure. In some embodiments, the dispense port and headspace removal port may be operably coupled providing a flow path for recirculation of the contents within a liner of the liner-based assembly.
In other embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a method for pump dispensing the contents of a liner-based assembly. The method may include connecting a connector to the liner-based assembly. The connector can include a pressure port adapted for connection to a pressure source, a dispense port adapted for fluid communication with a source of material to be dispensed within the liner-based assembly, and a headspace removal port configured for removing a gas from the liner-based assembly. The method can further include removing headspace gas contained in a liner of the liner-based assembly through the headspace removal port, for example, using pressure-assist, and using a pump to dispense the source of material through the dispense port. In some embodiments, with the pressure port plugged, the dispense port and headspace removal port may be operably coupled providing a flow path for recirculation of the contents within a liner of the liner-based assembly.
In still other embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a method for dispensing the contents of a liner-based assembly. The method can include connecting a connector to the liner-based assembly. The connector can include a pressure port adapted for connection to a pressure source, a dispense port adapted for fluid communication with a source of material to be dispensed within the liner-based assembly, and a headspace removal port configured for removing a gas from the liner-based assembly. The method can also include removing headspace gas contained in a liner of the liner-based assembly through the headspace removal port. The contents may be dispensed using pressure dispense or pressure-assisted pump dispense techniques. In one particular embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a method for dispensing the contents of a liner-based assembly including connecting a connector to the liner-based assembly, the connector having a dispense port and a dip tube extending at least partially into an interior space of the liner-based assembly, the dip tube having a diameter of at least about one inch and being coupled to the dispense port, and dispensing contents of the interior space of the liner through the dispense port.
In still other embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a connector for use with a liner-based assembly. The connector may include a dispense port and a dip tube extending at least partially into an interior space of the liner-based assembly, the dip tube having a diameter of at least about one inch and being coupled to the dispense port for dispensing contents of the liner-based assembly through the dispense port. In variations thereof, the connector may further include a headspace removal port, and in some embodiments, the dispense port and headspace removal port may be operably coupled providing a flow path for recirculation of the contents of the liner-based assembly. A locking mechanism may be provided and may include one or more locking cylinders configured to engage when a threshold pressure is reached in the liner-based assembly and to not engage when the pressure in the liner-based assembly is below the threshold pressure. The connector may be configured for indirect pressure dispense whereby a pressurized gas or a pressurized fluid is introduced into an annular space between a liner and an overpack of the liner-based assembly, the force of the pressurized gas or pressurized fluid causing the liner to collapse upon itself and force the contents of the liner out through the dispense port. Additionally, the dip tube may be configured to extend only partially into the interior of the liner-based assembly, sometimes referred to as a short probe or a stubby probe.
In yet other embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a system for dispensing the contents of a liner-based assembly. The system may include an overpack, a liner including an interior space for holding contents, the liner being disposed inside of the overpack, and a connector comprising a locking mechanism for locking the connector to at least one of the liner and the overpack when the contents of the liner are under pressure. The connector may further include a diptube extending at least partially into the interior space of the liner, the diptube having a diameter of at least about one inch. In some cases, the diptube may only partially extend into the interior of the liner. The liner may be collapsible under pressure applied to the space between the liner and overpack to dispense the contents of the liner through the diptube.
While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. As will be realized, the various embodiments of the present disclosure are capable of modifications in various obvious aspects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter that is regarded as forming the various embodiments of the present disclosure, it is believed that the disclosure will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying Figures, in which:
The present disclosure relates to novel and advantageous storage and dispensing systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to novel and advantageous connector assemblies for use with storage devices and methods for storing, shipping, and/or dispensing the contents of a container of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the present disclosure relates to novel and advantageous connector assemblies that increase the flow-rate during dispense and/or increase the total amount of material that may be dispensed.
In particular, one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a connector for a storage and dispensing system that may provide a high-flow rate during dispense and/or allow a greater percentage of the contents of a liner to be dispensed than conventional connectors. Embodiments of a high-flow and low-residual connector (referred to hereinafter as a “high-flow connector”) described herein may be used with storage and dispensing containers that may hold up to approximately 2000 liters, preferably up to approximately 200 liters. In some embodiments, the dispensing containers may hold up to approximately 20 liters. In still further embodiments, the dispensing containers may hold approximately 1 to 5 liters. It will be appreciated that the referenced container sizes are illustrative only and that any of the high-flow connectors of the present disclosure may be readily adapted for use with a wide variety of sized and shaped dispensing containers.
Example uses of the containers and container systems disclosed herein may include, but are not limited to, transporting and dispensing acids, solvents, bases, photoresists, chemicals and materials for OLEDs, such as phosphorescent dopants that emit green light, for example, ink jet inks, slurries, detergents and cleaning formulations, dopants, inorganic, organic, metalorganics, TEOS, and biological solutions, DNA and RNA solvents and reagents, pharmaceuticals, hazardous waste, radioactive chemicals, and nanomaterials, including for example, fullerenes, inorganic nanoparticles, sol-gels, and other ceramics, and liquid crystals, such as but not limited to 4-methoxylbenzylidene-4′-butylaniline (MBBA) or 4-cyanobenzylidene-4′-n-octyloxyanaline (CBOOA). However, such containers and container systems may further be used in other industries and for transporting and dispensing other products such as, but not limited to, coatings, paints, polyurethanes, food, soft drinks, cooking oils, agrochemicals, industrial chemicals, cosmetic chemicals (for example, foundations, bases, and creams), petroleum and lubricants, adhesives (for example, but not limited to epoxies, adhesive epoxies, epoxy and polyurethane coloring pigments, polyurethane cast resins, cyanoacrylate and anaerobic adhesives, reactive synthetic adhesives including, but not limited to, resorcinol, polyurethane, epoxy and/or cyanoacrylate), sealants, health and oral hygiene products, and toiletry products, etc. Those skilled in the art will recognize the benefits of such storage and dispense systems and methods of their use, and therefore will recognize the suitability of the various embodiments of high-flow connectors, as described herein, as used with a storage and dispense system to various industries and for the transportation and dispense of various products.
For example, a high-flow connector of the present disclosure may be used with, but is not limited to use with, a container 100, shown in
In other embodiments, as shown in
The liner 220, in a further embodiment, may have a shape, when inflated or filled, that is different from, but complimentary with, the shape of the overpack 202 such that it may be disposed therein. In one embodiment, the liner 220 may also be removable or removably attached to the interior of the overpack wall 212. The liner 220 may provide a barrier, such as a gas barrier, against drive gas migration from the space between the liner wall 224 and the overpack wall 212. In some embodiments, the liner 220 may be manufactured using one or more polymers, including plastics, nylons, EVOH, polyolefins, or other natural or synthetic polymers. In a further embodiment, the liner 220 may be manufactured using a fluoropolymer, such as but not limited to, polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), perfluoroalkoxy (PFA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), poly(butylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PBN), polyethylene (PE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), medium-density polyethylene (MDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and/or polypropylene (PP). In some embodiments, the liner 220 may comprise multiple layers. The multiple layers may comprise one or more different polymers or other suitable materials. The mouth 228 of the liner 220 may also have a fitment portion 230. The fitment portion 230 may be made of the same or different material than the rest of the liner 220 and may be harder, more resilient, and/or less flexible than the rest of the liner 220. International PCT Application No. PCT/US2008/085264, entitled, “Blow Molded Liner for Overpack Container and Method of Manufacturing the Same,” filed Dec. 2, 2008, for which U.S. national stage application Ser. No. 12/745,605 was filed Jun. 1, 2010; International PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US10/41629, titled “Substantially Rigid Collapsible Liner and Flexible Gusseted or Non-Gusseted Liners and Methods of Manufacturing the Same and Methods for Limiting Choke-Off in Liners,” filed on Jul. 9, 2010; International PCT Appl. No. PCT/US11/055,558, titled “Substantially Rigid Collapsible Liner, Container and/or Liner for Replacing Glass Bottles, and Enhanced Flexible Liners,” filed Oct. 10, 2011; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/915,996, titled “Fluid Storage and Dispensing Systems and Processes,” which was filed Jun. 5, 2006, which are all either newly or previously hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, disclose liners that may be used in accordance with the present disclosure.
While various containers and container systems, as described above, may be used with the various embodiments of high-flow connectors of the present disclosure, such high-flow connectors described herein may be particularly useful with bag-in-can assemblies and/or bag-in-drum assemblies having sizes up to approximately 200 liters, for example. As will be described below, the high-flow connectors may be used with pump dispense, pressure-assisted pump dispense, direct pressure dispense, and/or indirect pressure dispense applications. In general, during pump dispense, a dip tube may extend into the liner up to substantially the entire length of the liner, and the contents of the liner may be pumped out of the liner via the dip tube. Embodiments of liner-based systems using pump dispense may or may not include both a container or overpack and a liner. In pressure-assisted pump dispense, the contents of the liner may be pumped out of the liner via a dip tube, for example, but additionally, a gas or liquid may be introduced into the space between the liner and the overpack to assist the collapse of the liner and thereby remove headspace gas and/or facilitate dispense. Pressure dispense applications may be direct or indirect. Direct pressure dispense may generally involve introducing gas from a pressure source into the liner above the gas-liquid interface, for example, which may directly contact and force the contents of the liner out of the dispense port. Embodiments using direct pressure dispense may or may not include both a container or overpack and a liner. In general, during indirect pressure dispense, an external source of pressure can be used to pressurize the space between the liner and the overpack (also referred to herein as the annular space) via the pressure port. The resulting pressure on the liner can cause the liner to collapse upon itself and expel the contents of the liner through the dispense port.
As shown in
With reference back to
The pressure release valve 308 may be used to release pressure in cases where the pressure in between the liner and the overpack becomes higher than is desired. For example, if only about 20 psi or less is desired between the liner and the overpack, the pressure may be vented through the pressure release valve 308 if the pressure between the liner and the overpack exceeds about 20 psi. While specific pressures have been described, it will be understood that any suitable pressure may be selected depending on, for example, the type of liner and/or overpack being used, and/or the type of dispense used, and/or the kind of contents stored in the liner.
The contents of the liner may be expelled from the liner out through a dip tube, in some embodiments. As may be seen in
As indicated above, the connector of the present disclosure, in some embodiments, may also include a headspace removal port 304. Generally, the expression “headspace,” as used herein, may refer to the gas space in the liner that may rise to the top of the liner, above the contents stored in the liner. If all, or substantially all, of the headspace gas is removed, then generally the only remaining sources of gas bubbles, if any, would be any folds in the liner. It may be advantageous to remove the headspace gas prior to pressure dispense and pressure-assisted pump dispense, for example. The headspace removal port 304 may facilitate removal of the headspace gas in a liner or container.
For example, as shown in
As was discussed previously, many materials that may be stored in liner-based assemblies may be high-purity liquids that must maintain a certain high purity level during dispense. Accordingly, in some conventional systems, one method of determining when to stop dispensing the contents of the liner is often referred to as “first-bubble detect” technology. In such a method, as the contents are dispensed from the liner, the contents of the liner may be screened or otherwise evaluated to detect the presence of bubbles. When a specific amount of bubbles are detected, indicating a certain level of contaminating gas in the contents, the dispensing is halted and the liner is generally considered exhausted. In dispensing processes that use such a system, it is typical that the amount of residual material that goes to waste once dispense is halted in this manner can be around 3-10%; that is, for a 200 L liner, for example, as much as 6-20 L of residual material are left in the liner and goes to waste. This can be significantly costly when dealing with expensive high purity contents.
In this regard, eliminating the excess gas, such as headspace gas, that may be trapped in the liner prior to dispense may allow a greater, and in some cases a substantially greater, amount of uncontaminated material to be dispensed because there would be a lower likelihood of bubble contamination from the excess gas. Thus, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the amount of residual, i.e., unusable material, left in the liner may be reduced and in some cases significantly reduced by removing the headspace gas in the liner prior to dispensing the contents of the liner. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the amount of residual material left can be reduced to as low as or less than about 1%; for example, in a 200 L liner, the residual amount may be reduced to 1.5 L or less. Because substantially no bubbles may remain in the system in embodiments removing the headspace gas, an alternate form of empty-detect may be used. Any suitable method or combination of methods of empty-detect may be used, for example, but not limited to monitoring the droop of liquid outlet pressure that occurs when the liner nears empty. In embodiments using such a method of empty-detect, the dispense may terminate when the liquid outlet pressure reaches a desired level.
In an additional embodiment as discussed above, pump dispense may be pressure-assisted to help uniformly collapse the liner and/or improve dispensability. Particularly, the annular space between the liner and the overpack may be kept pressurized during dispense so as to assist in uniform collapsing of the liner during pump dispense, which can help improve dispensability of a pump dispense system. Such assistance for pump dispense systems may be referred to herein as one embodiment of pressure-assisted pump dispense. In some embodiments, only about 3 psi or less may be required to assist pump dispense. However, it is recognized that any suitable amount of pressurization may be used depending on the system and application.
In some embodiments and with reference to
In yet another embodiment, the connector may permit recirculation of the contents of the liner, which may be particularly useful for the recirculation of pressure sensitive or viscous materials. As stated above, the storage and dispensing systems of the present disclosure may be used for transporting and dispensing acids, solvents, bases, photoresists, dopants, inorganic, organic, and biological solutions, pharmaceuticals, and radioactive chemicals. Some of these types of materials may require recirculation while not being dispensed, otherwise they may become stale and unusable. As some of these materials can be very expensive, it can be desirable to keep the contents from becoming stale. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the connector may be used to recirculate the contents of the liner. Although not necessary for all types of contents, in one embodiment, the headspace may be removed as described above. After the headspace is removed, the headspace removal port may be used as a recirculation port. Accordingly, a recirculation flow path may be created from the interior of the liner, through the dispense port, through any other apparatus that may be used in the recirculation process, such as but not limited to a recirculation pump, and then back to the interior of the liner through the headspace removal port. In further embodiments, the liner may be maintained at a pressurized state using the pressure port to introduce a pressurizing gas, as described above. In some embodiments, the connector may also have a mechanical check valve that may prevent the stored material from leaking and/or dripping when the connector is removed from the liner and/or overpack.
Some embodiments of the container systems described above may also include features for helping prevent or limit choke-off. Generally speaking, choke-off may be described as what occurs when a liner ultimately collapses on itself, or a structure internal to the liner, to form a choke point disposed above a substantial amount of liquid. When choke-off occurs, it may preclude complete utilization of the liquid disposed within the liner, which can be a significant problem, as specialty chemical reagents utilized in industrial processes such as the manufacture of microelectronic device products as well as many materials used in the biotechnology and/or pharmaceutical industry, for example, can be very expensive. A variety of ways of preventing or handling choke-off are described in PCT Application Number PCT/US08/52506, entitled, “Prevention Of Liner Choke-off In Liner-based Pressure Dispensation System,” with an international filing date of Jan. 30, 2008, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Additional ways of preventing or handling choke-off are described in International PCT Appl. No. PCT/US11/055,558, titled “Substantially Rigid Collapsible Liner, Container and/or Liner for Replacing Glass Bottles, and Enhanced Flexible Liners,” filed Oct. 10, 2011, which was previously incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In some embodiments, the container systems may include level sensing features or sensors. Such level sensing features or sensors may use visual, electronic, ultrasonic, or other suitable mechanisms for identifying, indicating, or determining the level of the contents stored in the container systems. For example, in one embodiment, the container systems or a portion thereof may be made from a substantially translucent or transparent material that may be used to view the level of the contents stored therein.
In further embodiments, flow metering technology may be integrated into or operably coupled with the connectors for a direct measurement of material being delivered from the packaging system to a down stream process. A direct measurement of the material being delivered could provide the end user with data which may help ensure process repeatability or reproducibility. In one embodiment, the flow meter may provide an analog or digital readout of the material flow. The flow meter, or other component of the system, can take the characteristics of the material (including but not limited to viscosity and concentration) and other flow parameters into consideration to provide an accurate flow measurement. Additionally, or alternatively, the flow meter can be configured to work with, and accurately measure, a specific material stored and dispensed from the container system. In one embodiment, the inlet pressure can be cycled, or adjusted, to maintain a substantially constant outlet pressure or flow rate.
In the foregoing description various embodiments of the invention have been presented for the purpose of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principals of the invention and its practical application, and to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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| PCT/US2011/056291 | 10/14/2011 | WO | 00 | 4/15/2013 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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| WO2012/051496 | 4/19/2012 | WO | A |
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