Patent Application
20140034671
The present disclosure relates to liner-based storage and dispensing systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to liners for use with generally cylindrically-shaped overpacks, whereby the liner is configured to substantially conform to the size and shape of the interior of the overpack. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a liner comprising a tubular body portion; a bottom portion sealed to one end of the tubular body portion; and a top portion sealed to the other end of the tubular body portion, where the top portion also includes a fitment. Further, the contents of the liner of the present disclosure may be dispensed by pressure dispense with or without the use of a dip tube and/or a choke-off preventer.
Numerous manufacturing processes require the use of ultrapure liquids, such as acids, solvents, bases, photoresists, slurries, cleaning formulations, dopants, inorganic, organic, metalorganic and biological solutions, pharmaceuticals, and radioactive chemicals. Such applications require that the number and size of particles in the ultrapure liquids be minimized. 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.
Accordingly, storage, transportation, and dispensing of such ultrapure liquids require containers capable of providing adequate protection for the retained liquids. Collapsible liner-based containers, such as the. NOWPak® dispense system marketed by ATMI, Inc., are capable of reducing such air-liquid interfaces by pressurizing, with gas or fluid, onto the liner, as opposed to directly onto the liquid in the container, while dispensing. However, pressure dispense is not traditionally used with certain liner-based systems. For example, liner-based systems that include drum or canister style overpacks often dispense the contents of the liner via pump dispense. Pump dispense systems can be disadvantageous because they can be very expensive and may easily break down.
Additionally, for a variety of reasons associated with these types of liner-based systems, the liners are traditionally open-ended, drum-shaped liners or are closed liners that are not configured to conform to the shape of the overpack. Such liners may be unable to provide adequate protection against environmental conditions. For example, the contents of open-ended liners are exposed to the environment and can be contaminated easily. Additionally, such traditional liners may fail to protect the retained liquid against pinhole punctures and tears in the welds sometimes caused by elastic deformation of the liners from vibrations, such as those brought on by transportation of the container. The vibrations from transportation can elastically deform or flex a liner many times (e.g., thousands to millions of times) between the source and final destinations. The greater the vibration, the more probable that pinholes and weld tears will be produced. Other causes of pinholes and weld tears include shock effect, drops, or large amplitude movements of the container. In pressure dispense applications, gas may be undesirably introduced through the pinholes or weld tears, thereby contaminating the retained liquids over time, as the gas will be permitted to go into the solution and undesirably come out into the manufacturing process, e.g., onto the wafer as bubbles.
Additionally, traditional closed, collapsible liners are configured to be filled with a specified amount of liquid. However, the liners do not fit neatly within their respective outer containers because folds are created in the liners as they are inflated inside the containers. The folds may preclude liquid from filling the liners in the space taken up by the folds. Accordingly, when the container is filled with the specified amount of liquid, the liquid tends to overflow the container resulting in loss of liquid. As stated previously, such liquids are typically ultrapure liquids, such as acids, solvents, bases, photoresists, dopants, inorganic, organic, and biological solutions, pharmaceuticals, and radioactive chemicals, which can be very expensive, for example about $2,500/L or more. Thus, even a small amount of overflow is undesirable.
Further yet, packaging or container systems for transporting certain types of materials are required to meet specific UN DOT certifications. For example, to be certified as a non-removable head container for transporting certain hazardous materials, the container opening cannot exceed 3 inches in diameter. Accordingly, in many cases, it would be desirable to have a collapsible liner designed to overcome the disadvantages described above while also being capable of fitting within container openings for containers meeting UN DOT certifications for hazardous materials.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for better liner systems for ultrapure liquids that do not include the disadvantages presented by prior liners for use in generally cylindrically-shaped overpacks. There is a need in the art for a generally cylindrically-shaped liner-based storage and dispensing system that addresses the problems associated with pinholes, weld tears, gas pressure saturation, and overflow, and can be fit or substantially easily fit within standard openings of UN DOT certified containers. There is a need in the art for generally cylindrically-shaped liner-based storage and dispensing systems that addresses the problems associated with excess folds in the liner that can result in additional trapped gas within the liner. There is also a need in the art for liners that are configured such that choke-off is limited or eliminated.
The present disclosure, in one embodiment, relates to a liner having a tubular body portion with a top circumferential edge and a bottom circumferential edge, a generally circular bottom portion sealed to the tubular body portion along the bottom circumferential edge, and a generally circular top portion sealed to the tubular body portion along the top circumferential edge. The top portion may include a fitment sealed thereto. The tubular body portion may include at least one weld seam extending from the top circumferential edge to the bottom circumferential edge. In a particular embodiment, the tubular body portion may include two sheets welded together to form a tubular body, the tubular body portion thus having two weld seams extending from the top circumferential edge to the bottom circumferential edge. The liner can be configured to be positioned within a non-removable head container having no larger than a three inch opening by inserting the liner in a collapsed state into the container through the opening, with the fitment positioned inside the opening. Each of the liner portions may have a liner wall with multiple layers. Similarly, each of the liner portions may have a liner wall with a thickness from 80 microns to 280 microns. The liner may further include means for reducing the occurrence of a choke point.
The present disclosure, in another embodiment, relates to a liner-based system having an overpack, the overpack including a generally cylindrically-shaped interior and an opening on at least one end, and also including a flexible liner positioned therein, the liner having a tubular body portion having a top circumferential edge and a bottom circumferential edge, a generally circular bottom portion sealed to the tubular body portion along the bottom circumferential edge, and a generally circular top portion sealed to the tubular body portion along the top circumferential edge. The top portion may also include a fitment sealed thereto. In some embodiments, the overpack may be a non-removable head container having no larger than a three inch opening. The liner, in an expanded state, may substantially conform to the generally cylindrically-shaped interior of the overpack. The tubular body portion of the liner may include at least one weld seam extending from the top circumferential edge to the bottom circumferential edge, and in a particular embodiment, the tubular body portion of the liner may include two sheets welded together to form a tubular body, the tubular body portion thus having two weld seams extending from the top circumferential edge to the bottom circumferential edge. Each of the liner portions may have a liner wall with multiple layers. Similarly, each of the liner portions may have a liner wall with a thickness from 80 microns to 280 microns. In some embodiments, the overpack may additionally include a fluid inlet in communication with an annular space between the overpack and the liner, permitting a gas or fluid to be introduced into the annular space, causing collapse of the liner and dispense of contents therein through the fitment.
The present disclosure, in yet another embodiment, relates to a method for dispensing contents from a liner-based system. The method can include coupling a pressure source to a fluid inlet of an overpack, where the overpack includes a generally cylindrically-shaped interior and an opening on at least one end, and also includes a flexible liner positioned therein, the liner having a tubular body portion having a top circumferential edge and a bottom circumferential edge, a generally circular bottom portion sealed to the tubular body portion along the bottom circumferential edge, and a generally circular top portion sealed to the tubular body portion along the top circumferential edge and including a fitment sealed thereto. The fluid inlet is in communication with an annular space between the overpack and the liner. The method for dispensing contents further includes dispensing contents of the liner by introducing a gas or fluid from the pressure source into the annular space via the fluid inlet, thereby collapsing the liner and causing dispense of contents therein through the fitment. The method may also include connecting a dispense connector to the fitment of the liner for receiving the dispensed contents, the dispense connector having a probe with a tube extending only a relatively short distance into an interior of the liner through the fitment. The method may also include removing headspace gas prior to dispensing contents of the liner. In some embodiments, the method may further involve monitoring a dispense pressure to determine when the liner nears empty.
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 invention. 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 invention. 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 invention 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 generally cylindrically-shaped liner-based storage and dispensing systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to novel and advantageous disposable flexible liners for use with generally cylindrically-shaped overpacks, whereby the liner may substantially conform to the interior size and shape of the overpack. More particularly, the liners of the present disclosure may generally comprise a tube-shaped body portion, a top portion that includes a fitment, and a bottom portion that define an enclosed interior for holding a material. The contents of the liner of the present disclosure in some embodiments may be dispensed by pressure dispense without the use of a dip tube, thereby reducing the overall cost of the liner-based system and increasing the amount of material that may be dispensed from the liner.
The liner may comprise one or more layers and may generally have an overall thickness that may be greater than the thickness of liners traditionally used with known generally cylindrically-shaped overpacks. The conformal shape and/or the properties of the film comprising the liner (including the material used and/or the thickness of the liner) may advantageously provide the liner-based system with desirable characteristics, including but not limited to: increased dispensability; reduction or elimination of fold gas, pinholes, and/or weld tears; and/or a reduction in the load and stress on the liner fitment. Because embodiments of liner-based systems of the present disclosure may be used to store, ship, and/or dispense ultrapure, and/or relatively expensive, and in some cases extremely expensive materials, the above-noted advantages may provide significant advantages over prior art liners used with generally cylindrically-shaped overpacks. For example, some ultrapure materials contemplated for use with the liner-based systems of the present disclosure may cost about $2,500/L or more. Thus, even a small reduction of the amount of overflow (i.e., losing some of the contents of the liner during filling because the liner cannot accommodate all of the material), reduction in contamination, or increase in dispensability can be desirable.
Example uses of such liners may include, but are not limited to, transporting and dispensing ultrapure chemicals and/or materials such as photoresist, bump resist, cleaning solvents, TARC/BARC (Top-Side Anti-Reflective Coating/Bottom-Side Anti-Reflective Coating), low weight ketones and/or copper chemicals for use in such industries as microelectronic manufacturing, semiconductor manufacturing, and flat panel display manufacturing, for example. Additional uses may include, but are not limited to, transporting and dispensing acids, solvents, bases, slurries, cleaning formulations, dopants, inorganics, organics, metalorganics, TEOS, and biological solutions, pharmaceuticals, and radioactive chemicals. However, such liners may further be used in other industries and for transporting and dispensing other products such as, but not limited to, paints, soft drinks, cooking oils, agrochemicals, health and oral hygiene products, and toiletry products, etc. Those skilled in the art will recognize the benefits of such liner-based systems and the process of manufacturing the liners, and therefore will recognize the suitability of the liners for use in various industries and for the transportation and dispense of various products.
In some embodiments, the liner of the present disclosure may be configured to be compatible in use with existing overpacks and/or dispensing systems. For example, the liners of the present disclosure may be designed to work in liner-based systems that are required to pass UN DOT tests. As discussed above, packaging or container systems for transporting certain types of materials are required to meet specific UN DOT certifications. For example, to be certified as a non-removable head container for transporting certain hazardous materials, the container opening cannot exceed 3 inches in diameter. Accordingly, liners of the present disclosure may be designed to fit, and in some cases substantially easily fit, within standard container openings for containers meeting UN DOT non-removable head certifications for hazardous materials.
The overpack 2 may also include a closure and/or connecting assembly 24. In one embodiment, shown in
In some embodiments, the closure and/or connecting assembly 24 may provide, or the overpack 2 and/or liner 4 may connect with a high-flow connector that provides, a high-flow rate during dispense and/or allows a greater percentage of the contents of a liner to be dispensed than conventional connectors, for example. As shown in
The liner 4 of the system 100 may include a fitment 10 in some embodiments. The liner 4 may be generally cylindrically-shaped such that in an expanded state, the liner substantially conforms to the shape of the interior cavity of the overpack 2. In a collapsed state, the liner 4 may collapse such that the liner 4 may fit through the overpack neck 6 of the overpack 2. The fitment 10 of the liner 4 may be configured such that when the liner 4 is inserted into the overpack 2, the fitment 10 of the liner 4 may nest inside of the fitment retainer 14 and/or the neck 6 of the overpack 2. In some embodiment, the fitment retainer 14 of the overpack 2 may detachably secure to the fitment 10 of the liner 4 and/or the neck 6 of the overpack 2, thereby supporting the liner in the overpack.
The fitment 10 of the liner 4 may be integral with the top portion of the liner 4. The fitment 10 may be sized and shaped such that the fitment 10 may be positioned inside of the fitment retainer 14 and/or the neck 6 of the overpack 2 and/or be compatible with some or all components of the closure and/or connector assembly 24 of the overpack 2. The fitment 10 may be comprised of any suitable material or combination of materials. For example, a suitably rigid plastic such as high density polyethylene (HDPE) may be used. In some embodiments, the fitment 10 may be comprised of a more rigid material than the rest of the liner 4. The fitment 10, in some embodiments may be securely sealed to the liner via welding or any other suitable method or combination of methods. In some embodiments, where for example the overpack includes a centrally-located mouth or opening, the fitment 10 may also be centrally located on the top panel to minimize stress on the fitment weld; however, central location of the fitment 10 on the top panel is not required. As discussed above, some embodiments of the liner of the present disclosure may be configured for use with known overpacks. In such embodiments, the fitment 10 of the liner 4 may be sized and shaped to be compatible with the closure and/or connector assembly 24 of a particular known overpack 2. Such known overpacks may be compatible, for example, with a liner fitment 10 having a ¾ inch or a 2 inch diameter, for example. It will be understood, however, that the liner fitment 10 may have any suitable diameter and/or shape and size such that it is compatible with a desired overpack 2.
In another embodiment shown in
The modified fitment 1900 may have a first closed position as shown in
As discussed above and as shown in
In some embodiments, the top portion 236 and/or bottom portion 228 may also include a flange 244, 234 that may be created by welding the top 236 and/or bottom portions 228 to the body portion 224. However, in other embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the bottom portion may be gusseted, and accordingly may have a weld or seam line. For example, in an embodiment, illustrated in
Embodiments that include liners portions, e.g., top, bottom, and body portions, that are configured from one or more film sheets welded together to provide a body portion may provide cleaning advantages over liners comprising body portions without more than one panel welded together. This may be the case because it is generally easier to clean a generally flat surface of film for a liner that has not yet been welded together, as opposed to cleaning, for example, a tubular body portion surface for a liner that cannot easily be laid flat. Nonetheless, in other embodiments, the liner of the present disclosure may be formed by blow-molding or any other suitable molding process.
In some embodiments the top portion and/or the bottom portion may advantageously be welded to the body portion while the material to be welded is in a substantially flat position. For example, as may be seen in
In another embodiment shown in
Embodiments that include a top and/or bottom seam around the circumference of the body portion and where the body portion also includes one or more vertical seams, an intersection area may be created where the vertical seam(s) may intersect with the top and/or bottom seam. Such an intersection 260 may be seen on
The shape of the liner of the present disclosure may be configured to generally or substantially conform to the interior space of the generally cylindrical overpack and therefore may advantageously increase the dispensability that may be achieved. Further, the shape of the liner of the present disclosure may decrease or eliminate fold gas, pinholes and/or weld tears during transport. Some traditional non-cylindrical liners, for example pillow type liners with a fitment located at the top portion on one side of the liner, may not fully utilize all of the interior space available within an overpack, as may be seen in
In contrast to traditional pillow type liners or other two dimensionally shaped liners, because the liner of the present disclosure may substantially conform to the overall shape of the overpack when the liner is full, the liner may not tend to pull downward and away from the top of the overpack, as may be seen in
The substantially conformal shape of the liner to the overpack may also help support the liner in the headspace region, may decrease the tendency of the liner to fold on itself, and may limit the amount of fluid motion that occurs during shipping and/or transport that could otherwise cause micro folds to flex, and could result in pinholes or weld tears. For example, tests were performed based on ASTM standard tests to determine the failure rate of 200 L pillow type liners and 200 L liners of the present disclosure of varying film types. For purposes of the test, a failure was defined as the development of a pinhole or weld tear in the liner. Specifically, the tests evaluated 200 L pillow type liners and 200 L liners of the present disclosure of varying film types at Truck Level IV for 50 hours. Upon completion of the tests, none of the liners of the present disclosure failed, while ⅓ of the pillow type liners failed. The results of the test did not seem affected by the type of film used to make the liners.
As explained above, in some cases liners may be filled with expensive materials, and in some cases extremely expensive materials. Accordingly, reducing or eliminating the potential for overflow (i.e., losing some of the contents of the liner during filling because the liner cannot accommodate all of the material) may be advantageous. One way to reduce or eliminate the risk of overflow is by increasing the capacity of the liner for holding liquid contents. Liners of the present disclosure in some embodiments may have increased content volume relative to other liners designed for holding a similar volume because the amount of volume wasted by excess folds in the liner and trapped gas may be decreased. Accordingly, a conformal liner of the present disclosure configured to hold 200 L may actually accommodate about 2 to 10 more liters of overflow volume compared to traditional liners. Increasing the capacity of the liner may reduce, substantially reduce, or eliminate the risk of overflow for liners of the present disclosure, in some embodiments. The substantially conformal shape of the liner to the overpack may also reduce the load and stress on the fitment and fitment weld of the liner of the present disclosure in some embodiments.
In some embodiments, the overall thickness of the liner may be thicker than traditional liners used with drum style overpacks. One advantage of a liner with a thickness greater than traditional liners may be that the increased thickness can help prevent or reduce the occurrence of pin holes (small holes that can form in the liner), fold gas, weld tears, and/or gas diffusion that may occur during filling, storage, shipment, and/or dispense. The increased thickness of the liner may also help prevent choke-off during dispense.
The above-noted advantages associated with liner of the present disclosure may be particularly important when the contents of the liner are ultrapure contents that may be both relatively or substantially more expensive than other types of stored and/or shipped materials and that are much more likely to become unusable if contaminated. While the overall thickness of embodiments of the present disclosure may be greater than that of traditional liners, the thickness may not be so great as to prevent the liner from being inserted into or extracted from the overpack through the neck of the overpack when the liner is in a collapsed state. Accordingly, any suitable thickness of the liner 200 is contemplated by the present disclosure. For example, in some embodiments, the liner 200 may have an overall thickness from about 80 to about 280 microns. In further embodiments, the liner 200 may have an overall thickness from about 100 to about 220 microns. In still other embodiments, the liner 200 may have an overall thickness from about 150 to about 200 microns. In still other embodiments, the liner 200 may have an overall thickness from about 100 to about 150 microns. However, even thicker liners may be used, particularly with overpacks having larger mouth openings than those illustrated as well as overpacks wherein the entire lid or top opens, for example. As used here and throughout the present disclosure, ranges are used as a short hand for describing each and every value that is within the range; any value within the range can be selected as the terminus of the range.
The liner 200 of the present disclosure may comprise one, two, or more layers made from one or more suitable materials. In some embodiments, for example, the liner may consist of two or more layers, whereby the two or more layers may be made from the same material or may be made from different materials. Each of the one or more layers may have any suitable thickness. In some embodiments with two or more layers, each layer may have the same thickness, while in other embodiments, the two or more layers may have different thicknesses. In some embodiments, the one or more layers of the liner may be free of plasticizers, heat stabilizers, colorants, flame retardants, mold release agents (DMPS) and/or other microelectronic contaminants.
In some embodiments, the inner layer of the liner, or in embodiments comprising a single layer, the surface of the layer that makes contact with the contents of the liner may be comprised of a chemically compatible material. For example, the inner or wetted layer may be comprised of, for example, but may not be limited to, linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), polyethylene (PE), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), perfluoroalkoxy (PFA), fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer (FEP), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), or any other suitable material or combination of materials. In some embodiments, the outer or protective layer or layers, may generally consist of a relatively more robust material that may act as a moisture and/or gas barrier to prevent contamination of the contents of the liner through the liner walls. Additionally, the one or more outer layers may have additional properties to ensure that the liner remains intact and resistant to cracks, tears, pin holing or other degradation that may occur during shipping and/or storage. The one or more outer layers may be comprised of but are not limited to, polyethylene (PE), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyamides (PA), polypropylene (PP), ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or any other suitable material and/or combination of materials.
In some embodiments the liner may also include any number of additional barrier layers that may be positioned between an inner layer and one or more outer layers. An additional barrier layer or layers may help keep the contents of the liner from seeping out of the liner as well as help keep gas and/or other contaminants from seeping into the interior of the liner. The barrier layers, in some embodiments, may be comprised of, for example ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), nylon or any other suitable material or combination of materials, such as any of those materials identified above.
Embodiments of the liner of the present disclosure that include two or more layers may be configured such that the layers may be arranged in any suitable order and/or combination. For example, as may be seen in
The liner of the present disclosure may have a relatively simplistic design with a generally smooth outer and/or inner surface, or the liner may have a relatively complicated design, including, for example, but not limited to, pleats, ridges, indentations and/or protrusions. In one embodiment, for example, the liner may be textured to prevent choke-off, that is, the liner may be textured to prevent the liner from collapsing in on itself in a manner that would trap liquid within the liner and preclude the liquid from being dispensed properly.
The film comprising the liner of the present disclosure may be formed by any suitable process or combination of processes. For example, the film for the liner may be formed by co-extrusion, extrusion blow molding, injection blow molding, injection stretch blow molding, or any other suitable method or combination of methods. Examples of the types, properties, and methods of manufacturing the film that may be used in some embodiments of liners of the present disclosure are described in detail in International PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US11/55558, filed on Oct. 10, 2011, titled “Substantially Rigid Collapsible Liner, Container and/or Liner for Replacing Glass Bottles, and Enhanced Flexible Liners” and U.S. patent application No. 61/499,254 filed on Jun. 21, 2011, titled “Substantially Rigid Collapsible Liner, Container and/or Liner for Replacing Glass Bottles, and Flexible Gusseted or Non-Gusseted Liners,” which are each hereby incorporated herein in its entirety.
In some embodiments, the liner may be shaped to assist in dispensability of the liquid from within the interior cavity. In one embodiment of a liner for use with an overpack, illustrated in
In still other embodiments, as illustrated in
In use, the liner 4 may be inserted into the overpack 2 when the liner 4 is in a collapsed state through the neck 6 of the overpack 2. In this manner, liner 4 may be designed to work in liner-based systems that are required to pass UN DOT tests, including those for removable and non-removable head containers. For example, liner 4 may be designed to fit, and in some cases substantially easily fit, when in a collapsed state, within standard container openings for a container meeting UN DOT non-removable head container certifications for hazardous materials, which in some cases must not exceed 3 inches in diameter. Once the liner 4 has been positioned inside of the overpack 2, the liner 4 may be expanded to an expanded state that may substantially conform to the shape of the interior of the overpack 2. In some embodiments, the liner may be inflated with a clean gas, for example, but not limited to N2, or clean dry air, prior to filling the liner with the desired material, while in other embodiments the liner may be expanded with the chemical to be filled. After the liner 4 has been filled with the desired material, the closure and/or connector assembly 24 of the overpack may be detachably secured to the fitment 10 of the liner 4. The system 100 may then be shipped to a desired location or stored until shipped. Upon arrival at a desired location, the contents of the liner 4 may be dispensed.
Traditionally, the contents of liners for use with drum style overpacks are dispensed by pump dispense. Accordingly, typically a dip tube may be used in conjunction with the liner and overpack in order to pump the contents out of the liner. Pump dispense may generally fail to consistently achieve as high a rate of dispense as other dispense methods, for example pressure dispense. Further, the dip tube used during pump dispense can be relatively expensive, particularly as the dip tube is typically disposed of after a single use. Advantageously, the contents of the liners of the present disclosure in some embodiments may be dispensed by pressure dispense without the use of a dip tube. As such, the dispensability of some embodiments of liners of the present disclosure may be higher, and the overall cost of the system may be less than that of known liners.
In one embodiment, to dispense liquid stored in the liner, a pressure source may be connected to the liner-based system, wherein a gas or fluid may be introduced into the annular space between the outside of the liner and the inside wall of the overpack causing the liner to collapse and expel the contents of the liner out of the fitment of the liner. As may be seen in
The amount of pressure required to dispense the contents of a liner of the present disclosure may depend on the force required to collapse the liner, which may be dependent on the thickness and/or composition of the liner. In some embodiments, the contents of the liner may be dispensed at any suitable pressure. For example in one embodiment, the contents may be dispensed at from about 7 psig to about 30 psig.
Generally, the outlet liquid pressure may be a function of the inlet gas pressure. Typically, if the inlet gas pressure remains constant, the outlet liquid pressure may also be generally constant in the dispensing process but decreases near the end of dispense as the liner nears empty. Means for controlling such dispense of fluid from the liner are described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 7,172,096, titled “Liquid Dispensing System,” issued Feb. 6, 2007, PCT Application Number PCT/US07/70911, titled “Liquid Dispensing Systems Encompassing Gas Removal,” with an international filing date of Jun. 11, 2007, and PCT Application Number PCT/US2011/020236, titled “Liquid Dispensing Systems with Gas Removal and Sensing Capabilities,” with an international filing date of Jan. 5, 2011, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In embodiments where inlet gas pressure is held generally constant, as further described in detail in PCT Application Number PCT/US07/70911, the outlet liquid pressure can be monitored. As the liner nears empty, the outlet liquid pressure decreases, or droops. Detecting or sensing such decrease or droop in outlet liquid pressure can be used as an indication that the liner is near empty, thereby providing what may be referred to as droop empty detect.
In some embodiments, however, it can be desirable to control the outlet liquid pressure such that it is substantially constant throughout the entire dispensing process. In some embodiments, in order to hold the outlet liquid pressure substantially constant, the inlet gas pressure and outlet liquid pressures may be monitored, and the inlet gas pressure may be controlled and/or vented in order to hold the liquid outlet pressure constant. For instance, relatively low inlet gas pressure may be required during the dispensing process due to the relatively full nature of the liner, except when the liner is near empty. As the liner empties, higher inlet gas pressure may generally be required to further dispense the liquid at a constant outlet pressure. Accordingly, the outlet liquid dispensing pressure may be held substantially constant throughout the dispensing process by controlling the inlet gas pressure, as can be seen in
At a certain point in the dispensing process, the amount of inlet gas pressure required to empty the liner can quickly become relatively high, as shown in the graph 580 of
For example, in some embodiments the inlet gas pressure and/or the liquid outlet pressure may be monitored and/or controlled during dispense. With reference back to
In further embodiments, the liner-based system of the present disclosure may be configured such that it is compatible with the NOWPak® pressure dispense system, such as that disclosed in U.S. patent application No. 11/915,996, titled “Fluid Storage and Dispensing Systems and Processes,” which was filed Jun. 5, 2006, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety herein. A sample of a misconnect prevention connector that may be used with the liner-based system of the present disclosure may be that of ATMI of Danbury, Conn., or those disclosed in U.S. patent application No. 60/813,083 filed on Jun. 13, 2006; U.S. patent application No. 60/829,623 filed on Oct. 16, 2006; and U.S. patent application No. 60/887,194 filed on Jan. 30, 2007, which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Advantageously, the lack of dip tube or use of a shortened dip tube, or use of a long dib tube with a port at the top, can enable the removal of headspace gas in the liner prior to dispensing of the contents from the liner. 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. By removing headspace gas prior to content dispense, gas that is in direct contact with the liquid can be reduced or substantially eliminated, such that the amount of gas dissolved into the liquid during the dispense process is significantly reduced or minimized. Liquid with minimal dissolved gas generally has less tendency to release gas bubbles after experiencing a pressure drop in the dispense train, and thus, substantially reducing or eliminating gas bubble issues in the liquid dispense system. Generally, headspace in the liner may be removed or reduced by first pressurizing an annular space between the liner and the overpack via a pressure port so that the liner begins to collapse, thereby forcing any excess headspace gas out of the liner through a headspace removal port, or other suitable outlet port.
Due to the shape, thickness and composition of some embodiments of the liner of the present disclosure, the dispensability rate may be above 90%, desirably the dispensability may be above 97%, and more desirably up to 99.9% dispensability depending on the thickness of the liner wall, and/or the material used for the liner. For example, on pressure dispense tests performed on six 200 L liners of the present disclosure, with a choke-off preventer as described herein, the residual in each liner after pressure dispense was completed was less than 100 ml (0.05%), with the average being about 40 ml (0.02%).
Tests performed comparing one embodiment of a liner of the present disclosure with two other commercial liners (referred to herein as Commercial Liner 1 and Commercial Liner 2) demonstrate the advantages of some embodiments of liners of the present disclosure. A single-ply liner of the present disclosure used in the comparative testing included layers of LLDPE, a tie layer, EVOH, another tie layer, and another LLDEP layer, with a total thickness of approximately 100 μm. This liner will be referred to herein as “NS50.” The two commercial liners tested were each two-ply, three-dimensional liners made by two separate companies. The tests performed and described below include: N2 permeability; particle shedding in deionized (“DI”) water; total organic carbon (“TOC”) in DI water; and trace metal (“TM”) in DI water and 5% nitric acid. The N2 permeability test was performed separately on the single-ply of the NS50, and each of the inner and outer plies of the commercial liners. The analytical tests were performed on pouches made of the single-ply of the NS50 and each of the double-ply commercial liners. Each test performed was carried out substantially identically on each of the samples and/or each of the different films that were tested.
Permeability Testing
For the permeability test, two 4″×4″ film samples were prepared for each of the NS50 and the inner and outer plies of Commercial Liner 1 and Commercial Liner 2. Each of the samples was tested on a Mocon Multi-Tran 400 instrument. The test gas used was N2 with 0% RH. The carrier gas was 100% helium with 0% RH, and the test temperature was 23° C., i.e. room temperature. The N2 transmission rates in cc/(100 in2. day) were recorded, as shown in the table below:
As may be seen from the foregoing results, the NS50 samples had two orders of magnitude lower N2 transmission rate than each of the commercial liner samples.
Particle Testing
The particle testing was carried out using sample 5.5″×11.5″ pouches that were created from each of the NS50, Commercial Liner 1, and Commercial Liner 2. The pouches were each filled with DI water, sealed, and gently rotated to wet all surfaces. Particle concentrations were measured using a Rion KS-16 liquid particle counter. The data is shown in the graph below:
As may be seen from the foregoing results, the NS50 samples, on average, had an order of magnitude less particle shedding than the Commercial Liner 1 samples and four orders of magnitude less particle shedding than the Commercial Liner 2 samples.
TOC Testing
The Total Organic Carbon (“TOC”) testing preparation was carried out in the same manner as the particle testing described above. TOC was measured using a Sievers 900 TOC analyzer at the beginning of the test (T=0) and on the seventh day of the test (T=7). The data is shown in the graph below:
As may be seen from the foregoing results, at T=0, the TOC levels for the NS50 samples were, on average, about the same as the TOC levels for the Commercial Liner 1 samples and about ½ to ⅓ of the TOC levels for the Commercial Liner 2 samples. At T=7, the TOC levels for the NS50 samples were, on average, about ⅖ of the TOC levels for the Commercial Liner 1 samples and about 1/10 of the TOC levels for the Commercial Liner 2 samples.
TM Testing
The trace metal (“TM”) testing preparation was also carried out in the same manner as the particle testing described above. Trace metals were measured using an Agilent 7500 ICP-MS machine at the beginning of the test (T=0), on the seventh day of the test (T=7), and on the thirtieth day of the test (T=30). Trace metal testing was performed in DI water and 5% nitric acid.
TM in DI
The T=0, T=7, and T=30 day data is shown in the graph below:
As may be seen from the foregoing results, trace metal levels in DI for the NS50 and Commercial Liner 1 samples were comparable, but trace metal levels for the Commercial Liner 2 samples were significantly higher.
TM in 5% Nitric Acid
The T=0, T=7, and T=30 day data is shown in the graph below:
As may be seen from the foregoing results, trace metal levels in 5% nitric acid for the NS50 and Commercial Liner 1 samples were comparable, but trace metal levels for the Commercial Liner 2 samples were significantly higher.
As may be seen from the above testing, some embodiments of the present disclosure may have various advantages over other known liners. One advantage, as indicated by the foregoing test results, may include increased ability to maintain purity of the contents of the liner.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure as described herein have been described as not having a dip tube, however it will be recognized that some embodiments of the present disclosure may include a small tube that extends from the fitment and/or connector into the interior of the liner a relatively short distance so that the contents of the liner may be directed out of the fitment of the liner. An apparatus of this type in some cases may be referred to as a “stubby probe,” examples of which are described in detail in U.S. patent application No. 11/915,996, the contents of which were previously incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the liner-based system may include a dip tube. In such embodiments, the hollow dip tube may be integral with, or separate from, the connector of the closure and/or connector assembly. In this regard, the contents within the liner may be received directly from the liner via the dip tube. In some embodiments of a liner that includes the use of a dip tube, the dip tube may also be used to pump dispense the contents within the liner, including by using existing pump dispense systems for dispense.
One embodiment of a dip tube is shown in
The distal portion 3404 at its distal extremity may have a sealing feature in the form of a circumscribing ring protrusion or ridge 3410. The generally cylindrical main portion 3402 of the coupler 3400 may, as illustrated, be formed with conformational features to enable ready gripping of the coupler by an assembler.
Referring now to
Some embodiments of the present disclosure may further include components or methods for further reducing or eliminating choke-off. As stated above, generally speaking, choke-off may be described as what occurs when a liner necks and ultimately collapses on itself, or a structure internal to the liner, to form a choke point disposed above a substantial amount of liquid. 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 examples of components and/or methods for limiting or eliminating choke-off are also described in detail in U.S. patent application No. 61/499,254, which was previously incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In addition, in some embodiments, choke-off may be eliminated or reduced by providing a choke-off preventer as shown in
In another embodiment, as shown in
In another embodiment, as shown in
In yet another embodiment, choke-off may be reduced or prevented by inserting a tube into a liner, wherein the tube may have a plurality of spring members that connect the fitment of the liner to the tube. In some embodiments, the tube may be similar to the tubes shown in
In additional embodiments, the surface of the inner or wetted layer of a liner may be deformed during the liner manufacturing process in order to help prevent liner choke-off. For example, in some embodiments, as may be seen in
In another embodiment, the liner manufacturing machine 420 may include a heated roller 402 that may have surface topography etched onto it such that when the inner layer 406 makes contact with the heated roller 402, the surface of the inner layer 406 may advantageously be deformed into a non-planar surface. While the above specific embodiments have been described in detail, it will be understood that any other suitable method or combination of methods for deforming the inner layer and/or any other layer of the liner of the present disclosure is contemplated.
Another method for preventing choke-off in some embodiments may be seen in
In other embodiments, a strip may be fixedly or detachably attached, or in other embodiments may be integral with a liner, in order to help prevent choke-off. As may be seen in
In some embodiments, the strip 1202 may be sized such that the strip 1202 may be attached, for example, but not limited to, by welding to the top and/or bottom of the liner. For example, the strip 1202 may be welded into the weld lines of the liner at the top and/or bottom of the liner. Examples of such strips according to this embodiment are further disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,596, titled “A Disposable Liquid Containing and Dispensing Package and Method for its Manufacture,” filed Sep. 9, 1997, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety. The strip 1202 may be placed at any suitable position relative to or integral with the liner. For example, in some embodiments, the strip 1202 may be located centrally or off-center. In other embodiments, the strip 1202 may be attached to the liner but may be relatively distant from the liner fitment. Suitable placements for the strip 1202 are further described in detail, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,807, titled “Flexible Container with Evacuation From Insert,” filed Nov. 18, 1998, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,006, titled “Disposable Liquid Containing and Dispensing Package and an Apparatus for its Manufacture,” filed Jun. 2, 1998, each of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety.
In some embodiments, a liner may be made by a process wherein a strip may be advanced by a machine or a person a predetermined length during the manufacturing of the liner, such that a liner may be formed that may include an inserted strip. An example of such a process is described in further detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,438, titled “Method and Apparatus for Manufacturing a Fluid Pouch,” filed Mar. 13, 1998, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In some embodiments, the skirt portion of the liner fitment may also have channels to further reduce choke-off. Examples of such types of channels in the skirt portion are further described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,173, titled “Bib Spout with Evacuation Channels,” filed Oct. 30, 1998, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,357,276, titled “Collapsible Bag for Dispensing Liquids and Methods,” filed Feb. 1, 2005, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Another method for reducing or preventing choke-off may include, in some embodiments, inserting a corrugated rigid insert 1300, as shown in
In other embodiments, choke-off may be prevented by altering the surface structure of the film of the liner. For example,
In still other embodiments, choke-off may be eliminated or reduced by providing a channel insert inside the liner, as shown in
In other embodiments gravity may be used to help dispense the contents of a liner. As shown in
In another embodiment, a liner and overpack system may use a dispense method that includes pumping a liquid that is heavier than the contents of the liner into the area between the overpack and the liner. The buoyancy of the contents of the liner created by the liquid outside of the liner being heavier may lift the liner and collapse the bottom of the liner which may help the dispense process.
In yet another embodiment, as seen in
In another embodiment shown in
In another embodiment shown in
In another embodiment, the surface of the inside of the liner may be comprised of a textured surface 2502 as shown in
In still another embodiment, as shown in
In another embodiment, as shown in
In yet another embodiment, a shape memory polymer may be used to direct liner collapse upon dispense to help prevent choke-off, as may be seen in
In another embodiment, shown in
In another embodiment, shown in
As may be seen in
Accordingly, upon dispense the liner walls may be prevented from collapsing toward one another because the rigidity of the bottom 3206 of the liner 3202 may act as a piston keeping the walls apart.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, persons skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US11/64141 | 12/9/2011 | WO | 00 | 10/18/2013 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61432889 | Jan 2011 | US | |
| 61556943 | Nov 2011 | US | |
| 61422030 | Dec 2010 | US | |
| 61424167 | Dec 2010 | US | |
| 61501925 | Jun 2011 | US |
