Patent Application
20100176132
The present invention relates to sealed ports for providing access to vessels.
In certain industries, production processes and testing are carried out inside sealed vessels. The vessels may be held under specific pressure or temperature, or may contain a specific gas, liquid or solid. For example, a process may occur at an elevated or reduced temperature, at an elevated or reduced pressure and/or in the presence of an ambient gas. In some cases the contents inside the vessel may be delicate or sensitive and cannot be subject to contact with particles in the ambient environment. On the other hand, contents inside the vessel may be hazardous and must be contained within the vessel. Nonetheless, in some instances, access of the contents of the vessel may be necessary during the process or testing. Accordingly, a wall of the vessel may include an opening allowing access to the inside during the process or testing.
In many instances the opening to a vessel is a complex valve that prevents leakage from or into the vessel. Many valves include intricate parts and small crevices, such as threading, which gather material during a process or testing. Frequently, despite best efforts, the material is not entirely removed from these parts or crevices. As a result, such parts and crevices become contamination sites. A small contamination site holding material from a prior process or test in the vessel can jeopardize the next test or process entirely. Accordingly, it is desirable that an opening into a vessel be limited in its number of potential contamination sites.
The present invention provides a port and closure device for a vessel that is configured for use with a glove bag. The port comprising includes a first annular flange with an opening, a second annular flange disposed a predetermined distance from the first flange and also having an opening, and a seal ring disposed adjacent the first annular flange and having an additional opening. At least a portion of the openings are aligned so that a path is provided through the flanges and the seal ring. A slideable door is included in the port between the seal ring and the second annular flange. The slideable door has a first position that obstructs the path and a second position that is outside of the path. Springs are disposed between the first flange and the seal ring that urge the seal ring toward the slideable door. To reduce contamination sites, the springs may be sealed within an annular interface between the first annular flange and the seal ring. Alternatively, or in addition, a funnel pipe may be used with the port disposed in the openings of the first and second flange and the seal ring. The port may also include an adapter configured to hold a glove bag thereon.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in the following with respect to the drawings, in which:
The base ring 2 is secured to the outer flange 6 using a series of studs 20 that are held in place with nuts 22. Alternatively, other attachment devices may be used to fix the base ring 2 or inner flange with respect to the outer flange 6, for example bolts. In the illustrated embodiment, spacers 24 are included surrounding the studs 20 to hold the second flange 6 at the predetermined distance from the base ring 2. Alternatively, the spacer 24 could be integrally connected with the stud 20. The studs 20 are disposed around only a portion of the base ring 2 and outer flange 6 at spaced intervals. Accordingly, a slot 28 between the studs 20 allows the slideable door 8 to be moved into and out of the first position, thereby preventing and providing access to the vessel, respectively.
The base ring 2 is secured to vessel 4 using a series of additional studs to attach the base ring 2 directly to the vessel. Alternatively, the studs 20, which secure the outer flange 6 to the base ring 2, may extend through a flange 5 of the vessel, as shown in
A number of seals are included in the port closure device 1 to ensure that the cross-contamination between the contents of the vessel and surrounding environment does not occur. The base ring 2 is fixed in position on the vessel and, accordingly, the connection between the base ring 2 and the vessel 4 can be permanently sealed. An annular seal 30, such as an O-ring, is included between seal ring 16 and the base ring 2. Because the seal ring 16 is configured to move along the axis 31 of the port closure, the annular seal 30 is disposed between axially extending walls of the base ring 2 and seal ring 16. In other words, the base ring 2 includes a circumferential inner-facing seal wall 32 that is parallel to the axis 31 of the port closure, the seal ring 16 includes an outer-facing seal wall 34 that is also parallel to the axis 31 of the port closure, and the annular seal 30 is placed between the inner-facing seal wall 32 and outer-facing seal wall 34. As a result, the seal ring 16 can make slight adjustments along the port closure axis with the annular seal 30 remaining effective as the seal ring 16 moves.
Another seal 36, such as an O-ring, can be included between the seal ring 16 and the slideable door 8. This door seal 36 prevents contamination across the connection between these pieces. Both the door seal 36, the annular seal 30 and other seals described below may take on a variety of forms. In one embodiment, the seals may be in the form of an O-ring fixed in a groove in an adjacent element. Alternatively, the seal can be formed by a rubber or plastic band, epoxy fixed to an adjacent element or other methods used for sealing adjacent members. In addition, the port closure can include more than one type of seal.
If the slideable door 8 includes wall 14, as shown in
The annular seal 30 is disposed on an interior side of spring 18 with respect the contents of the vessel. In other words the annular seal 30 is disposed between the interior of the vessel and spring 18. Accordingly, annular seal 30 will prevent the contents of vessel 4 from coming into contact with spring 18. Because spring 18 is subject to having small intricate parts and crevices, such as threads, it may serve as a collection sight for contaminating material. Having the annular seal 30 be on the interior side of spring 18 relative to the vessel interior prevents the spring 18 from becoming a contamination sight.
The port closure device 1 can include an adapter 40 disposed around base ring 2 to hold an accessory or module providing additional function. For example, the adapter 40 may be in the form of a ring configured to receive a glove bag 42, as shown in
The addition of a glove bag 42 to the port closure device 1 allows the vessel 4 to be accessed without introducing the contents of the vessel to the surrounding environment or, on the other hand, subjecting the contents of the vessel to the conditions of the surrounding environment. At least a portion of the glove bag 42 may be transparent so that a user can see the contents within the vessel while using the glove bag 42. The glove bag 42 can be formed of a single material, for example a transparent plastic. Alternatively, the glove portions 46 of glove bag 42 may be formed of a different material than the bag portion. In such a case, the glove portions 46 can be integrally formed with the bag portion, can be adhesively attached to the bag portion or can be attached to the bag portion using a mechanical attachment device, such as clamps. The shown glove bag 42 includes glove portions 46, as discussed above, that are in the shape of a hand, allowing a user to easily manipulate the contents of the vessel. However, the glove bag 42 could be flexible enough that a user could manipulate the contents of the vessel through any portion of the bag, such that the glove bag 42 needs no predefined glove portions.
If the contents of the vessel and the conditions of the vessel so require, the glove bag 42 can be attached to the port closure device 1 in a manner to minimize cross contamination between the vessel and the surrounding environment and maximize safety. Prior to opening the closure, the outside of the port closure device 1 and the inside of the glove bag 42 may each be sterilized. If the vessel is under pressure or vacuum, it may be returned to ambient pressure before opening the closure. The glove bag 42 can be placed on the adapter 40 either before or after adjusting the vessel pressure. The pressure of the vessel can be adjusted through a portal in the port closure device 1 itself or through a separate opening in the vessel. As an additional safety precaution, the port closure device 1 may be configured such that it is not easy to open when there is a pressure differential between the inside of the vessel and the surrounding environment. This provides a distinct advantage over other vessel openings, which typically may be opened regardless of a pressure differential between the vessel and the surrounding environment, because the glove bag 42 is susceptible to damage if opened while the vessel is under pressure. Further, any damage of the glove bag could result in contamination of the vessel contents, thereby rendering the glove bag useless.
Depending on the force exerted by the spring plungers 18, the configuration shown in
Use of glove bag 42 allows a controlled environment in the vessel 4 to be extended to an area outside the port closure device 1, i.e. within the glove bag 42. It is foreseeable that users will want to use the glove bag 42 over an extended period of time. Therefore, the outside of the port closure device 1, shown in
The slideable door 8 is pivotable about a hinge so as to move between the first position and the second position. A handle 66 is provided so that a user can easily move the slideable door 8. In the illustrated embodiment, the hinge 64 is integrally formed as one of the spacers 24. As shown, the slideable door 8 is fixedly attached to the spacer 24 which is rotatable about the stud 20 which it surrounds. Accordingly, the slideable door rotates into and out of the first and second positions. It is sensible that this spacer 24, acting as a hinge 64, would be provided on an outer stud 62 of the plurality of studs, as shown in
If the slideable door 8 has a transparent section, or a wall 14 that is entirely transparent, it may be advantageous if the seal ring 16 includes a spray ring. The spray ring can be in the form of one or more nozzles disposed on an inner annular wall 74 of the seal ring 16 and configured to spray a jet of fluid toward the transparent portion of slideable door 8 when activated. The spray ring provides an easy method of cleaning the transparent portion of the slideable door 8 without having to open the port closure device 1.
To provide easy access to the vessel 4 when the port closure device 1 is open, the openings 10, 12 and 26 can be substantially aligned. Moreover each of the three openings 10, 12 and 26 can be surrounded by radially inner-facing annular walls 70, 72, 74, respectively, that are of substantially the same diameter. Thus, when the port closure device 1 is open, the three radially inner-facing annular walls 70, 72 and 74 form a seemingly uniform radially inner-facing surface through which a user can access the contents of the vessel. In the embodiment shown in
To provide an even more uniform surface around the openings 10, 12 and 26, a funnel pipe 82 may be inserted into the port closure device 1 when it is open, as shown in the embodiment in
In some cases, the contents within the vessel may be very chemically reactive. To address this, the inside of vessels are frequently made of or coated with a specific material that is appropriate for the contents of the vessel. These materials can be very expensive. In order to reduce costs, the elements of the port closure device 1 of the present invention can be made of two different materials. For example, the base ring 2 and the seal ring 16 can each have radially inner portions formed of a first material that is appropriate for contacting the contents of the vessel and radially outer portions that are made from a more common second material.
The foregoing description of exemplary embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Reference is made to the appended claim list.
