FI57850C - FOERFARANDE OCH ANORDNING FOER HANTERING AV VAETSKESATSER - Google Patents

Description

FuS ^ l ΓΒΐ m ^ NEW PUBLICATION rnqr Π JBTa lbj '11' utlAggningsskrift 5 785 0 C «5» Patent granted 10 LO 1030 A 'Patent medoeLat ^ ^ (S1) K »»! K? /Lnt.a.3 β 05 D 7/00 FINLAND — FINLAND (21) f «^ ttn» k * nw ~ PK # m »wak« h »f 7Θ1090 (22) H« kwntoplM — AMBknlni ^ H lO.OU.78 ** * ( 23) Aikupllvft — GlWgit «tsdag 10. OU. 78 (41) Interpreters julkMcsl - Blhrlt offtncllg 11.10.79

Pentti. J * r * kf «t * Rih» IHtu * NihtMta., ™ »|. ku-Muikrtun pvm.- p> t * nt- och ragtftantyPBlMn v 'AmMcu utlicd oeh utUkrtfUn publie * r * d 30.06.80 (32) (33) (31) «cuolkuu» —Bujtrd prtorlm (71) (72) Niilo The present invention relates to a method for handling liquid batches in which storage is carried out and to the storage of liquid batches. - or in a system of treatment rooms and connecting lines, where the line between the two spaces is provided with at least one tap connected to the condenser, at which the liquid can be frozen so that the line closes, and where a batch of liquid is transferred from one of the systems arranging the taps in the liquid flow path so that the liquid is directed into said space by pushing the pressure difference, and closing the liquid batch in said space is carried out by freezing the cord taps closed.

The storage of a batch of liquid in a closed storage space takes place by closing the lines connected to the space by means of valves, taps, etc., closing members. Such closures may be manual or mechanically operated and include moving parts that block the fluid flow path. However, the disadvantage of using taps with moving parts is that the gaps between the parts cause tightness. In addition, the liquid penetrating the slits makes it difficult to keep the faucet clean, which is especially important when different liquids are passed through each other via the 2 57850 taps.

In addition to the mechanical taps mentioned, the liquid transfer line can also be closed by cooling it so that the liquid inside the line freezes. The tap is then formed by a point in the line which is in communication with a condenser at which the temperature of the line can be brought into question. below the freezing point of the liquid. However, in the known solutions, such a faucet does not allow for quick adjustment measures, since the closing of the faucet is slow and no attention has been paid to its opening.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method for treating liquid batches based on the use of said freeze-sealed taps, in which the above-mentioned disadvantages are avoided. The invention is characterized in that the treatment is performed in a system in which the faucets are provided with separate electric heating means so that the faucet temperature is maintained above the freezing point of the liquid to be treated when the cooler is operating, and the treatment functions are provided by electric control of the faucet heaters. The handling of the liquid can thus take place in a system which does not include any mechanical moving parts. Controlling a batch of liquid to one of the states of the system is based on keeping the taps in the liquid passage path open by heat, with any branch lines leading to other states being frozen, whereby the pressure difference pushes the liquid into the desired state. The space is closed simply by switching off the heating, after which the taps are frozen by the liquid itself.

If the tap point is very narrow, it can be pre-cooled below the freezing point of the liquid, whereby the line is open to the gas flow but closes immediately when the liquid reaches the tap. To open the closed line, heat the faucet so that the ice at it is melted.

The taps used in the method according to the invention have the same function as conventional mechanical taps but, as can be seen from the above, their mode of operation is decisively different.

By establishing the operation of the taps for continuous cooling and independent electric heating, it is achieved that the handling of liquids can be controlled by electrical control signals and the operation of the system can thus be automated. An advantage over the prior art is that the frozen taps are absolutely tight and leak-proof, and the mobile *

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C · f O J u and the associated narrow slits and cavities are absent, nor is cleaning the wires difficult.

The invention also relates to an apparatus for carrying out the above-mentioned method. This hardware includes uniform, storage! a system of treatment spaces and connecting lines, wherein the line between the two spaces is provided with at least one faucet connected to the condenser at which the liquid can be frozen so that the line closes. Essentially new in the present invention is a resistance heater connected to the faucet, by means of which the temperature of the faucet can be kept above the freezing point of the liquid to be treated when the cooler is in operation, the operation of the faucet being adjustable by an electric current.

To monitor changes in the operating modes of the faucets, each faucet can be equipped with a sensor element. As such a sensor element, it is possible to use, for example, a thermistor resistor, which gives a signal when the tap freezes. On the other hand, it is possible to take advantage of the thermistor property of the electric resistor used to heat the faucet by monitoring the change in resistance by means of a low voltage which has no significant effect on the temperature of the faucet itself.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the apparatus comprises at least one cellular unit consisting of storage or handling spaces, the spaces being connected in parallel by connecting them to a common main line and each connecting line having a temperature adjustable faucet for opening and closing the space. Such, the unit is especially suitable for storing liquid batches. Since the faucets which can be closed by freezing can be very small in the absence of moving parts, the apparatus is particularly suitable for handling small batches of liquid, and said units can be formed into compact cells, which may include very large numbers of small, equal storage spaces.

The apparatus can thus comprise a large sample register from which any batch of liquid can be processed if desired. The units consisting of the storage spaces can be constructed, for example, from a metal body in the shape of a rectangular triangle, which contains both the storage spaces and the main and connecting lines belonging to them. It is advantageous to provide the unit with two main lines, whereby any of the storage spaces can be filled or emptied by means of a pressure difference arranged between the main lines.

Another preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the taps in the connecting lines connected to the main line of the cellular unit are formed by using plate-like matrices with 4,57850 electrical resistors. Since a single matrix may include a number of resistors, it is possible to form the taps of all the parallel connecting lines belonging to the unit by means of a single heating element. This substantially simplifies the structure of equipment in particular, which includes a very large number of storage spaces.

The taps in the connecting lines connected to the same main line of the cellular unit can be realized so that the connecting lines pass through a flat surface, whereby the taps can be formed by placing a plate-like matrix containing resistors against said surface so that liquid can flow between the resistors in the surface. The bottom of the matrix is in turn connected to a condenser which can be kept below the freezing point of the liquid to be treated continuously. When the matrix is placed against said flat surface, tap points are formed at the resistors, while the spaces between the resistors are permanently frozen. When the cell-like unit consists of a rectangular rectangular metal body, the connecting wires running inside the body can otherwise be brought to the surface of the body so that the wire openings can be covered by a single matrix. The resistors in the matrix then form the necessary flow channels on the surface of the body, connecting the openings of the wires, which can be kept open by the electric current flowing through the resistor. Permanently frozen areas, in turn, effectively isolate the flow channels belonging to the different interconnectors.

The invention can be further applied in that the apparatus comprises at least one dosing unit located between two main lines, with parallel spaces with taped connecting lines, which are different from each other for the dosing of liquid. The apparatus can thus dispense the liquid by moving a batch of liquid down the main line to one of said different spaces in which the liquid is enclosed. These operations can be performed as described above without moving parts, e.g. relying on electrical control alone.

The dosing possibilities of the equipment are substantially increased if the dosing unit comprises several systems formed by parallel and different spaces, which are connected in series, and if at least one of the main lines of the dosing unit is divided into parts by means of taps. Said systems formed by parallel spaces can then be constructed in such a way that

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that they represent different orders of magnitude, i.e., the minimum state of the previous system is greater than the maximum state of the next system, or vice versa. Said previous mode is then used for coarse dosing and the next system for refining the dosing. The desired amount of liquid can thus be dispensed by selecting a suitable combination from successive spaces in different systems, which is filled with liquid while the other spaces in the dosing unit are closed. If small parts separated from the main line by means of taps are still included in the selected space combination, very high accuracy can be achieved in dosing.

Since the dispensing targets are usually batches of liquid stored in the storage compartments, it is suitable to place the dispensing unit next to the storage compartment or the storage unit consisting of the storage compartments so that they have a common main line. The distance between the storage space and the dosing unit «τ 'is then as short as possible.

With the apparatus according to the invention, it is further possible to combine different batches of liquid with one another in the desired ratio. This is most preferably accomplished in that the apparatus comprises at least two combinations of storage spaces and dosing units and a mixing space into which the dispensed liquid batches can be led. The mixture of liquids can be further diluted to the desired concentration by introducing a diluent into the mixing space so that the space is filled. When the same lines are used to transfer the dispensed batches of liquid and the diluent, the diluent simultaneously flushes the lines and dosing units. With this in mind, it is advantageous to connect said combinations in series so that the dosing unit closer to the mixing space can be flushed further away from the mixing space by means of a batch of liquid dispensed. The diluent is then finally passed through both dosing units to the mixing space. Thanks to the arrangement, the number of actual rinsing steps is limited to one and the dispensed liquid batches are completely transferred to the mixing space.

If the apparatus includes incubation facilities in addition to the mixing space, it can also be used to carry out reactions between the mixed liquids. The incubation rooms can be arranged in parallel as a cellular unit corresponding in structure to the above-mentioned cellular storage units. Thus, in the case of incubation spaces, similar plate-like matrices can be used to form taps in the connecting line.

6 57850

In order to be able to observe reactions in incubation rooms, the equipment must have a separate detection room located as close as possible to the incubation rooms. The detection space can be very small in volume, with the amount of liquid transferred from the incubation space to the detection space being only a fraction of the total volume of the reactive liquid mixture in the incubation space. In this case, it is advantageous to proceed in such a way that the liquid batch is removed from the detection space immediately after the measurement has taken place and a new liquid sample is taken from the incubation space for the next measurement after a certain time interval. Furthermore, since the detection space is easily flushable, the progress of a number of different reactions can be monitored simultaneously by a single detection space. As a result, the apparatus may comprise several storage and dispensing units, agitators and incubation units requiring only one detection space. When the taps included in such an analysis equipment can be controlled electronically by means of a computer, the operation of the equipment can be automated.

The apparatus according to the invention is particularly suitable for performing wet chemical analysis with small batches of liquids and the invention can be applied in particular in clinical chemistry. In clinical analyzes, one or more components are prescribed from a large number of similar liquid samples, and in addition, the results are often repeated and checked, as well as other additional determinations. The determination of each component includes a number of storage, dosing, combining, mixing and separating functions for batches of liquids, more generally logical functions for liquids with a very high need for automation.

In current analyzers, direct electronic control cannot be applied to the handling of separate batches of fluid, mainly due to solenoid valves with high dead volumes and unit costs. In contrast, current microcomputers would not pose barriers to programming processing even at the complex level at which an analytical or clinical chemist can operate by manual methods. Thus, the quantitative and logical functions on the fluid batches are performed mainly mechanically, either by continuously moving the fluids in parallel ducts and connecting them to each other via T-pieces, i.e. without moving mechanical logic elements, or by mechanically moving separate or interconnected vessels.

. 7 57850 separate pipettes transfer liquids by air.

With the help of said mechanical logic functions, only the most important, most frequent steps of liquid handling can be carried out, usually still in rigid order. However, such a separate system is considerably more flexible in terms of program and programming than said continuous flow system, in which liquids are transferred in parallel ductwork. The time relationships of the functions as well as the sizes of the liquid batches and their interrelationships can be changed at least to some extent and new combinations can be formed.

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In a stand-alone system, many mechanical functions cause reliability and accuracy problems and many trade-offs that affect the quality of the analysis. In addition, eg disposable stand-alone products increase operating costs. In the continuous flow system, on the other hand, the problem is the high consumption of reagents and the errors caused by the residues of the previous liquid batches in the handling of subsequent liquid batches. Correcting errors requires very standard operating conditions and considerable computer capacity to succeed. Substantial, reprogramming without structural changes is not possible, although on the other hand the operating logic formed by a unified channel system and a continuous flow is known for its operational reliability. It should also be mentioned that both systems are serial in nature, i.e. the events rigidly follow each other in a predetermined order. Parallel cases are only achieved by connecting several serial systems in parallel, increasing the size of the system without increasing flexibility.

Detectors included in the analyzers, such as commonly used optical detectors, can theoretically operate at very small volumes of liquid, and due to both reagent consumption and limited sample material, it would be advantageous to minimize the amount of liquid required. For example, in clinical chemistry, where the usual sample material is blood, »the same sample has to be performed - numerous different tests have to be performed. However, the accuracy of current dosing and handling systems generally does not allow the use of liquids below the microliter size range.

Strictly speaking, current automated analyzers cannot be considered 57850 β automated, but only mechanized, as the feedback, self-checking, or self-correction typical of automation cannot usually be performed. These shortcomings are due to the limitations of fluid handling systems. For the same reason, for example, detectors cannot be used effectively, because in order to minimize liquid functions, the sample charges the detector even when the measurement is not performed. The biggest, though perhaps not widely perceived, shortcoming in current fluid handling systems is the lack of a storage handling system that, at the cutting edge of logic technology, modern computers are matched by RAM '(Random Access Memory).

In the analyzer implemented according to the present invention, the above-mentioned drawbacks do not occur. This is based on the fact that fluid batches are moved by the pressure difference alone without moving mechanical parts. The transfer and handling of liquids is controlled electronically and the liquid functions and the functional status of each tap are also monitored electronically. The analyzer can thus be controlled by a computer, in which case the storage, dosing, etc. processing steps take place automatically. In addition, the analyzer can be continuously programmed, re-controlled and remotely controlled. The absence of moving parts increases the reliability of the analyzer and lowers its production costs. Because the liquid batches to be treated can be very small, the time use of the detector is made efficient. For the same reason, a sample register of storage facilities can be formed, which can contain up to hundreds of thousands of samples taken from patients. When the samples are water-based and their freezing points are very close to each other, the operation of the taps is easy to control and there is no obstacle to connecting them to the same cooling system, if this is otherwise possible due to the design of the analyzer. The desired sample can be transferred from the register to processing _ automatically and, if necessary, the results can be easily and quickly controlled by repeating the determination.

The invention will now be described in detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Figure 1 shows a unit consisting of storage spaces.

Figure 2 shows a top view of the unit of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a section III-III of Figure 2, 9,57850

Figure 4 shows a section IV-IV of Figure 2,

Figure 5 shows a plate-like matrix with electrical resistors.

Fig. 6 shows a section according to Fig. 4 of a part of a unit formed by storage spaces, against the surface of which the matrix according to Fig. 5 is placed.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view of an analyzer according to the invention, consisting of spaces and taped lines connecting them, and

Figure 6 is a diagram of performing an RIA determination with an apparatus according to the invention.

Figure 1 shows a body 1 in the shape of a rectangular triangle, which forms a honeycomb unit comprising storage spaces 2.

The storage spaces 2 belonging to the unit are connected in parallel between two main lines by connecting them at both ends via taped connecting lines to said main lines. The ends of the storage spaces 2 are located on the side 3 of the rectangular body 1 and the main wires of the spaces are inserted into the body through the adjacent side 4, the ends of the wires 5, 6 being visible in Fig. 1.

The structure of the body 1 according to Figure 1 will be explained in more detail in Figures 2-4. The storage spaces 2 are cylindrical and extend from the side _ 3 of the body 1 to the opposite side 7. The main wires of the rooms run mainly inside the body 1 near and parallel to the sides 3 and 7.

These parts parallel to said sides are indicated in the drawings by reference numerals Θ and 9. At the ends of the sections Θ and 9, the main wires turn parallel to the storage spaces 2 and rise to the surface of the body on pages 3 and 7. The main wire openings on side 3 are indicated by reference numerals 10 and 11. 13 further mark the openings which communicate via the channels 14 and 15 to the main line entry points 5 on the side 4 of the body. Bringing the second main line to the side 7 of the body and connecting it to the inlet points 6 is carried out exactly accordingly. Each of the four cylindrical container spaces 2 is connected at each end via a connecting line 16, 17 to a corresponding main line 8, 9 running inside the body. Each connecting line 16, 17 runs a short distance up to the surface of the body 1 and the connecting lines on page 3 include openings 10 57850. marked with reference numbers 1Θ and 19.

The body 1 according to Figures 1-4 as such cannot yet function as a unit for storing liquid batches. Thus, the ends of the storage spaces 2 opening to the sides 3 and 7 must be tightly closed so that the spaces are only connected to the outside of the body 1 by means of their narrow connecting and main lines. In addition, each of the connecting lines 16, 17 must be provided with a tap between the storage space and the main line, by means of which the storage space can be opened and closed. To form the tap points, the plate-like matrix 20 shown in Fig. 5 is used, which includes six rectangular, film-like electrical resistors 21. The resistors 21 are connected in parallel between the common film-like conductor 22 and the conductive material 11a coated points 23. The resistors can be any material used in thick film resistors, e.g. a mixture of precious metal oxides, and the plate in the matrix 20 as a substrate for the resistors and conductors can be e.g. alumina.

The formation of the taps by means of the matrix 20 takes place by placing the matrix at the openings 10-13, 1Θ-19 on the side 3 of the body 1 so that the film-like resistors 21 come on top of the openings in pairs. Figure 6 shows a faucet formed in this way from a connecting line 16. Between the matrix plate 20 and the surface 3 there is an insulating material 24 and opposite the resistor 21 a separate thermistor resistor 25 is placed so that a narrow channel 26 is formed between these resistors. A cooler 27 is placed against the bottom of the matrix 20. below the freezing point of liquids. The conductor 21 in the matrix as well as the coated points 23 of the conductor material 11a are connected to the voltage source via conductors 2Θ. The conductors of the thermistor resistor 25 are not shown in Fig. 6.

The matrix according to Figure 5 forms a total of 6 parallel taps on the side 3 of the body 1, four of which belong to the connecting lines 16 and two to the main line on this side. A similar matrix is also placed on the opposite side 7 of the piece.

The operation of the faucet is based on the control of the temperature in the duct 26 by means of an electric resistor 21 and a condenser 27. The condenser 27 permanently keeps the environment of the faucet below the freezing point of the liquids transferred in the connecting line 16. However, the electric current flowing through the resistor 21 generates heat so that the channel 26 remains open. If the electrical current of n 57850 is cut off while the connecting line 16 is filled with liquid, the duct 26 freezes immediately. On the other hand, if the connecting line 16 is empty at the time of switching off, the tap remains open to the gas flows but freezes as soon as the liquid flow arrives at the channel 26. The faucet thus has three different operating modes, i.e. it can be completely closed, open to gas flow or open to both gas and liquid flow. The function of the thermistor resistor 25 is to monitor the operating state of the faucet by providing a signal of changes in the state in the channel 26.

Figure 7 shows an apparatus consisting of lines and associated spaces for storing and analyzing batches of liquids. The small diagonal lines in the lines illustrate the taps implemented according to the principle of Fig. 6. The apparatus comprises a storage unit consisting of five storage spaces 33 connected between two parallel main lines 31-32 by connecting lines 29, 30, in which the connecting lines and main lines are provided with taps 34-39. With the exception of the number of storage spaces, this storage unit may be fully as shown in Figures 1-6. A dosing unit consisting of two systems 42, 43 formed by parallel and different large spaces 40, 41 is arranged in the main line 31 immediately adjacent to the storage unit. Each of the spaces 40, 41 can be separated from the other spaces of the dosing unit and from the main line 31 and 4Θ by means of taps 44-47. The main line 4Θ can be divided into small sections by means of taps 49 for fine adjustment of the dosing. The main line 4Θ terminates in a mixing space 50 into which the batch of stored liquid dispensed by the dosing unit can be transferred.

On the other side of the storage unit consisting of storage spaces 33 there is a second dosing unit consisting of two space systems 51,52 surrounded by main lines 53 and 54. Connected to main line 53 are three storage spaces 55-57, where stored liquids can be dispensed in space systems 51 and 52. and 4Θ through to mixing space 50.

The operation of the apparatus as an analyzer is based on the reactions between the liquid batches introduced into the mixing space 50 and their monitoring, and for this purpose an incubation unit consisting of parallel-connected incubation rooms 58 is arranged next to the mixing space. This unit corresponds in structure to the above-mentioned storage unit and thus comprises two main lines 63, 64 with taps 59-62 12 57850, between which the incubation spaces 58 are connected via connecting lines 67.68 with taps 65.66. To monitor the reactions, a detection space 69 is located on the other side of the incubation unit, the volume of which is substantially smaller than the volume of the incubation spaces 58. The detection space 69 is connected to an outlet line 71 with a tap 70, through which the detection space is emptied immediately after the measurement has taken place.

The apparatus can also perform such reactions, which include a pre-incubation step followed by the actual incubation.

With this in mind, a measuring chamber 72 and a mixing space 73 are arranged in connection with the incubation unit, which are in direct connection via the line 74 to the storage spaces 55-57 and the associated dosing unit. The pre-incubated barrier batch can thus be transferred to chamber 72, where a batch of reagent dispensed in spaces 51 and 52 is added, and the liquids are mixed in space 73. The mixture can then be returned to one of the incubation spaces 58.

The transfer of the liquid batches in the apparatus according to Fig. 7 takes place by means of a pressure difference arranged in the lines. The taps in the desired transition path are kept open by electrical resistors while all crossing wires are closed. The batch of liquid to be moved is made to stop in a space by pre-cooling the tap in the line leaving the space, whereby the incoming liquid column immediately freezes the tap. Thereafter, the electric current is also cut off from another faucet delimiting said space, which is filled with liquid. When the liquid has to be moved forward again, the taps _ are opened by defrosting the ice plugs in them with an electric current.

The liquid batch processing method and apparatus of the invention can be used in connection with various analytical methods regardless of the mode of operation of the detector. Thus, for example, a radioimmunoassay based on radioactivity can be carried out as shown in Figure 8. This figure schematically shows the main functional units of the analysis device. Samples, standards, and reagents are stored in registers 75-77, which communicate via dosing units 78 and 79 to the dilution unit 80 required by the method. The dilution unit may comprise, e.g., a stirrer and associated dispenser filled from the stirrer to the volume required for dilution rinsing, e.g. / 3 of the batch of liquid contained in the mixer is transferred to the dispenser, which in turn is emptied into one of the incubation rooms of register 57850. 1/3 of the remaining in the mixer is further diluted by filling the mixer with reagent and emptying into the dispenser as above. Thus, a 1: 3 dilution series is transferred from the sample register 75 to the incubation register 81. Thus, the dilution ratio can be freely selected by the emptying ratio.

The incubation takes place in the usual way, in which part of the radioactivity binds to one of the participating components. The bound and soluble fractions are separated in a separator 82, the operation of which may be based, for example, on electromagnetically binding the magnetic particles to the separation site during washing of the soluble fraction, after which the particles can be transferred directly to the detector 83 with a small amount of liquid. In the apparatus according to the invention, the bound fraction normally to be measured can easily be compacted so small that a gamma-ray semiconductor detector can be used as a detector. Such a detector cannot be used in conventional counters for mechanically moving test tubes or the like due to the large volume of test tubes.

Control electronics, e.g., a microcomputer, are indicated in the figure by reference numeral 84. The automated RIA equipment described can be programmed to perform all the controls, checks, and standardizations that the analyst would otherwise have to perform manually after receiving test results requiring such measures. This is because all the reagents that are rarely needed in this equipment are automatically available.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the various embodiments of the invention are not limited to the foregoing examples, but may vary within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, for example, the apparatus shown in Figure 7 includes only examples of the most typical processing units that may be considered in the practice of the invention.

Claims (17)

1. Method of handling batches of liquid, where handling takes place during storage! in a system consisting of treatment rooms (2) and connecting lines (8,9,16,17), in which the line between the two rooms is provided with at least one tap (26) connected to the cooler (27), at which the liquid can be frozen so that the line closes, and wherein the transfer of the liquid batch from one of the spaces in the system is performed by opening the taps in the liquid flow path so that the liquid is directed to said space by pushing the pressure difference, and closing the liquid batch to said space by freezing the taps that the treatment is carried out in a system in which the taps (26) are provided with separate electric heating means (21) so that the temperature of the tap is kept above the freezing point of the liquid to be treated when the cooler (27) is operating, and that the treatment functions are provided by electrical treatment of the tap heating means; with control with ha can be opened and closed. Apparatus for carrying out the method according to claim 1, comprising a single system of storage or handling spaces (2) and lines connecting them (8.9 »16.17), wherein the line between the two spaces is provided with at least one cooler (27). ), at which the liquid can be frozen so that the line closes, characterized in that a resistance heater (21) is connected to the faucet (26) by means of which the temperature of the faucet can be maintained above the freezing point of the liquid to be treated. ) in operation, in which case the operation of the faucet can be adjusted by means of the electric current supplied to the heater. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that each tap (26) is provided with a sensor element (25). Apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, known. that the apparatus comprises at least one cellular unit consisting of storage or handling spaces (2), the spaces being connected in parallel by connecting them via common lines (16,17) to a common main line (8,9) and each connecting line being provided with a tap (26) ) for opening and closing the holding. 15 57850 Apparatus according to Claim 4, characterized in that the spaces (2) belonging to the honeycomb unit are connected by taped connecting lines (16, 17) between two parallel main lines (8, 9). Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the apparatus comprises at least one storage unit consisting of storage spaces (2) connected in parallel, in which the storage spaces are substantially equal to each other. Apparatus according to one of Claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the taps (26) in the connecting lines (16) connected to the main line (8) of the honeycomb unit are formed by using plate-like matrices (20) with electrical resistors (21). Apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the connecting lines (16) connected to the same main line (8) pass through a flat surface (3) and that the taps (26) are formed by placing a plate-like matrix (20) containing resistors (21) on said surface against so that the liquid can flow between the surface and the resistors in the matrix. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the bottom of the plate-like matrix (20) is connected to a cooler (27) which can be kept continuously below the freezing point of the liquid to be treated. Apparatus according to one of Claims 2 to 9, characterized in that the apparatus comprises at least one dosing unit between two main lines (31, 48) with parallel, taped spaces (40 to 41) with connecting lines (44 to 47). - which are different from each other for liquid dosing. Apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the dosing unit comprises a plurality of systems (42, 43) formed by parallel and mutually large spaces (40, 41) which are connected in series. Apparatus according to Claim 10 or 11, characterized in that at least one of the main lines (48) of the dosing unit is divided into sections by means of taps (49) for fine-tuning the dosing. is 57850 Apparatus according to one of Claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the dosing unit (42 to 43) is arranged next to the storage space or the storage unit consisting of the storage spaces (33) so as to have a common main line (31). Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the apparatus comprises at least two combinations of storage spaces (33, 55-57) and dosing units (42-43, 51-52) and a mixing space (50) into which the dispensed liquid batches can be led. 14 57850 Apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that the combinations are connected in series so that the dosing unit (42-43) closer to the mixing space (50) can be flushed further away from the mixing space by means of a batch of liquid dispensed. Apparatus according to Claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the apparatus comprises, in addition to the mixing space (50), a parallel. a cellular unit consisting of interconnected incubation spaces (58) for performing reactions between substances. Apparatus according to one of Claims 14 to 16, characterized in that the apparatus comprises a detection space (69) for monitoring reactions between substances. 17 57850