DE102023101476B3 - Centrifuge with heating element - Google Patents

Abstract

It is proposed, in a centrifuge (1) with a centrifuge chamber (2), a heating element (3), a blower unit (4) and a feed channel (5), to guide a fluid heated by the heating element (3) by means of the blower unit (4) through the feed channel (5) into the centrifuge chamber (2).

Description

The invention relates to a centrifuge with a centrifuge chamber, a heating element, a blower unit and a feed channel.

Setting a specific temperature in a centrifuge chamber may be necessary, for example, to carry out certain experiments in order to create reproducible ambient conditions. A heating element can usually be installed in the centrifuge chamber for this purpose. In the case of a centrifuge, for example, the rotor can be electrically heated. The temperature can thus be controlled, for example, by heat conduction. This can involve heat conduction from the heating element to the rotor and from the rotor to a sample attached to it or in it. The efficiency of these processes can vary for different rotors and samples. This can reduce the reproducibility of the ambient conditions.

From the US 3 268 078 A A centrifuge is known which comprises a permeable centrifuge drum in a housing, a liquid-solid inlet, a solid outlet, liquid and solid collection chambers, duct means, a fan, a heat exchanger, sealing means, control means and a liquid separator.

From the US 3 553 014 A A continuous centrifuge device for producing sugar from A, B or similar massecuite is known, consisting of a rotating conical sieve basket, a housing with an upwardly open collecting space for flying sugar particles, as well as a fan and air passage for maintaining a downwardly directed, swirling air zone above the flying sugar particles.

From the DE 23 27 678 A A device for regulating the temperature of a reaction chamber is known, which comprises a heating device, heat transfer devices, temperature sensors, controlling devices and speed measuring devices.

From the DE 19 18 688 U An electric motor-driven spin dryer with an electrically heated drying device is known.

Against this background, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved centrifuge.

To achieve this object, the features of claim 1 are provided according to the invention. In particular, to achieve the above-mentioned object in a centrifuge of the type described above, it is proposed according to the invention that a fluid heated by the heating element can be guided by means of the blower unit through the feed channel into the centrifuge chamber.

The fluid can preferably be air. The feed channel can be designed as an air supply channel. The centrifuge chamber can thus be tempered using an air flow, for example. This enables the air in the centrifuge chamber and thus, for example, the samples to be treated to heat up quickly. The samples do not have to be tempered using a heatable rotor, for example. The dependence of the tempering process on components and/or sample vessels present in the centrifuge chamber, for example, can be reduced. It is also easier to achieve a uniform heat distribution across the samples.

In an advantageous embodiment, it can be provided that the heating element is spaced from the centrifuge chamber.

Thus, heat conduction from the heating element to the centrifuge chamber is reduced and/or avoided.

In an advantageous embodiment, it can be provided that a thermocouple is formed on the centrifuge.

This allows the temperature in the centrifuge chamber to be recorded. For example, the temperature can also be recorded to meet quality assurance aspects.

In an advantageous embodiment, it can be provided that the heating element and the thermocouple are coupled to one another by a control circuit.

This means that the heating element can be controlled depending on the temperature detected. The control of the heating element can, for example, depend on the difference between the currently detected temperature and the target temperature. Certain rates of change of the temperature in the centrifuge chamber could also be realized.

In an advantageous embodiment, it can be provided that a discharge channel is formed which connects the centrifuge chamber with the heating element and/or the blower unit.

The discharge channel can be designed as an exhaust air channel. This allows already heated fluid, such as air, to be fed back from the centrifuge chamber to the heating element. By reusing the fluid, the energy consumption of the centrifuge can be reduced.

Alternatively and/or additionally, it can be provided that the centrifuge is only connected to the outside with the centrifuge chamber.

This means that only reused fluid from the centrifuge chamber can be heated further. The energy consumption of the centrifuge can thus be reduced even further.

According to the invention, a closure element is formed which closes the feed channel from the centrifuge chamber. In an advantageous embodiment, it can be provided that the closure element or a further closure element closes the discharge channel from the centrifuge chamber.

This allows the centrifuge chamber to be separated from the heating element and/or the blower unit. For example, when loading and unloading the centrifuge chamber, the risk of contamination of the centrifuge and/or the heating element and/or the blower unit can be reduced and/or eliminated.

In an advantageous embodiment, it can be provided that a bypass allows the fluid to flow past the heating element and/or the blower unit.

This ensures unhindered flow of the fluid within the centrifuge chamber even when the supply and/or discharge channel is closed.

In an advantageous embodiment, it can be provided that the heating element and/or the blower unit are arranged in a secondary channel. This secondary channel can be connected and/or connectable to the supply channel and/or the discharge channel.

This means that even if the connection between the secondary channel and the centrifuge chamber is interrupted, a fluid flow can be enabled between the heating element and the blower unit. This is a fluidic connection between the channels.

In an advantageous embodiment, a guide device can be provided at an intersection point of the secondary channel, supply channel and/or discharge channel, by means of which four channel ends can be connected in pairs in at least two different ways. The guide device is preferably rotatable.

The guide device can, for example, comprise an arrangement of pivotable, rotatable or displaceable guide walls, in particular flaps or sliders, or tubes, in order to guide or form a flow path.

In this way, two fluid circuits can be created, whereby the fluid can flow, for example, through a channel from the blower unit to the heating element and then optionally completely or partially through the centrifuge chamber or past it back to the blower unit. The fluidic connection between the channels can be interrupted by means of the guide device, whereby this can be a complete interruption of the fluid flow and/or an almost complete interruption of the fluid flow.

In an advantageous embodiment, it can be provided that a channel end of the secondary channel can be connected to a channel end of the supply channel and/or a channel end of the discharge channel by means of the or a guide device. Alternatively or additionally, it can be provided that a channel end of the secondary channel can be connected to the other channel end of the secondary channel.

This makes it possible to establish a connection between the secondary channel and the centrifuge chamber. The secondary channel can also be short-circuited. These connections can, for example, be made at a specific position of the guide device. This makes it possible to temper a volume of fluid in the secondary channel when it is short-circuited while the centrifuge chamber is being filled, so that after the fluidic connection between the secondary channel and the centrifuge chamber is restored, the volume of fluid flowing in the centrifuge 1 can be tempered more quickly. In this case, a partial volume of fluid is already pre-tempered.

The invention will now be described in more detail using several embodiments, but is not limited to the embodiments. Further embodiments arise by combining the features of individual or multiple claims with one another and/or with individual or multiple features of the embodiments.

• 1 eine erfindungsgemäße Zentrifuge in einer schematischen Darstellung in einer Draufsicht,
• 2 eine weitere erfindungsgemäße Zentrifuge mit einem Nebenkanal und einem ersten aktiven Strömungsweg,
• 3 die Zentrifuge aus 2 mit einem zweiten aktiven Strömungsweg.

Show it:

• 1 a centrifuge according to the invention in a schematic representation in a plan view,
• 2 another centrifuge according to the invention with a secondary channel and a first active flow path,
• 3 the centrifuge from 2 with a second active flow path.

1 shows a centrifuge 1 according to the invention with a centrifuge chamber 2, a heating element 3, a blower unit 4 and a feed channel 5. In the centrifuge chamber 2 there is a rotor 6 which is rotatably mounted at its center point 7. The heating element 3 is designed to heat a fluid, for example air. The blower unit 4 is designed to guide the fluid through the feed channel 5 into the centrifuge chamber 2. The blower unit 4 can also be a fan, a compressor or another element designed to move a fluid. The heating element 3 and blower unit 4 can be arranged such that the fluid is guided from the blower unit 4 first to the heating element 3 and then into the centrifuge chamber 2. The heating element 3 and blower unit 4 can also be arranged such that the fluid first passes through the heating element 3 and then the blower unit 4.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the heating element 3 is also arranged at a distance from the centrifuge chamber 2. A thermocouple 8 is also formed. In the exemplary embodiment, the thermocouple 8 is formed on the centrifuge chamber 2 in order to measure the temperature there. The thermocouple 8 can, however, also be formed at another point on the centrifuge 1. Furthermore, the heating element 3 and the thermocouple 8 are coupled to one another via a control circuit 9.

A discharge channel 10 is formed on the centrifuge 1, which connects the centrifuge chamber 2 with the blower unit 4. In the exemplary embodiment, the feed channel 5 and the discharge channel 10 form a circuit from the centrifuge chamber 2 via the blower unit 4 and the heating element 3 back into the centrifuge chamber 2. The heating element 3 is thus only connected to the outside with the centrifuge chamber 2. The end and start of the discharge channel 10 and the feed channel 5 can be determined, for example, by the position of the heating element 3 or the blower unit 4.

Furthermore, a closure element can be formed on the centrifuge 1, which can close the feed channel 5 and/or the discharge channel 10 from the centrifuge chamber 2. A bypass 12 enables a flow 13 of the fluid past the heating element 3 and the blower unit 4.

2 shows a further centrifuge 1 according to the invention with a secondary channel 14 and a first active flow path 21. In this embodiment, the heating element 3 and the blower unit 4 are arranged in a secondary channel 14 which can be connected to the feed channel 5 and the discharge channel 10 at an intersection point 15. In this case, a first channel end 17 of the secondary channel 14 is formed adjacent to a channel end 19 of the feed channel 5 and a second channel end 18 of the secondary channel 14 is formed adjacent to a channel end 20 of the discharge channel 10. More precisely, the structural connection of these channels to one another is established at the intersection point 15, but the fluidic connection is at least largely interrupted by a rotatable guide device 16, here as a rotatable flap. In further embodiments, the guide device can also have an arrangement of pivotable, rotatable or displaceable guide walls or tubes in order to guide or form a flow path.

By means of the guide device 16, four channel ends 17, 18, 19, 20 can be connected in pairs in at least two different ways. One way is the 2 shown, the other is the one in 3 shown. In 2 In the embodiment shown, the secondary channel 14 is short-circuited, the channel end 17 of the secondary channel 14 is connected to the channel end 18 of the secondary channel 14, and the fluid flows from the blower unit 4 to the heating element 3 and further back to the blower unit 4. This is the first flow path 21, which is active in the position of the guide device 16 shown and is shown schematically with arrows, which indicates the direction of movement of the fluid inside the secondary channel 14.

3 shows the centrifuge 1 from 2 , wherein the guide device 16 is positioned such that the channel end 17 of the secondary channel 14 is fluidically connected to the channel end 19 of the feed channel 5 and the channel end 18 of the secondary channel 14 is fluidically connected to the channel end 20 of the discharge channel 10. The second flow path 22, which is shown schematically with arrows, is thus active, wherein the fluid flows from the blower unit 4 to the heating element 3, via the intersection point 15 into the feed channel 5 and the centrifuge chamber 2, and from there via the discharge channel 10 and the intersection point 15 to the blower unit 4. Due to the position of the guide device 16, there is no or only a slight fluidic exchange between the fluid flowing via the intersection point 15 in the direction of the feed channel 5 and the fluid flowing via the intersection point 15 in the direction of the secondary channel 14. The extent of the fluid exchange depends on the tightness of the guide device 16, which can be fluid-tight on its outer sides with the crossing point 15, or has tolerances which are selected such that the function of the secondary channel 14 is practically not impaired depending on the position of the guide device 16.

It is thus proposed, in a centrifuge 1 with a centrifuge chamber 2, a heating element 3, a blower unit 4 and a feed channel 5, to guide a fluid heated by the heating element 3 by means of the blower unit 4 through the feed channel 5 into the centrifuge chamber 2.

List of reference symbols

1

centrifuge

2

Centrifuge chamber

3

Heating element

4

Blower unit

5

Feed channel

6

rotor

7

Focus

8th

Thermocouple

9

Control circuit

10

Discharge channel

12

bypass

13

flow

14

Secondary channel

15

Crossing point

16

Guiding device, flap

17

Channel end

18

Channel end

19

Channel end

20

Channel end

21

first flow path

22

second flow path

Claims (10)

Centrifuge (1) with a centrifuge chamber (2), a heating element (3), a blower unit (4) and a feed channel (5), wherein a fluid, in particular air, heated by the heating element (3) can be guided by means of the blower unit (4) through the feed channel (5) into the centrifuge chamber (2), characterized in that a closure element is formed which closes the feed channel (5) from the centrifuge chamber (2). Centrifuge (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the heating element (3) is spaced from the centrifuge chamber (2). Centrifuge (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a thermocouple (8) is formed on the centrifuge (1). Centrifuge (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heating element (3) and the thermocouple (8) are coupled to one another by a control circuit (9). Centrifuge (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a discharge channel (10) is formed which connects the centrifuge chamber (2) with the heating element (3) and/or the blower unit (4), in particular wherein the heating element (3) is connected to the outside only with the centrifuge chamber (2). Centrifuge (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that a closure element is formed which closes the discharge channel (10) with respect to the centrifuge chamber (2). Centrifuge (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a bypass (12) enables a flow (13) of the fluid past the heating element (3) and/or the blower unit (4). Centrifuge (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heating element (3) and/or the blower unit (4) are arranged in a secondary channel (14) which is and/or can be connected to the feed channel (5) and/or the discharge channel (10). Centrifuge (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a preferably rotatable guide device (16), in particular a flap, is provided at an intersection point (15) of the secondary channel (14), the feed channel (5) and/or the discharge channel (10), by means of which four channel ends (17, 18, 19, 20) can be connected in pairs in at least two different ways. Centrifuge (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a channel end (17, 18) of the secondary channel (14) can be connected by means of the or a guide device (16) to a channel end (19) of the feed channel (5) and/or a channel end (20) of the discharge channel (10) and/or to the respective other channel end (17, 18) of the secondary channel (14).

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