A dispensing pump for liquids, viscous materials, foams, gels, etc. includes a resilient plastic skirt spring so that the entire pump can be more easily recycled. The skirt spring comprises a plurality of concentric nesting rings sequentially decreasing in diameter from a base ring to a top ring to form a conical shape wherein adjacent rings are interconnected by spaced bridge segments and the bridge segments are staggered at each sequential ring.

A dispensing pump for liquids, viscous materials, foams, gels, etc. includes a resilient plastic skirt spring so that the entire pump can be more easily recycled. The skirt spring comprises a plurality of concentric nesting rings sequentially decreasing in diameter from a base ring to a top ring to form a conical shape wherein adjacent rings are interconnected by spaced bridge segments and the bridge segments are staggered at each sequential ring.

According to the method and device for a membrane-based processing of ambient water-group species, the species are captured in a space environment by an ionic liquid disposed on a presenting face of a semipermeable membrane. To seamlessly process the captured species for in-situ resource utilization without need of moving parts, they are urged to pass through the membrane by a predetermined electric potential difference applied between opposite sides of the membrane via electrode contacts; an initial storage envelope is provided by an impermeable membrane attached to a back face of the semipermeable membrane. The device can be stowed in a manner of rolled plastic and deployed by unrolling. The device can also be configured as a scientific instrument to monitor a flux of ambient water-group species impinging in the space environment using electrical measurements.

A plunger tool and method relating thereto is designed to remove and insert plungers of a reciprocating pump such as during maintenance and other disassembly operations. The tool has a guide which receives and supports the plunger after removal from, and before reinsertion into, the pump. The tool also has a rack and pinion actuator for moving the plunger.

A plunger tool and method relating thereto is designed to remove and insert plungers of a reciprocating pump such as during maintenance and other disassembly operations. The tool has a guide which receives and supports the plunger after removal from, and before reinsertion into, the pump. The tool also has a rack and pinion actuator for moving the plunger.

A pump for transporting particulate material that includes a first conveyor and a second conveyor together defining a passage, wherein a working surface of each of the conveyors are canted with respect to each other. The pump includes an inlet for introducing the particulate material into the passage and an outlet for expelling the particulate material from the passage, wherein the outlet is positioned out of line with the inlet.

A pump for transporting particulate material that includes a first conveyor and a second conveyor together defining a passage, wherein a working surface of each of the conveyors are canted with respect to each other. The pump includes an inlet for introducing the particulate material into the passage and an outlet for expelling the particulate material from the passage, wherein the outlet is positioned out of line with the inlet.

A capillary structure for passive, directional fluid transport, includes a capillary having a forward direction and a backward direction extending in an x-y plane and a depth extending in a z-direction, the capillary including first and second capillary units each having a diverging section having a backward end, a forward end, and a width in the y-direction, wherein the width increases from the backward end to the forward end, wherein the backward end of the second capillary unit diverging section is connected to the forward end of the first capillary unit diverging section to form a transition section having a step decrease in width from the forward end of the first capillary unit diverging section to the backward end of the second capillary unit diverging section, and wherein the depth in the transition section is less than the depth in each diverging section.

This disclosure provides devices and methods for the isolation of single cells or particles of interest from a solution comprising a plurality of cells or a solution composed of a homogenous population of particles. Specifically, the present disclosure is directed to microfluidic devices and methods for analyzing cells in a sample. More specifically, the present disclosure provides droplet microfluidic devices and methods for using the same to obtain (trap), encapsulate, and retrieve (isolate) single cells or particles from a sample with improved efficiency.

This disclosure provides devices and methods for the isolation of single cells or particles of interest from a solution comprising a plurality of cells or a solution composed of a homogenous population of particles. Specifically, the present disclosure is directed to microfluidic devices and methods for analyzing cells in a sample. More specifically, the present disclosure provides droplet microfluidic devices and methods for using the same to obtain (trap), encapsulate, and retrieve (isolate) single cells or particles from a sample with improved efficiency.