JPS60231076A - Selector valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate a leak of fluid due to creep deformation of a seat member, consisting of material softer than the material constituting a valve main body and a rotor part, by providing in the seat member a communication groove in which a common port communicates with switching ports. CONSTITUTION:A seat member 16 provided in the end surface of a valve disc 15 in the side of a valve seat 4 is formed in a small thickness from a material of synthetic resin such as tetrafluoroethylene polymer, hexafluoropropylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, etc. softer than the material of a valve body 1 and a rotor part 2. The seat member 16 forms on its surface, brought into slide contact with the valve seat 4, a communication groove 17 extended from the center toward the diametric direction. This groove 17 successively faces to internal end opening parts 3b'-3g' of switching ports 3b-3g as the rotor part 2 turns, permitting a common port 3a to communicate with the switching ports 3b-3g.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a switching valve used in physical and chemical equipment, such as a polynucleotide synthesizer.

As a DNA synthesis device that sequentially condenses nucleotides by the phosphotriester method, phosphodiester method, phosphite method, etc. using a support with chemically bonded nucleosides, for example, a reactor is installed in the main body of the device, and a reactor is used for the DNA synthesis reaction. Multiple storage sections each filled with necessary reagents, solvents, etc., a switching valve that switches the flow path connecting each storage section and the reactor by rotating an operating knob, and an inert gas pressure that controls each storage section. It is known that the reactor is equipped with a liquid supply means for feeding reagents, solvents, etc. from the reactor to the reactor.

Some solvents, reagents, etc. used in DNA synthesis reactions may cause problems if mixed with each other.

For example, when an acid is used as a deprotecting agent and a base is used as a solvent, if they are mixed, they will react and their respective functions will be impaired. Furthermore, if the deprotecting agent and the capping agent are mixed together, their respective functions will be similarly impaired. For this reason, in the above switching valve, measures such as increasing the distance between each port have been taken to ensure sealing between the ports connected to reagents, solvent bottles, etc.

However, since the switching valve described above has a large number of ports, there is a problem in that the valve opening body becomes large in order to ensure sealing performance.

To solve this problem, we developed a switching valve with a switching boat that is connected to each reagent and solvent bottle, and a valve body that has a common port that is connected to the reactor. A rotor part made of a softer material than the valve body that communicates and shuts off the ports and the common boat is proposed, and a part of the outer periphery of the rotor part is fitted into the opening of the switching boat. It was done.

In the above switching valve, the material constituting the rotor part is solvent resistant,
The selection must also take into account aspects such as chemical resistance.
For this reason, only limited materials such as tetrafluoroethylene polymer can be used. However, the tetrafluoroethylene polymer is susceptible to creep deformation, and this creep deformation causes a problem of liquid leakage, and the results were not as effective as expected.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a switching valve that does not cause liquid leakage due to creep deformation and can ensure sealing performance without increasing its size.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a valve body and a rotor portion rotatably provided on the valve body, and by rotating the rotor portion, the rotor portion is rotatably provided on the valve body or the rotor portion. In a switching valve configured to switch between a common boat and a plurality of switching boats, either the inner wall surface of the valve body on which the rotor portion slides, or the outer circumferential surface of the rotor portion on which the valve body slides, the valve body or the rotor portion is attached. A seat member made of a material softer than the material constituting the seat member is fixed, and the seat member is provided with a communication portion for communicating the common port and the switching boat.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the creep deformation of the seat member made of a soft material is suppressed to a minimum by the valve body or the rotor part made of a harder material, so that even if the distance between the ports is narrowed, Sufficient sealing performance can be ensured.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numeral 1 in the figure is a valve body, on which a rotor portion 2 is rotatably provided.

The valve body 1 is made of a synthetic resin such as monochlorotrifluoroethylene polymer or metal, and has a common port 3 extending in the axial direction at the center of one end surface in the axial direction (left side in FIG. 1).
A is provided. Further, a plurality of switching boats 3b to 3g are arranged radially on the circumferential surface of one end in the axial direction of the valve body 1 at appropriate intervals (see FIG. 2).

The inner end of the common bow) 3a opens at the valve seat 4 of the valve body 1,
The inner ends of the switching boats 3b to 3g are bent at right angles along the axial direction and open at the valve seat 4. In the valve seat 4, the inner end opening 3a' of the common port 3a is located at the center, and the inner end openings 3b' of the switching bows 1-3b to 3g are located at circumferential positions centered on the inner end opening 3a'. ~3g
' is placed.

The rotor part 2 has a valve body 15 fixed via a pin 14 to one end in the axial direction of the shaft part I3 (the part located inside the valve body 1 on the left side in FIG. 1) to which a knob (not shown) is attached. It is composed of The shaft portion 13 is made of metal such as stainless steel, and the valve body 15 is made of synthetic resin such as polyphenylene sulfide resin or metal.

A seat member 16 that slides on the valve seat 4 is fixed to the end surface of the four valve seats of the valve body 15 . The sheet portion 16 has a thin wall thickness (eg, about 11 mm) and is made of a synthetic resin such as tetrafluoroethylene polymer or hexafluoropropylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer.

Synthetic resins such as tetrafluoroethylene polymer and hexafluoropropylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer have excellent solvent resistance and chemical resistance, a small coefficient of friction, and a Rockwell hardness of about 025, and form the valve body 15. Polyphenylene sulfide resin (Rockwell hardness: approximately 122)
It is softer than the monochlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer (Rockwell hardness of about O75 to 95) that forms the valve body 1.

As shown in detail in FIG. 3, a communication groove 17 extending radially from the center is formed on the surface of the seat member 16 that comes into sliding contact with the valve seat 4. As shown in detail in FIG. This communication groove 17 has a depth approximately half of the thickness of the sheet member 16.
One end located on the center side of the common boat 3a faces the inner end opening 3a' of the common boat 3a, and the other end located on the periphery of the common boat 3a faces the inner end opening 3a' of the switching boats 3b to 3g as the rotor section 2 rotates. The common boat 3 faces the special mouth parts 3b' to 3g' in sequence.
(a) and switching bows) 3b to 3g are communicated.

Between the inner surface of the cover part +A18 provided at the other end in the axial direction of the valve body 1 (on the right side in FIG. 1) and the stepped portion 13a of the shaft portion 13,
The rotation of the rotor section 2 is made light.

A bearing 19 and a wave washer 2o, which is an elastic member that presses the seat member 16 against the valve seat 4, are interposed.

Further, the shaft portion 13 protruding from the cover part +A18 has a spring plunger 21 that engages with a recess 18a formed on the outer surface of the cover member 18. A click step mechanism 22 for positioning at the 3g position is provided.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained.

When the rotor section 2 is rotated and positioned, for example, at the switching boat 1-3C, the switching boat 3C and the common boat 3a communicate with each other via the communication groove 17, and fluid such as solvent is transferred to the switching boat 1-3C.
3 Common bow from C flows into 3a. When the rotor section 2 is rotated to the switching bows) 3d, 3e, . . . , 3g positions, these switching bows) 3d.

3e...3g and the common baud) 3a are sequentially communicated and switched.

Other switching boats 3b~ that are not communicating with the common boat) 3a
The inner end openings 3b' to 3g' of 3g are closed by a portion of the sheet member 16 other than the communication groove 17 that receives the elastic force of the wave washer 20. Since the sheet portion 16 is soft, it deforms and adheres closely to the opening edges of the inner end openings 3b' to 3g', thereby sealing the inner end openings 3b' to 3g'.

Therefore, it is possible to set the interval between the switching boats 3b to 3g as narrow as possible.

Incidentally, when the valve body 15 is brought into direct contact with the inner end openings 3b' to 3g', since both the valve body 15 and the valve seat 4 are made of a hard material, the valve body 15 The valve seat 4
Even if the resiliency of the elastic member biasing the valve body 15 is set to be large, it is difficult to bring the valve body 15 into close contact with the inner end openings 3b' to 3g', and it is difficult to avoid the formation of gaps. Can not. In this case, it is necessary to provide a large interval between the switching bows 3b to 3g.

Further, when the inner end openings 3b' to 3g' are closed, the pressure of a fluid such as a solvent acts on the sheet member 16 from the inner end openings 3b' to 3g'. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6a, the seat member 16 has the valve body 15 made of a harder material acting as a reinforcing material.
It is hardly subject to creep deformation and maintains a close contact state. Therefore, there is no risk of liquid leakage.

When the entire valve body 15 is made of the same soft material as the seat member 16 and is brought into direct contact with the inner end openings 3b' to 3g', as shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure. It undergoes creep deformation and liquid leakage occurs.

That is, even if the entire valve body 15 is made of a soft material and brought into close contact with the inner end openings 3b' to 3g', it will not be as effective as expected because of this leap deformation. Note that if left unused for a long period of time, the portion of the sealing member 16 that closes the inner end openings 3b' to 3g' may swell into the inner end openings 3b' to 3g'. In that case, the raised part of the valve will be scraped off, and there is a risk that the entire sealing surface will be damaged by this scraped part, so a recess 16a corresponding to the raised part is formed. In this way, even if the recess 16a is left unused for a long period of time, the depth of the recess 16a becomes only slightly shallower. There is no risk that it will become popular.

4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the invention.

In this second embodiment, a common boat 3a is provided on the outer circumferential surface of one axial end of the valve body 1, and switching boats 3b to 3g are provided at different axial positions from the common boat 3a.
are arranged radially. Further, the valve body 15 is formed into a tapered shape so that one end in the axial direction has a smaller diameter, and a seat member 16 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the valve body 15. As shown in FIG. 5, the communication groove 17 formed in the sheet member 1G includes a circumferential groove 17a provided at a position facing the inner end opening 3a' of the common boat 3a, and an inner end opening 3a' of the switching boats 3b to 3g. Part 3b'
3g' position. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

When the valve body 15 is formed into a tapered shape in this way, the seat member 16 is moved to the inner end opening 3a' of the valve body 1 due to the wedge effect.
~3g' can be brought into close contact with the inner wall surface (valve seat 4) where it is located. Further, even if there are some manufacturing errors, the seat member 16 can be brought into close contact with the valve seat.

Furthermore, even if the sealing material 16 and the valve body 15 undergo thermal contraction at low temperatures, the wave washer 20 can ensure the close contact between the sealing material IG and the valve seat 4.

In the first and second embodiments, the seat member 16 is attached to the valve body 15.
Although the case is shown in which it is fixed to the valve seat 4 of the valve body 1, it may also be fixed to the valve seat 4 of the valve body 1. In this case, a communication groove 17 is formed in the valve body 15,
The sheet member 16 is provided with a communication hole that connects the common boat 3a to the communication groove 17 and a communication hole that connects the switching boats 3b to 3g to the communication groove 17. The seat member 16 is in close contact with the periphery of the communication groove 17 of the valve body 15, and is attached to the switching port 3 which is currently undergoing continuous injury.
This prevents the switching boats 30 to 3g other than b from communicating with the common board 3a.

FIG. 7 shows a flow sheet of a polynucleotide synthesizer using two of the above switching valves.

In the figure, 24 is a nitrogen cylinder, 25 is a distributor, 26 to 29
is a bottle, 30.31 is a reserve tank, 32.33 is a switching valve, 34 is a reactor, 35.36 is a three-way cock, 37,
38 is a four-way cock, 39 is a waste liquid tank, 40 is a line filter, 41 is a pressure gauge, and 42 is a safety valve.

The bottle 26 is filled with a solvent (2), the bottle 27 is filled with a detrideling agent/solvent If6 liquid, the bottle 28 is filled with a solvent (2), and the bottle 29 is filled with an inactivating agent and an inactivating aid. The reserve tanks 30 and 31 are filled with a solvent suitable for the type of de-tritylling agent and are used when changing the de-tritylling agent.

The switching valves 32 and 33 are connected to the bins 26 to 29 and the reserve tank 3.
The flow path between 0.31 and reactor 34.34 is switched. The common boat 3a of the switching valves 32 and 33 is a three-way cock 3
5 to reactors 34, 34. Also,
The switching ports 3b, 3d, and 3f of the switching valve 32 are the bins 2.6
, 27, are connected to the reserve tank 30. In addition, the switching boats 3b, 3d, and 3f of the switching valve 33 are reserve tongues.

31 and connected to bins 28 and 29. In addition, the switching boats 3 c, '3 e, of the switching valves 32 and 33
3g is connected to the distributor 25.

The N2 gas from the nitrogen tank 24 is sent to the distributor 25, where it is divided into bottles 26 to 29 and reserve tanks 30, 3.
It is sent to 1.

By switching the boats 3b to 3g of the switching valves 32 and 33, the bottles 26 to 29 and the reserve tank 30.3
The solvent, reagents, etc. are sent to each reactor 34, 34 through the three-way cock 35 and the channel 43a by the pressure of the N2 gas. In addition, N2 gas is supplied from the distributor 25 to the three-way cock 35,
It passes through the flow path 43a and is sent to each reactor 34.34. When you want to feed only to one reactor 34, three-way cock 3
5. Switch 36.

When feeding solvents, reagents, etc., use the four-way cock 37.3.
8 to the solid line state (FEED). As a result, the reactor 3 <, a
The pressure is released from the top of 4, and the distributor 25,
Line filter 40, three-way cock 36, four-way conch 37
, 38, and the amount of N2 gas necessary for bubbling is blown from the bottom of the reactor 34.34 through the flow path 43C.

To discharge the solvent etc. from the reactors 34, 34, the four-way cocks 37 and 38 are set to the dotted line state (BLOW). As a result, the solvent and the like are discharged from the bottom of the reactor 34.34 through the flow path 43c and the four-way cock 37.38 to the waste liquid tank 39.39.
is discharged.

The aforementioned switching valves s 2 and boats 3b to 3g of '33 are arranged in the order of liquid supply/drainage operation, and first, one switching valve 32 is
switches the boats 3b to 3g, and then switches the other switching valve 33.
By switching ports 3b to 3g, the liquid supply and drainage operation in one condensation step is completed.

When synthesizing DNA, the reactor 34.34 is filled with a J' boat (silica gel, etc.) to which nucleosides are bonded, and the J' boat is moistened with solvent (1).

This is how it was done (wheat, detritylation - washing (/8 agent ■) -
Cleaning (/8 agent old) is performed.Then, raw materials and condensing agent are injected into the reactor 34.34.At this time, the reactor 34.34 is heated using the heater 53 (see Fig. 4). Bubbling is also performed with N2 gas. After the condensation reaction is completed, the liquid is drained from the reactor 34.34. Then, washing (solvent 11)
L. Capping.

By repeating this operation, the nucleotide chains are sequentially condensed.

FIG. 8 shows the external appearance of the synthesis apparatus. A recessed mounting portion 45 that opens at the side and top surfaces of the case 44 is provided on the front surface of the case 44 of the device.
The above-mentioned reactors 34, 34 are installed via support members 46. Since the mounting portion 45 is open not only on the front side but also on the side and top surfaces, the reactor 34, 34 has good operability.

When not in use, a transparent or translucent cover is attached to the attachment portion 45.

In addition, the aforementioned pressure gauge 41 and operating knobs 47 for the switching valves 32 and 33 are provided on the front surface of the case 44, and operating knobs 4B for the three-way cocks 35, 36 and four-way cocks 37, 38 are provided.
, 49, illumination switch 50, 51, 52, and heater 5
Equipped with 3 temperature control knobs 54 and 55.

Note that the switching valve of the present invention can be applied to a wide range of physical and chemical equipment, without being limited to polynucleotide synthesizers.

As explained above, according to the present invention, either the inner wall surface (valve seat 4) on which the rotor portion of the valve body slides or the outer circumferential surface of the rotor portion on which the valve body slides constitutes the valve body and the rotor portion. A sheet member made of a material softer than that of the material to be used is fixed, and a communication portion (communication groove 17, communication hole) for communicating the common boat and the switching boat is provided in the sheet member, so that the sheet member made of a soft material Since the valve body or rotor is made of a harder material, creep deformation is minimized and there is no risk of liquid leakage, so there is no need to increase the distance between the boats.
Even if the distance between the boats is narrowed, sufficient sealing performance can be ensured, and the valve can be made smaller. Further, the loaf section itself is formed of a hard material, so that twisting of the rotor section during rotation operation can be suppressed as much as possible, and the boat can be accurately positioned.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a sectional view, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line ■ to ■ in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the sheet member. A surface view, FIGS. 4 to 5 show a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a sectional view, FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view of the sheet member, and FIG. 6a shows the creep metamorphosis of the sheet member. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating creep deformation of a comparative example; FIG. Flowchart of the polynucleotide synthesizer, FIG. 8 is a front view of the same synthesizer. 1... Valve body, 2... Rotor part, 3a
...Common hoard, 3b to 3g...Switching boat, 16...Sheet member, 17...
・Communication part (Run 1ffJa). Patent applicant: Nippon Zeon Co., Ltd. Kitako Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] It comprises a valve body and a rotor part rotatably provided on the valve body, and by rotating the rotor part, a common port and a plurality of switching ports provided on the valve body or rotor part can be switched. In the configured switching valve, a sheet made of a material softer than the material constituting the valve body and the rotor is placed on either the inner wall surface of the valve body on which the rotor portion slides or the outer peripheral surface of the rotor portion on which the valve body slides. A switching valve characterized in that a member is fixed and a communication portion is provided on the seat member to communicate the common port and the switching port.