The syringe pump is an adjustable device generating a flow rate by volume displacement of liquid in the syringe body. The flow rate is calculated according to the section and the speed of the piston movement Q=S_{piston}\times \nu _{piston}.
The pressure applied to the assembly is not controlled and depends on its fluidic resistance. It can reach high values (>100 bar) for small volume syringes, high flow rate, or high fluid resistance assembly (viscous liquids and small channel dimensions).
With a syringe pump, the stabilization time can be long. This may be caused by the compliance of the walls of the syringe used, and to a lesser extent, by the type of tubing used.
Figure 1: (A) The InfusionONE Syringe pump NE-300 and (B) The SyringeONE Syringe pump NE-1000 from New Era
Features of NE-300 and NE-1000 New Era syringe pumps
The InfusionONE Syringe pump NE-300 from New Era
The InfusionONE 1-way syringe pump is easy to use with a 3-step operation. Unit, speed, and direction of flow are user-programmable.
- Syringe volume: up to 60 mL
- Syringe inside diameter range: from 0.100 to 50 mm
- Flow range: from 0.73 µl/hr to 1500 ml/hr
- Flow accuracy: +/- 1 %
The SyringeONE Syringe pump NE-1000 from New Era
The SyringeONE pump is fully programmable standalone or through a computer. According to the user’s needs, the SyringeONE is available in different versions depending on the number of channels and linear force. We will focus here on the standard version (NE-2000).
- Syringe volume: up to 140 mL
- Flow range: from 8 pL/h to 1961 mL/min
- Flow accuracy: +/- 1%
Flow accuracy measurement tests
For our tests, we chose to compare two New Era syringe pumps: the NE-300 and the NE-1000. The New Era Pump Systems series of syringe pumps are a cost-effective solution to dispense a precise control of fluid. Our aim here is to compare the accuracy with which the two syringe pumps deliver the flow from a set value of flow rate (from 50 to 500 µl/min). A syringe of 2.5 mL is used on each syringe pump, the accuracy is measured using the Elveflow MFS4 flow sensor.
At low flow rates, the two syringe pumps seem to have the same sensitivity, especially after a stabilisation period of about 4 seconds. Overall, at 50 µl/min, both syringe pumps deliver flow rates 5% higher than the set value.
For an intermediate value of 100 µl/min, the NE-1000 seems more appropriate as it has a flow profile that is generally less than 2% deviation from the value of 100 µl/min.
Finally, for high values, the NE-1000 syringe pump remains the most accurate instrument in terms of flow rate with an overall deviation profile of less than 2%.
Obviously, the choice of the instrument and its accuracy will depend on your application. New Era syringe pumps are robust and high-performance instruments, with an excellent price/performance ratio.