Gas chromatography (GC) column heater

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10067101-B2
Application number	US-201514802864-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2015
Priority date	Sep 13, 2014
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

A gas chromatography (GC) column heating apparatus is described. The GC column heating apparatus includes a first substrate; a heating element disposed over the first substrate; and a second substrate. A gas chromatography (GC) column heating and cooling apparatus is also described. The GC column cooling and heating apparatus includes a housing configured to receive a heating apparatus, the heating apparatus comprising a first side and a second side; a first thermal insulation layer disposed over the first side; a second thermal insulation layer disposed over the second side; and an actuator connected to the housing and configured to move the first and second thermal insulation layers in contact with the first and second sides, respectively, during a heating sequence, and to move the first and second layers of insulation out of contact with the first and second sides, respectively, during a cooling sequence.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a first substrate;
a heating element disposed adjacent to the first substrate; and
a second substrate comprising silicon, the second substrate being disposed adjacent to the heating element, the second substrate having a first side and a second side, wherein the second substrate is capable of transferring heat from the heating element to a gas chromatography column that is in thermal contact with the second substrate;
wherein the heating element is disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a heater assembly, comprising: the heating element disposed between a first intervening layer and a second intervening layer.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the heater assembly is electrically insulated from the substrates.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the heating element comprises a foil heater or a wire heater.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first substrate comprises crystalline silicon.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the crystalline silicon comprises polycrystalline silicon.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second substrate comprises crystalline silicon.

8. An apparatus, comprising:
a first substrate;
a heating element adjacent to the first substrate; and
a second substrate, the second substrate being adjacent to the heating element, the second substrate comprises the following attributes: a volumetric heat capacity less than 3.0×

10
6

⁢

J

m
3

⁢
K

⁢

⁢
at
⁢

⁢
25
⁢
°
⁢

⁢

C
.

;

 a thermal conductivity greater than

100
⁢

W
mK

⁢

⁢
at
⁢

⁢
25
⁢
°
⁢

⁢

C
.

;

 a ratio of thermal conductivity to coefficient of thermal expansion greater than approximately

25
×

10
6

⁢

W
m

⁢

⁢
at
⁢

⁢
25
⁢
°
⁢

⁢

C
.

;

 and a mechanical stiffness greater than 100 GPa, wherein the second substrate is capable of transferring heat from the heating element to a gas chromatography column that is in thermal contact with the second substrate.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising a heater assembly, comprising: the heating element disposed between a first layer and a second intervening layer.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the second substrate comprises aluminum nitride, diamond, silicon carbide, tungsten, molybdenum, an alloy of tungsten, an alloy of molybdenum, or combination thereof.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the heating element comprises a foil heater or a wire heater.

12. An apparatus, comprising:
a housing configured to receive a column heating apparatus, the column heating apparatus comprising a first side and a second side;
a first thermal insulation layer adjacent to the first side;
a second thermal insulation layer adjacent to the second side;
a heater assembly disposed within the first side and the second side; and
an actuator connected to the housing and configured to move the first and second thermal insulation layers in contact with the first and second sides, respectively, during a heating sequence, and to move the first and second thermal insulation layers out of contact with the first and second sides, respectively, during a cooling sequence.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein during the cooling sequence, channels formed between the thermal insulation layers and the housing and between the heater assembly and interior wall of the insulation layers are configured to allow cooling fluid to pass through and reduce the temperature of the column heating apparatus.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising one or more fans connected to the housing, wherein the one or more fans are configured to force the cooling fluid through the first channels.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the column heating apparatus comprises:
a first substrate;
a heater assembly adjacent to the first substrate;
a second substrate adjacent to the heater assembly, the second substrate having a first side and a second side, the second side configured to have the gas chromatography column in thermal contact therewith, wherein heat from the heater assembly is transferred through the second substrate and substantially uniformly heats the gas chromatography column contacting the second substrate.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising a heater assembly, comprising: the heating element disposed between a first intervening layer and a second intervening layer.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the heater assembly is electrically insulated from the substrates.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the heating element comprises a foil heater or a wire heater.

19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the second substrate comprises crystalline silicon.

20. An apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the second substrate comprises the following attributes: a volumetric heat capacity less than

3.0
×

10
6

Assignees

• Agilent Technologies Inc
• Agilent Tech

Inventors

• Traudt Sammye Elizabeth
• White Richard P
• Wilson William H
• Dryden Paul C
• Leous Jane Ann

Classifications

• G01N2030/025

  Gas chromatography · CPC title

• G01N30/6095

  Micromachined or nanomachined, e.g. micro- or nanosize · CPC title

• G01N30/54 Primary

  Temperature · CPC title

• G01N30/30

  of temperature · CPC title