An automated active clay analyzer apparatus for analyzing active clays in a mineral slurry in a vessel or passing through a conduit, comprising a controller operable to manage the operations associated with the apparatus; an automatic sampler coupled to the vessel or conduit and operable to extract a sample of a determined volume of the slurry from the vessel or conduit, the automatic sampler being under control of the controller; at least one fluid delivery device under control of the controller and operable to deliver a known volume of water and a known volume of cationic dye into the sample; a mixing chamber that receives the sample; an agitator operable to agitate the sample, the water and the cationic dye in the mixing chamber to produce a diluted sample mixture; an automatic filter operable to filter the diluted sample mixture to produce a filtrate; and a spectrophotometer having an optical flow cell that receives the filtrate from the automatic filter and is operable to measure a spectra absorbance of the filtrate in the optical flow cell using at least one wavelength to obtain spectra absorbance data of the filtrate that may be used to control the processing of the mineral slurry or other aspects of a mineral processing operation related to the mineral slurry in near real time.

A fluidic system that includes a reagent manifold comprising a plurality of channels configured for fluid communication between a reagent cartridge and an inlet of a flow cell; a plurality of reagent sippers extending downward from ports in the manifold, each of the reagent sippers configured to be placed into a reagent reservoir in a reagent cartridge so that liquid reagent can be drawn from the reagent reservoir into the sipper; at least one valve configured to mediate fluid communication between the reservoirs and the inlet of the flow cell. The reagent manifold can also include cache reservoirs for reagent re-use.

A fluid sample system includes a control system that operates in the hazardous area and controls one or more valves and optionally receives outputs from one or more transducers and optionally one or more sensors. The fluid sample system includes components that operate in a hazardous area and includes a control system that operates in the hazardous area and that controls one or more electrical devices. The control system communicates across a barrier with a system on a safe side of the barrier with as few as two intrinsically safe couplings including a single pneumatic coupling and a communication link coupling. The control system includes an intrinsically safe voltage boost circuit.

Valve assemblies are described that provide segmented shuttle of liquid into sample vessels and automatic mixing via bubbles in the segmented liquid. A valve assembly includes a first valve member having ports configured to receive a pressurized gas, a first fluid, and a second fluid. The valve assembly also includes a second valve member coupled adjacent to the first valve member. The second valve member comprises a plurality of channels configured to interface with the first valve member. In a first configuration, the first fluid is loaded into an external loop. In the second configuration, the second fluid is eluted from the column into a vial in a segmented stream via bubbles of pressurized gas. Bubbles of gas automatically mix the eluted sample fluid.

A sample injection method for liquid chromatography is performed with an injection valve having a waste port, two sample loop ports, and two high-pressure ports. One high-pressure port can be connected to a pump and the other high-pressure port can be connected to a chromatography column. A sample loop is connected to one of the sample loop ports on one end and to a pump volume of a sample conveying device on the other end. A section of the sample loop can be separated to facilitate receiving a sample fluid in the sample loop. A control unit controls the injection valve and the sample conveying device. The sample injector allows a sample to be loaded into the sample loop and then pressurized to an operating pressure prior to injecting the sample into the chromatography column. The sample loop may also be isolated from the operating pressure for facilitating depressurization of the loop.

A sampling module of a fluid processing apparatus includes at least one multi-configuration device connected to a filtration module. The invention relates to an area of non-disruptive sampling from any flow stream including the ones containing solids. The fluid processing apparatus remains in fluid communication with a sample processing module in all configurations of the sampling module and the parameters deemed critical for a chemical process remain unaffected during the sampling event. The entire event is controlled from a computer and the results are collected to make decisions on analytical and process controls.

A medical diagnostic system is provided to automate analysis of samples to predict a medical condition, such as pregnancy or chronic kidney disease. The system may provide test strip usage automation. The medical diagnostic system may include a sample collection component, collection cup contamination protection mechanism, sample volume control component, test strip reader component, which may be manifested as a lateral flow strip reader, flow reader, sample analytic component, data processing component, data communication component, networked data management component, and device cleaning mechanism. A method to automate analysis of samples to predict a medical condition using the medical diagnostic system is also provided.

A fluid delivery system and process for fluid delivery is provided that is useful in in flow-injection based sensing measurements, wherein samples from a sample rack are introduced into a flow cell where sensing measurements are taken. The system and process utilize at least two holding lines where each holding line can retain one of the samples prior to injection of the thus retained sample into a flow cell. The introduction of the samples from the sample racks to the holding lines is alternated and the injection of the samples from the holding lines to the flow cell are alternated so that one holding line is loaded with one of the samples simultaneously with another sample being injected from the another holding line to the flow cell.

An electrode cleaning and calibration system generally comprises a sensor holder assembly machined from a block of solid acrylic or similar plastic material, which can accommodate a variety of types and sizes of sensors for use in monitoring and measurement of water processing and treatment processes. Examples of sensors suitable for use in the system include pH sensors, dissolved oxygen sensors, chlorine sensors, ozone sensors, total suspended solid sensors, mixed liquor suspended solid sensors, ammonia sensors, monochloramine sensors, and ultraviolent transmittance sensors.

Provided is an automatic analyzer in which an abnormality of a flow path including malfunction of an electromagnetic valve or a pressure change portion can be detected using an existing sensor that measures a liquid amount in a container. A syringe 103, a first electromagnetic valve 104, and a second electromagnetic valve 105 are operated such that a predetermined liquid aspirating and discharging operation is performed in a container 101, a liquid discharging unit 108, and flow path systems 113 and 114 and whether or not an abnormality occurs in the flow path system is determined based on a liquid amount measured by the sensor 102.