Quartz Flow Cuvette with a Three-Way Valve: Managing Sample Access

Use and purpose · Specifications · In practice · Custom example · Buy or enquire

What the valve adds to a cuvette

An open-top cuvette is usually approached directly for filling and retrieval. Adding an upper valve creates a different route into the proposed fluid arrangement. The relevant design questions become where the lines attach, which route is used at each step and where the valve can be operated.

The three-way description identifies the valve form, but the intended port assignments belong to the assembly. A labelled route sketch can describe loading, exchange or isolation steps without assuming a flow direction from the product photograph.

C104WE1 configuration

Keep the lower optical body as a stable reference

The reference has a square bottom and four-way optical access. The bottom and side contacts can locate the measurement region independently of the space occupied by the upper valve. That separation is useful when adapting a connected cell to a holder originally designed around an upright cuvette.

The nominal 3.5 mL capacity describes the chamber configuration. Connected tubing and the operating sequence add their own liquid requirements, so the cell capacity alone is not a sample budget for the complete route.

Design for operating the valve, not just closing the compartment

A stationary outline can miss the part of the handle's sweep needed during use. The side connection, upper connection and hand or tool operating the valve also approach from different directions. A layout that shows those movements is more useful than an overall height alone.

This form is a starting point when upper valve access serves the procedure. Where that access is unnecessary or cannot fit the compartment, a simpler port or closure arrangement may better match the task.

A custom example: turn the side line away from a bracket

ILLUSTRATIVE DESIGN EXAMPLE

Suppose the square-bottom cell fits the holder, but a side line meets an adjacent bracket. A proposed upper assembly can retain the 10 mm optical region while changing the connection orientation. The drawing keeps the required valve movements and both line approaches visible, rather than moving the optical body simply to make the line fit.