Methods and systems for chromatography are disclosed that employ a flexible container configured to fit within a support structure and adapted to receive a filtration or absorptive medium. The flexible container can include at least one inlet, at least one outlet, and a separation barrier peripherally sealed within the container to separate the container into a resin containing portion and a drainage portion. The barrier can be configured to exclude the resin material from the drainage portion while allowing fluids to pass therethrough. The disposable chromatography system can further include one or more agitators disposed within the flexible container and adjustably configured to be raised or lowered in the flexible container. When the agitator is in the raised position, the resin packing material can operate in a settled, packed-bed configuration. Alternatively, the agitator in the lowered position permits the chromatography resin packing material to operate in a mixed, slurry configuration.

A blender system includes a blender base that is selectively and operably engaged with a container. The blender base may include a housing that houses a motor operatively driving a mixing blade, and a fan. The fan may operate independent of the motor. The fan may force air through the blender base to cool the motor and other operative components of the blender base.

A dispensing device, comprising a plurality of microfluidic pumps, microfluidic valves, and a microfluidic mixer chip, for receiving and mixing microfluidic amounts of a plurality of fluids having differing viscosities, is disclosed. The device includes a plurality of pathways for moving fluids from associated reservoirs to the microfluidic mixer chip. A mix controller controls the microfluidic pumps and valves so that the fluids, having different viscosities, can be accurately mixed at specified microfluidic amounts or volumes according to a specified microfluidic recipe, and the microfluidic mixture dispensed from the device. The device can be in communication with a software application implemented on a mobile compute device, such as a smartphone, and receive instructions for implementing the specified microfluidic recipe from the software application such that the operation of device components is at the direction of the software application executed on the mobile compute device.

A apparatus comprising: a vessel component comprising a flow-through interior chamber having an interior sidewall and an exterior sidewall; at least two inlets for introducing chemical components into the flow-through interior chamber; at least one outlet for removing product from the flow-through interior chamber; and an off center rotation component which is operatively connected to the vessel component. During operation of the apparatus, the off center rotation component generates vortical movement of at least two chemical components through the flow-through interior chamber of the vessel, and converts at least a portion of the at least two chemical components to at least one reaction product or product mixture. A method of using the apparatus to produce reaction products or product mixtures. The apparatus and method are useful for producing specialty chemicals such as fragrance and flavor compounds, insect pheromones, petrochemicals, pharmaceutical compounds, agrichemical compounds, and the like.

A blender for blending viscous material and additive material by vortex action includes an upper section and a lower section. The upper section has a receiving portion, a viscous material inlet that is in fluid communication with the receiving portion, and an additive inlet that is in fluid communication with the receiving portion. The lower section is attached to and disposed below the upper section, said includes a blending portion that is in fluid communication with the receiving portion of the upper section. The blending portion is shaped so as to facilitate the blending of the additive material entering the receiving portion through the additive inlet with the viscous material entering the receiving portion through the viscous material inlet. The blender includes an outlet for blended material that is in fluid communication with the blending portion of the lower section. A method of blending additive materials with asphalt cement employs a blender having no moving parts that is adapted to blend asphalt cement and additive materials by vortex action.

A method for continuously processing at least two liquid feed streams is provided. A system for continuously processing at least two liquid feed streams is also provided.

Mobile mixing devices, mobile mixing systems, and related methods are provided. A mobile mixing device can include a frame and a mixing drum securable to the frame. The mixing drum can include a body that forms an internal cavity and can have a forward end and a bottom end. The mixing drum can also include a mouth at the forward end of the body that provides access to the internal cavity of the mixing drum. The mobile mixing device can include a heater support arm having a heater secured to an end of the heater support arm that is distal from the mixing drum. The mixing drum can be used to process cement material when the heater support arm is in a stow-away position or asphalt when the heater support arm is in a heating position with the heater facing into the mouth of the mixing drum.

Heat exchange devices (30) and methods of using same are provided. In a general embodiment, the present disclosure provides for heat exchange devices (30) that are cooling devices having a double helical coil (32) in a phase-mixing-cooling section, a helical coil (36) in a phase-separation-cooling section, and a back-pressure valve (34) intermediate the two coils (32,36). The cooling devices provide maximum extraction of the heat content from a heated food product using a direct-injected liquid cryogen, and complete separation of the gaseous cryogen phase from the cooled product, while avoiding the formation of a stable foam. Hybrid direct-indirect cooling devices are also provided, as well as methods for using same.

The present technology discloses a cost-effective, single use bag or container for storing biological substances that incorporates on its inner wall an electronic device that is configured to measure physiological and/or physical parameters of the enclosed biological substances, such as source history, identification, demographics, time stamping, temperature, pH, conductivity, glucose, O.sub.2, CO.sub.2 levels etc. The electronic device of the disclosed bag comprises a sensor configured to measure physiological and/or physical parameters of the biological substances enclosed within the bag, and a radio-frequency (RF) device communicably coupled to the sensor and configured to: (a) acquire from the sensor data associated with the measured parameters, (b) store the acquired sensor data in nonvolatile memory, and (c) communicate the stored data wirelessly to a RF reader.

An improved a device and method for dispersion and simultaneous orientation of nanoparticles within a matrix is provided. A mixer having a shaft and a stator is provided. The shaft may have a rupture region and erosion region. Further, an orienter having an angled stationary plate and a moving plate are provided. The nanoparticles and the matrix are fed into the mixer. A rotational force is applied to the shaft to produce shearing forces. The shearing forces disperse and exfoliate the nanoparticles within the matrix. The dispersed mixture is outputted onto the moving plate. The moving plate is forced across the angled stationary plate to produce fully developed laminar shear flow. The fully developed laminar shear flow or the two-dimensional extensional drag flow orients the dispersed nanoparticles-matrix mixture.