Ronnie Antonio Wilson

US Patent:

20030162295, Aug 28, 2003

Filed:

Feb 28, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/085912

Inventors:

Ronnie Wilson - Covington KY, US

Assignee:

Equistar Chemicals L.P. - Houston TX

International Classification:

G01N035/10

US Classification:

436/054000, 436/043000, 436/180000, 422/100000

Abstract:

An injection pump assembly in a chemical delivery system for simultaneously delivering reagents into a combinatorial reactor system having multiple injectors. The assembly has a plurality of injectors , each injector being in fluid communication with one of the multiple reactors. Each injector has (1) a pump in which a plunger sealingly moves to ingest, store and discharge a flushing solvent ; (2) a pipette assembly for loading, storing, and discharging one or more reagents into one of the reactors in the combinatorial reactor system, first and second reservoirs for retaining some of the reagents; (3) one or more hollow needles , each for selectively delivering a reagent to the first or the second reservoir; (4) a first valve positioned downstream of the first reservoir; and (5) a second valve positioned downstream of the second reservoir. When each valve is in a closed position, the reagents can be stored in isolation from each other. When each valve is in an open position, the reagents 24, 48 may flow through the pipette assembly . A 3-way valve is positioned between the pump and the pipette assembly . An actuator assembly is in operable communication with each of the plurality of injectors so that the 3-way valves of each injector may be repositioned in unison, thereby delivering precise amounts of the flushing solvent and the reagents in varied or consistent amounts to each reactor in the combinatorial reactor system. The inventive method involves operation of the disclosed injection pump assembly.