GB2262786A

GB2262786A - Transfer arrangement

Info

Publication number: GB2262786A
Application number: GB9225576A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Austin Patrick Macdonald; Julian James Wilkins
Original assignee: Total Process Containment Ltd
Current assignee: Total Process Containment Ltd
Priority date: 1991-12-05
Filing date: 1992-12-07
Publication date: 1993-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 2012-12-07
Also published as: GB9225576D0; GB2262786B

Abstract

A transfer arrangement for use in removing liquid or powdered material from a vessel (400) in a sealed manner, comprises a portable housing (300), a door (305) in the housing, a corresponding door (409) in a wall of the vessel and, means (318, 418) for detachably securing the housing to the vessel so that the door (305) in the portable housing engages said corresponding door (405) and lies thereagainst. A remote manipulating means enables an operator outside the transfer arrangement to open the doors together as a unit. The portable housing may be a closeable receptacle means or a separate sampling container may lie within the portable housing. With this arrangement, liquid or powdered material can be removed from the vessel and transported to a location remote from the vessel. The doors sealingly engage with each other and the housing and vessel respectively when closing the latter. In this way toxic material is prevented from reaching the environment. <IMAGE>

Description

Transfer Arrangement The present invention relates to a transfer arrangement for use in transferring material, in particular powdered material, from a vessel, for instance for sampling purposes. Such sampling operations are required during the manufacture of pharmaceutical products produced in the vessel, which may be a reactor vessel.

It is clear that in the case of some pharmaceutical products of a toxic nature the strictest control is necessary in order to ensure that none of the contents of the vessels or the sampling container escapes to the surroundings. Previously the sampling has been done by providing a door in the wall of the vessel, bolting a glove box on to the wall surrounding this door, the glove box having a corresponding door, fastening the two doors together, opening them together into the glove box and removing a sample into the glove box. Attached to the side of the glove box is a transfer unit in the form of a box having a similar door. This door, and a further, corresponding door in the side of the glove box, is likewise opened from inside the glove box, and the sample transferred to the transfer box. The doors are then closed and the box with the sample removed.

Fixing an entire glove box followed by transfer unit to the side of the vessel is a very cumbersome and time-consuming procedure, and it is highly desirable to simplify the sampling operation.

According to the invention there is provided a transfer arrangement for use in removing liquid or powdered material from a vessel in a sealed manner, comprising a portable housing, a door in the housing, a corresponding door in a wall of the vessel, means for detachably securing the housing to the vessel so that the door in the portable housing engages said corresponding door and lies thereagainst, a manipulating means enabling an operator outside the transfer arrangement to open the doors and closeable receptacle means comprised by the portable housing for receiving said liquid or powdered material and from which the liquid or powdered material can be removed when the portable housing is at a location remote from the vessel, said doors sealingly engaging with each other and the housing and vessel respectively when closing the latter.

This sampling-and-transferring arrangement can be used to load samples directly without the need for a separate glove box, and the samples can then be carried away in the portable housing by the operator, saving considerable time and expense. In addition the transfer operation itself is made safer since only one door opening step is involved.

The housing door has a device enabling it to be locked on to the vessel door so that both doors can be opened together. The outside faces of the two doors can be locked together in a sealed manner so that they are not contaminated by the material during the transfer process. The manipulating means may consist most simply of one or more standard gloves.

Alternatively, and depending on the door opening path, the manipulation means may be a remote control opening lever arrangement. Any construction may be used for securing the housing to the vessel provided that it gives a good seal and supports the weight of the portable housing, but a screw or rotary fitting is particularly simple to use since it is not necessary to manipulate anything but the portable housing itself.

Thus with a screw-lock device, the securing process for docking takes place simply by locating the sampler on the vessel and rotating the sampler through a predetermined angle or distance, say 900, 450 or 300C.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for transferring material to or from a vessel using an arrangement as described above, comprising the steps of: securing the portable housing to the vessel, effecting engagement between the doors, displacing the doors thus engaged to communicate the vessel and housing interiors, carrying out the transfer between the vessel and the portable housing using the manipulating means, displacing the engaged doors to a position preventing communication between the vessel and the housing, and removing the portable housing from the vessel.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same can be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a transfer arrangement embodying the invention for removing a sample from a powder drier; Figure 2 is an exploded view in section of the components of a rotary docking fitting for coupling a sampling device directly to a vessel; and Figure 3 is a like-sectional view to that shown in Figure 2 showing the respective components when docking of sampling device to vessel has taken place.

A typical drier for powder products which is indicated by under the reference numeral 100, is a Krauss Maffei Dryer FDR 401, equipped with a sampling discharge tube 101 and a screw auger 102 whose rotation causes discharge of pulverous material to take place from the interior of the drier. Coupled to the end of the discharge tube 101 by means of a coupling ring 103 is an extension tube 104 which is mounted in a wall 105 of a box-shaped docking unit 106 which is attached to a support arm 107 which is carried below the drier 100 by a bracket 108 secured to the drier. The docking unit 106 comprises a door 109 mounted in a frame 110 thereof so as to be releasable by rotating through a predetermined angle.

Figure 1 also shows a transfer vessel 200 engaged through its docking under 206 with the docking unit 106 of the drier but closed to prevent transfer of pulverous material into the interior of the transfer vessel. The transfer vessel will generally be formed of toughened glass and be approximately 200 millimetres in diameter and will have one or more gloves 201 each at an opening 202 at a location remote from the docking arrangement 206. The glove is secured to a grooved mount 203 by means of a glove ring 204 typically of machined nylon/stainless steel. The glove is capable, when inverted into the transfer vessel of reaching as far as the extension tube 104, when there is communication between the interiors of the transfer vessel and the docking unit 106. As shown, this communication is blocked off by door 109 of the docking unit 106 in sealing engagement with a door 205 belonging to the docking unit 206 of the transfer vessel. The docking unit 206 comprises a frame 207 secured to the transfer vessel 200 and engaged via interengaging formations with frame 110 of the docking unit 106. Held in a holder 208 of the transfer vessel 200 which is secured to the transfer vessel at a location remote from the docking unit 206 is a sample transfer container holder 208 in which is removably disposed a sample container 209 with removable lid 210.

The doors 109 and 205 are in rotational engagement so that rotation of the transfer vessel through predetermined arcs enables engagement and release of the doors. Likewise, frames 110 and 207 are in like rotational engagement, with the rotational arcs for their engagement preceding rotational arcs for engagement of the doors; the purpose of this will be clearer from the description appearing hereinafter.

The frame 207 carries a bar 211 hinged thereto at 212 and with clasp 213 at its distal end engaged by a latch assembly 214. The hinged bar 211 carries a support bracket which, in turn, carries the door 203.

As shown, the transfer vessel 200 presents a female frame 207 of docking unit 206 to be engaged by a male frame 110 of docking unit 106. At the same time, a female door 205 engages male door 109 of docking unit 106. It is possible to reverse this arrangement and have the transfer vessel 200 present a male frame to a female frame of the docking unit of the drier and at the same time have a male door of the docking unit 106 of the drier 100 engage a female door carried by the transfer vessel frame. This will require the frame of the docking unit 106, instead, to have its door carried on a hinged bar and the location of the hinged bar in association with the drier will require a remote lever operating mechanism to enable it to be rotationally displaced with respect to the drier docking unit frame.

This mechanism will require that sufficient free space be available to enable such rotation to take place.

Such mechanism can thus be contemplated to be more suited to use when there is transfer directly from a storage unit to a sampling container, with a docking unit being mounted in a wall of the vessel and a remote control mechanism being located within the vessel.

Such an arrangement is shown in Figure 2 of the drawings in which, although the docking arrangement is the reverse of that shown in Figure 1, like components are shown but which are reproduced to a larger scale than in Figure 1 and thus can be noted with a view to enhancing understanding of the view of Figure 1.

In Figure 2, attached to a wall of a storage unit 300 is a frame 307 carrying at a hinge 312 a bar 311 formed at its distal end with a clasp 313 engageable by a latch assembly 314 mounted on the frame 307 opposite the hinge 312. The bar 311 carries a bracket 315 to which is attached a male door 305. As in Figure 1, the male door has a peripheral surface, shown here at 316, which is conical, reducing in diameter towards its forward end and matching a like shaped internal surface 317 of the frame 307. At its front surface, the door is provided with a plurality of holding cams 318 arranged around a circle at intervals and able to enter arcuate channels 418 in a female door 409 belonging to a docking unit 406 of a transfer vessel 400 (see below). This enables the doors to engage/disengage through appropriate rotation of the transfer vessel relative to the storage unit.An intimate engagement between the doors is achieved and ingress of material from the storage unit between door to contaminate their external surfaces is prevented by corner seals 319 and 419 carried by the respective doors.

The transfer vessel here is simpler than that shown in Figure 1. It is a simple sampling container, the mouth portion 401 only of which is a shown in Figure 2. A frame 410 secured around the mouth of the container provides a conically narrowing opening in which a container lid 409 rotationally engages through a like arrangement to that shown for the doors of Figure 2, i.e. holding cams 420 spaced at intervals in circular formation on container lid 409 able to enter arcuate channels 421 in frame 410. In general, herein, it is of course arbitrary which element of a pair of associated elements has holding cams and which has arcuate grooves. Provided that coupling and uncoupling of elements can take place as required.

Figure 3 shows the storage unit 300 coupled to the container 400, with container lid 409 and storage unit door 305 engaged but with the combined doors in a closed position awaiting unlatching of the hinged bar 311 to allow dispensing of material to be sampled into the container 400.

Having now described the fixed and displaceable portions ofsthe alternative forms of arrangement embodying the invention shown in Figure 1 and Figures 2 and 3 respectively, the actions necessary to remove a sample from the drier 100 or storage unit 400 respectively, hereinafter generically termed host unit will now be described. The sample transfer vessel 200 or 300 is brought to the area from which the sample is to be removed. Engagement is first effected between the frames of the transfer vessel and the host unit.

Male/female location of the frames with respect to each other takes place and rotation through a predetermined angle engages the frames. At the same time there will have been male/female location of the doors one within the other and a further rotation of the sample transfer vessel with respect to the host unit engages the doors.

If each rotation amounted to 150, there will have been a total rotation of 300. The male combination of doors will, at the same time have been disengaged from the female frame in which one of the doors was previously held by holding cam/channel engagement, i.e. door 109 and lid 409 in Figures 1 and 2 respectively are no longer locked in arcuate channels 418 and 318 respectively. The hinge bar clasp is now unlatched, opened and the doors which form a physical barrier between the sample transfer vessel and the host units are displaced allowing direct access from the interior of the transfer vessel to that of the host unit.

Manipulation of the latch is done remotely by the operator. With the embodiment of Figure 1, this is done directly using the glove 201 and with the embodiment of Figures 2 and 3 this is done using a lever arrangement (not shown).

In the embodiment of Figure 1, the operator then removes the lid 210 from the sample container, places the lid to one side, disengages the sample container from its holding unit 208 and holds it up to the discharge point of the extension tube 104. The handle on the screw auger 102 is rotated and powder is drawn from the drier 100 and is discharged into the sample container. Once the requisite amount of powder has been obtained from the drier, the operator ceases to rotate the auger 102 and powder flow stops. The operator then replaces the sample container 200 in the transport storage unit 208 and the sample container lid 210 is reapplied.

With the embodiment of Figures 2 and 3, the engagement of transfer vessel 300 with the host unit 400 will have already provided a sampling container reads for discharge of a sample thereinto.

To complete the sampling process, the hinged bar 211 (311) which carries the male and female door combination is relocated into its locking clasp and the locking clasp is engaged. The sample transfer container 200 (or 300) is rotated in the opposite direction to that previously. The first 150 rotation disengages the doors and, a further 150 rotation disengages the frames. The sample transfer vessel,closed by its door 205 or lid 305 as the case may be, is removed from the sampling location and can now be carried to a location where the sample may be analysed under controlled conditions. Therefore the sample has now been removed without contaminating the surrounding environment.

For this purpose, the transfer vessel may be coupled in like manner to that described in respect of the coupling to the host unit at an inlet port of an analysis apparatus and the sample container contents transferred into the analysis unit.

With the simplified arrangement of Figures 2 and 3, with remote manipulation serving to control travel of the door and latching of the hinge bar to the latch within a docking chamber of the host unit, there is discharge of material to be sampled directly into a sample tube which in turn can be engaged with an appropriate analysis unit which may have a glove arrangement to enable contents of the sample to be transferred therewithin for analysis purposes. At transfer arrangement embodying the invention thus enables samples to be removed from vessels in which they are located and transferred to secondary locations without contaminating the surrounding environment.

Typically it can be used to draw samples from reactors, filter driers and fluidised bed driers. Samples that are taken can be of a toxic but sterile nature and as they are never exposed to the atmosphere, no harm is done to the product or the operator during sampling.

Claims

Claims:

1. A transfer arrangement for use in removing liquid or powdered material from a vessel in a sealed manner, comprising a portable housing, a door in the housing, a corresponding door in a wall of the vessel, means for detachably securing the housing to the vessel so that the door in the portable housing engages said corresponding door and lies thereagainst, a manipulating means enabling an operator outside the transfer arrangement to open the doors and closeable receptacle means comprised by the portable housing for receiving said liquid or powdered material and from which the liquid or powdered material can be removed when the portable housing is at a location remote from the vessel, said doors sealingly engaging with each other and the housing and vessel respectively when closing the latter.

2. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said doors are adapted for rotational engagement.

3. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein rotary engaging means between the portable housing and the vessel have complementary formations which are engageable on rotation of the portable housing with respect to the vessel.

4. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein one said door and mounting means on its associated vessel or portable housing are adapted for rotational engagement, and the other said door is carried on a bar hinged to the portable housing or associated vessel and adapted to restrain said other door to remain in a closed position.

5. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the portable housing is a transfer vessel having an opening at a location remote from its door and at which is fitted a glove for effecting remote control of said door and in which vessel is housed a sampling container.

6. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the hinged bar has associated lever means for effecting remote operation thereof.

7. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the portable housing constitutes a sampling container and has a lid which serves as a said door.

8. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said doors are configured for male/female location of one within the other.

9. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the vessel and the portable housing are configured for male/female location of one within the other.

10. A transfer arrangement, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figure 1 or Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

11. Method for transferring material to or from a vessel using an arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, comprising the steps of; securing the portable housing to the vessel, effecting engagement between the doors, displacing the doors thus engaged to communicate the vessel and housing interiors, carrying out the transfer between the vessel and the portable housing using the manipulating means, displacing the engaged doors to a position preventing communication between the vessel and the housing and removing the portable housing from the vessel.

12. A method as claimed in Claim 11, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 or Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.