Automated liquid handling and testing systems and methods

Abstract

A mixing system that employs a pump with a highly sensitive means of adding and controlling volumes of single or multiple reagents to a controllable volume of a sample, mixing said samples and reagents, providing the means of employing a specific measurement tool on some portion of the mixed sample, and finally reporting the results to a final control element automatically under industrial conditions and often essentially in situ to fluid flows such as fluid moving through a pipeline or industrial process.

1 . A device for handling a sample comprising:
 a pump;   a pump chamber; and   a valve arrangement;   wherein, said pump will provide both a liquid sample from a sample source to said pump chamber and a liquid additive from an additive source to said pump chamber, both said liquid sample and said liquid additive passing through said valve arrangement and mixing to form a mixture in said pump chamber; and   wherein a measurement is taken of said mixture in said pump chamber.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein a single pumping action of said pump moves both said liquid additive and said liquid sample to said pump chamber, said single pumping action causing said liquid additive and said liquid sample to mix into said mixture. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein a first pumping action of said pump moves said liquid sample to said pump chamber and a second, later, pumping action of said pump moves said liquid additive to said pump chamber, said second pumping action causing said liquid additive and said liquid sample to mix into said mixture. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein a position of said valve arrangement is altered between said first pumping action and said second pumping action, but a position of said pump is maintained between said first pumping action and said second pumping action. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein a first pumping action of said pump moves said liquid additive to said pump chamber and a second, later, pumping action of said pump moves said liquid sample to said pump chamber, said second pumping action causing said liquid additive and said liquid sample to mix into said mixture. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein a position of said valve arrangement is altered between said first pumping action and said second pumping action, but a position of said pump is maintained between said first pumping action and said second pumping action. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said liquid sample is an emulsion. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 7  wherein said measurement is performed on said liquid sample while said sample is an emulsion. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 7  wherein said liquid additive is a solvent separating a first immiscible from said emulsion. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 9  wherein said measurement is performed on said first immiscible. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 9  wherein said measurement is performed on what remains of said emulsion after said first immiscible has been separated. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 9  further comprising a mixing chamber, wherein first immiscible is moved from said sample chamber to said mixing chamber through said valve arrangement by said pump and what remains of said emulsion after said first immiscible is left in said pump chamber. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 12  wherein said first immiscible is then exhausted from said system and said remains of said emulsion after said first immiscible is separated is moved to said mixing chamber by said pump. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 13  wherein said remains of said emulsion after said first immiscible is separated is mixed with an additional additive from said valve arrangement as it is moved to said mixing chamber by said pump. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 12  wherein said remains of said emulsion after said first immiscible is separated is then exhausted from said system and said first immiscible is moved to said pump chamber by said pump. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 15  wherein said first immiscible is mixed with an additional additive from said valve arrangement as it is moved to said pump chamber by said pump. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 7  wherein said emulsion is an oil and water emulsion. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 17  wherein said additive is toluene. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said measurement is a fluorescence measurement. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said measurement is a light absorption measurement.