초록 ▼

Apparatus is described for storing sensitive materials in containers (32) which are sealed and in which the internal atmosphere may be purged by flushing with an inert gas fed in from a purger unit (30) via a suitable feed lead (35). The gas exhausted from inside the container (32) is fed back into

Apparatus is described for storing sensitive materials in containers (32) which are sealed and in which the internal atmosphere may be purged by flushing with an inert gas fed in from a purger unit (30) via a suitable feed lead (35). The gas exhausted from inside the container (32) is fed back into the purge unit (30) and then checked against a desired parameter, for example oxygen concentration, until the value of that parameter reaches a desired level. Purging may then be stopped and the container left sealed, preferably at a slight over pressure relative to the ambient atmosphere. The use of a separate purge unit enables many containers to be sequentially and effectively processed. The containers are particularly useful for storing sensitive chemical and biological samples.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A system for storage of sensitive materials, comprising: a plurality of portable containers, wherein each portable container of which comprises a box with an inlet port and an exhaust port in a wall thereof, each of the inlet port and the exhaust port being a one-way val

The invention claimed is: 1. A system for storage of sensitive materials, comprising: a plurality of portable containers, wherein each portable container of which comprises a box with an inlet port and an exhaust port in a wall thereof, each of the inlet port and the exhaust port being a one-way valve or a check valve, and each portable container having means for sealing an interior of the box against outside of the box to provide a sealed enclosure preventing exchange of physical material between external surroundings of the container and contents of the container, and a container interior conditioning apparatus including means to inject an inert gas under pressure into one of the portable containers via the inlet port thereof, and means to analyze and monitor gas emerging from the exhaust port thereof during such injection, and further constructed and arranged to, on detection of a predetermined condition of the gas emerging from the container, discontinue injecting further inert gas via the inlet port.