Column manager with a multi-zone thermal system for use in liquid chromatography

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9546986-B2
Application number	US-201214232681-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2012
Priority date	Aug 19, 2011
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

A thermal system for use in a column manager of a liquid chromatography system comprises a plurality of spatially separated individually controlled thermoelectric chips. A column module houses a plurality of thermally conductive troughs. Each trough resides in a separate thermal zone to be thermally conditioned individually by one of the individually controlled thermoelectric chips. Each trough is adapted to hold one or more liquid chromatography columns therein. A plurality of spatially separated thermal bridges includes a first thermal bridge thermally coupling one of the thermoelectric chips to a first one of the plurality of troughs and a second thermal bridge of the plurality of thermal bridges thermally coupling another of the thermoelectric chips to a second one of the plurality of troughs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal system for use in a column manager of a liquid chromatography system, comprising:
a plurality of spatially separated individually controlled thermoelectric chips;
a column module housing a plurality of thermally conductive troughs, each trough residing in a separate thermal zone to be thermally conditioned individually by one of the individually controlled thermoelectric chips, each trough being adapted to hold one or more liquid chromatography columns therein; and
a plurality of spatially separated thermal bridges, a first thermal bridge of the plurality of thermal bridges thermally coupling one of the thermoelectric chips to a first one of the plurality of troughs, and a second thermal bridge of the plurality of thermal bridges thermally coupling another of the thermoelectric chips to a second one of the plurality of troughs; and
the first thermal bridge having a substantially similar shape and size as the second thermal bridge being physically connected to the column module in an inverse position with respect to the second thermal bridge.

2. The thermal system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a heatsink thermally coupled to and shared by the plurality of spatially separated individually controlled thermoelectric chips; and
a fan coupled to the heatsink, moving air over the heatsink.

3. The thermal system of claim 1 , further comprising insulation disposed between neighboring thermoelectric chips to thermally isolate each thermoelectric chip from each neighboring thermoelectric chip.

4. The thermal system of claim 3 , wherein a direction of thermal isolation of the thermoelectric chips is orthogonal to a direction of thermal isolation of the thermal zones.

5. The thermal system of claim 1 , wherein each thermoelectric chip is capable of individually thermally conditioning the trough to which that thermoelectric chip is thermally coupled to a temperature in a range of approximately 4 to 90 degrees Centigrade.

6. The thermal system of claim 1 , further comprising a pre-column solvent heater disposed adjacent to one end of each trough.

7. The thermal system of claim 1 , wherein each trough is surrounded on three sides by its own outer shell for capturing moisture, the outer shell having a drain for channeling captured moisture out of the column module.

8. The thermal system of claim 7 , wherein each outer shell has a plurality of apertures that exposes sections of the trough surrounded by the outer shell, each exposed section of each trough providing a contact region to which a given thermal bridge may physically and thermally couple; and wherein the column module has a panel that covers all but one exposed section of each trough.

9. The thermal system of claim 1 , further comprising a thermostat thermally coupled to one of the thermal bridges and included in an electrical circuit of the thermoelectric chip coupled to that thermal bridge.

10. A liquid chromatography system, comprising:
a column manager receiving a solvent composition to be delivered to a liquid chromatography column, the column manager including a thermal system providing a multi-zone thermal environment for a plurality of liquid chromatography columns, the thermal system comprising:
a plurality of spatially separated individually controlled thermoelectric chips;
a column module housing a plurality of thermally conductive troughs, each trough residing in a separate thermal zone to be thermally conditioned individually by one of the individually controlled thermoelectric chips, each trough being adapted to hold one or more liquid chromatography columns therein; and
a plurality of spatially separated thermal bridges, a first thermal bridge of the plurality of thermal bridges thermally coupling one of the thermoelectric chips to a first one of the plurality of troughs, and a second thermal bridge of the plurality of thermal bridges thermally coupling another of the thermoelectric chips to a second one of the plurality of troughs; and
the first thermal bridge having a substantially similar shape and size as the second thermal bridge being physically connected to the column module in an inverse position with respect to the second thermal bridge.

11. The liquid chromatography system of claim 10 , wherein the thermal system further comprises:
a heatsink thermally coupled to and shared by the plurality of spatially separated individually controlled thermoelectric chips; and
a fan coupled to the heatsink, moving air over the heatsink.

12. The liquid chromatography system of claim 10 , wherein the thermal system further comprises insulation disposed between neighboring thermoelectric chips to thermally isolate each thermoelectric chip from each neighboring thermoelectric chip.

13. The liquid chromatography system of claim 12 , wherein a direction of thermal isolation of the thermoelectric chips is orthogonal to a direction of thermal isolation of the thermal zones.

14. The liquid chromatography system of claim 10 , wherein each thermoelectric chip is capable of individually thermally conditioning the trough to which that thermoelectric chip is coupled to a temperature in a range of approximately 10 to 90 degrees Centigrade.

15. The liquid chromatography system of claim 10 , wherein the thermal system further comprises a pre-column solvent heater disposed adjacent to one end of each trough.

16. The liquid chromatography system of claim 10 , wherein each trough is surrounded on three sides by its own outer shell for capturing moisture, the outer shell having a drain for channeling captured moisture out of the column module.

17. The liquid chromatography system of claim 16 , wherein each outer shell has a plurality of apertures that exposes sections of the trough surrounded by the outer shell, each exposed section of each trough providing a contact region to which a given thermal bridge may physically and thermally couple; and wherein the column module has a panel that covers all but one exposed section of each trough.

18. The liquid chromatography system of claim 10 , wherein the thermal system further comprises a thermostat thermally coupled to one of the thermal bridges and included in an electrical circuit of the thermoelectric chip coupled to that thermal bridge.

19. The liquid chromatography system of claim 10 , further comprising insulation disposed between neighboring thermoelectric chips.

20. A thermal system for use in a column manager of a liquid chromatography system, comprising:
a plurality of spatially separated individually controlled thermoelectric chips;
a column module housing a plurality of thermally conductive troughs, each trough residing in a separate thermal zone to be thermally conditioned individually by one of the individually controlled thermoelectric chips, each trough being adapted to hold one or more liquid chromatography columns therein; and
a plurality of spatially separated thermal bridges, a first thermal bridge of the plurality of thermal bridges thermally coupling one of the thermoelectric chips to a first one of the plurality of troughs, and a second thermal bridge of the plurality of thermal bridges thermally coupling another of the thermoelectric chips to a second one of the plurality of troughs;
wherein each trough is surrounded on three sides by an outer shell for capturing moisture, the outer shell having a drain for channeling captured moisture out of the column module.

21. A liquid chromatography system, comprising:
a column manager receiving a solvent comp

Assignees

• Shreve Joshua A
• Maillet John
• Maillet Maria
• Waters Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Shreve Joshua A
• Maillet John

Classifications

• G01N30/466

  with separation columns in parallel · CPC title

• G01N30/6047

  with supporting means; Holders · CPC title

• G01N30/54

  Temperature · CPC title

• G01N2030/8881

  Modular construction, specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• G01N2030/303

  using peltier elements · CPC title