Suppressor diagnostic tool

Abstract

Scientific instrument support systems and related methods, computing devices, and computer readable media are disclosed herein. For example, in some embodiments, a scientific instrument support device includes: chromatogram logic to calculate a square of a retention time and a peak width variance for each of a plurality of peaks in a chromatogram; a board calculation logic section for calculating the number of expected boards and the number of observed boards; and suppressor state logic for determining and displaying a suppressor state based on a ratio (O / E ratio) of the observed number of plates to the expected number of plates.

Description

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the priority of co - pending U.S. Non - Provisional Application No. 18 / 060,542, filed on November 30, 2022. Background Art

[0003] Ion chromatography (IC) is a well - established analytical technique and has been the method of choice for determining inorganic anions and small organic anions for about the past 40 years. IC is also widely used for determining inorganic cations, as well as carbohydrates and amino acids.

[0004] A suppressor is one of the components in an IC system. The function of the suppressor is to reduce the background conductivity of the eluent through an ion - exchange process and increase the conductivity of the analyte, thereby enhancing the response of subsequent conductivity detection. The most popular commercial suppressors are in the form of a three - channel sandwich design, in which the eluent channel that transports the sample is separated from the side - located regenerant channels that transport water streams by two ion - exchange membranes. Flat electrodes are placed in each of the regenerant channels in the regenerant channels. A constant current passes between the two electrodes. The electrolysis of water in the regenerant channels produces hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions for the suppression of the eluent. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0005] Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For ease of description, the same reference numerals denote the same structural elements. The embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

[0006] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an example scientific instrument support module for performing support operations according to various embodiments.

[0007] Figure 2 is a flowchart of an example method for performing support operations according to various embodiments.

[0008] Figure 3 is an example of a graphical user interface that can be used to perform some or all of the support methods disclosed herein according to various embodiments.

[0009] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an example computing device that can execute some or all of the scientific instrument support methods disclosed herein according to various embodiments.

[0010] Figure 5is a block diagram of an example scientific instrument support system in which some or all of the scientific instrument support methods disclosed herein can be implemented according to various embodiments.

[0011] Figure 6 is a flowchart of an example method for determining the state of a suppressor according to various embodiments.

[0012] Figure 7 is a diagram of a chromatography system including an electrolytic suppressor according to various embodiments.

[0013] Figure 8A 、 Figure 8B 、 Figure 8C 、 Figure 8D and Figure 8E are chromatograms illustrating various examples of suppressor states according to various embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Disclosed herein are scientific instrument support systems and related methods, computing devices, and computer-readable media. For example, in some embodiments, a scientific instrument support apparatus includes: chromatogram logic for calculating the sum of the squares of the retention times and the peak width variances of each of a plurality of peaks in a chromatogram; plate calculation logic for calculating an expected plate number and an observed plate number; and suppressor state logic for determining a suppressor state based on a ratio of the observed plate number to the expected plate number (O / E ratio) and displaying the state.

[0015] The scientific instrument support embodiments disclosed herein can achieve improved performance relative to conventional methods. For example, a typical operator uses a single suppressor over a given period of time. The suppressor degrades slowly over time until the end of its life. However, the end of life is typically perceived by the operator as sudden because the operator cannot evaluate the gradual degradation during the suppressor's life. The embodiments disclosed herein provide a way for the operator to monitor the performance of the suppressor over time and even plan for replacement within a given period. Thus, the embodiments disclosed herein provide improvements to scientific instrument technology (e.g., improvements in the computer technology supporting such scientific instruments, and other improvements).

[0016] The various embodiments disclosed herein can improve conventional methods to achieve the technical advantage of reducing instrument downtime by performing the following operations: evaluating the degradation of the suppressor over time, thereby allowing for scheduled replacement rather than sudden replacement. Such technical advantages cannot be achieved by routine and conventional methods, and all users of systems including such embodiments can benefit from these advantages (e.g., by assisting users in performing technical tasks such as replacing the suppressor through a guided human-machine interaction process). Therefore, the technical features of the embodiments disclosed herein are clearly unconventional in the field of ion chromatography, as are the combinations of features of the embodiments disclosed herein. The computing and user interface features disclosed herein not only involve the collection and comparison of information, but also apply new analytical and technical means to guide the user in replacing the suppressor. Therefore, the present disclosure introduces functions that cannot be performed by conventional computing devices or humans.

[0017] Accordingly, the embodiments of the present disclosure can serve any of a variety of technical purposes, such as controlling a particular technical system or process, or determining how to control a machine based on measurements. Specifically, the present disclosure provides technical solutions to technical problems, including but not limited to monitoring suppressor degradation and predicting suppressor failures. This allows the user to schedule the replacement of the suppressor before a failure, thereby reducing downtime. Additionally, since monitoring suppressor degradation provides data-driven information about the state of the suppressor, premature replacement of the suppressor based on the number of time-based or performance-based analyses can be reduced. That is, monitoring suppressor degradation as described herein can reduce unexpected downtime and waste.

[0018] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description, in which like reference numerals always indicate like parts, and in which embodiments that may be practiced are shown by way of illustration. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the following detailed description should not be taken in a limiting sense.

[0019] The various operations may be described sequentially in the manner that is most helpful in understanding the subject matter disclosed herein as a number of discrete actions or operations. However, the order of description should not be construed as implying that these operations must be order-dependent. Specifically, these operations may not be performed in the order presented. The described operations may be performed in an order different from the described embodiments. Various additional operations may be performed, and / or the described operations may be omitted in additional embodiments.

[0020] For purposes of this disclosure, the phrases “A and / or B” and “A or B” mean (A), (B), or (A and B). For purposes of this disclosure, the phrases “A, B, and / or C” and “A, B, or C” mean (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C). Although some elements may be recited in the singular (e.g., “processing device”), any suitable element may be represented by multiple instances of that element, and vice versa. For example, a set of operations described as being performed by a processing device may be implemented as different operations of these operations being performed by different processing devices. As used herein, the phrase “based on” should be understood to mean “at least partially based on” unless otherwise specified.

[0021] This specification uses the phrases “an embodiment,” “various embodiments,” and “some embodiments,” each of which may refer to one or more embodiments in the same or different embodiments. Additionally, terms such as “including,” “comprising,” “having,” etc., as used with respect to embodiments of this disclosure are synonymous. When used to describe a range of dimensions, the phrase “between X and Y” represents a range that includes X and Y. As used herein, “device” may refer to any individual device, a collection of devices, parts of a device, or a collection of parts of a device. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0022] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a scientific instrument support module 1000 for performing support operations according to various embodiments. The scientific instrument support module 1000 may be implemented by circuitry (e.g., including electrical components and / or optical components) such as a programmed computing device. The logical components of the scientific instrument support module 1000 may be included in a single computing device or distributed across multiple computing devices that communicate with each other as appropriate. Reference is made herein to Figure 4 the computing device 4000 discussed examples of computing devices that may implement the scientific instrument support module 1000 individually or in combination, and reference is made herein to Figure 5 the scientific instrument support system 5000 discussed examples of systems of interconnected computing devices across one or more of which the scientific instrument support module 1000 may be implemented.

[0023] The scientific instrument support module 1000 may include a first logic component 1002, a second logic component 1004, and a third logic component 1006. As used herein, the term "logic component" may include a device that is to perform a set of operations associated with that logic component. For example, any of the logic elements included in the support module 1000 may be implemented by one or more computing devices programmed with instructions to cause one or more processing devices of the computing device to perform a related set of operations. In a particular embodiment, the logic element may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processing devices of one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform a related set of operations. As used herein, the term "module" may refer to a collection of one or more logic elements that together perform functions associated with the module. Different logic elements within a module may take the same form or may take different forms. For example, some of the logic components within a module may be implemented by a programmed general-purpose processing device, while other logic components within the module may be implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In another example, different logic elements within a module may be associated with different instruction sets executed by one or more processing devices. A module may not include all of the logic elements depicted in the associated drawings; for example, when the module is to perform a subset of the operations discussed herein with reference to the module, the module may include a subset of the logic elements depicted in the associated drawings.

[0024] The first logic component 1002 may determine the retention time and peak width variance of a chromatogram. In various embodiments, the first logic component 1002 may obtain a chromatogram, obtain the retention times and peak widths of a plurality of peaks in the chromatogram, and calculate the square of the retention time (t r 2 ) and the peak width variance (σ 2 ). In various embodiments, the peak width may be the width measured at half of the maximum peak intensity.

[0025] The second logic component 1004 may determine the ratio of the observed plate number to the expected plate number. In various embodiments, the second logic component 1004 may select a peak of interest. The peak of interest may be a homologous peak that interacts similarly with the column. For example, the peak of interest may be selected by selecting a set of 3 or more peaks, where the determination coefficient (R 2 ) of the selected peaks is at least about 0.9, such as at least about 0.99, and even at least about 0.995 to about 1.0. Then, the second logic component may calculate the expected plate number (N exp ) and the observed plate number (N obs) The expected plate count can be determined by the slope of t when fitting the peak of interest with a forced 0,0 intercept r 2 versus σ 2 The observed plate count can be calculated using t r 2 / σ 2 for the first elution peak from the selected peaks. Once the observed and expected plate counts are calculated, the O / E ratio can be calculated as N obs / N exp .

[0026] A third logic component 1006 can determine the status of the suppressor and provide a notification to the user. In various embodiments, the third logic component 1006 can determine the status based on the O / E ratio. When the O / E ratio is low, the third logic component 1006 can determine that the suppressor is in a faulty state and notify the user that the suppressor should be replaced. When the O / E ratio is high, the third logic component 1006 can determine that the suppressor is in a normal operating state. When the O / E ratio has an intermediate value between the low and high values, the third logic component 1006 can determine an intermediate state and indicate to the user that replacement or preparation for replacement of the suppressor should be considered, such as by ordering a replacement suppressor. For example, when the O / E ratio is higher than 0.7, the suppressor may be in a normal operating state, and when the O / E ratio is lower than 0.5, the suppressor may be in a faulty state and need replacement. When the O / E ratio is between 0.5 and 0.7, the suppressor may be in an intermediate state and the user should consider replacement. In various embodiments, the third logic component 1006 can estimate the remaining life of the suppressor, such as time or number of samples, and provide a decreasing count to the operator. In some embodiments, the O / E ratio history of the suppressor can be used to estimate the remaining life to determine the rate at which the O / E ratio is approaching the fault state threshold

[0027] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a method 2000 for performing support operations according to various embodiments. Although the operations may be illustrated in a particular order and each only once herein with reference to specific embodiments disclosed herein (e.g., the scientific instrument support module 1000 discussed herein with reference to Figure 1 the GUI 3000 discussed herein with reference to Figure 3 the computing device 4000 discussed herein with reference to Figure 4 and / or the scientific instrument support system 5000 discussed herein with reference to Figure 5 ), the method 2000 can be used in any suitable setting to perform any suitable support operations. The operations are illustrated in a particular order and each only once herein for purposes of example, but the operations can be reordered and / or repeated as needed and as appropriate (e.g., different operations can be performed in parallel in suitable circumstances Figure 2 ).

[0028] At 2002, a first operation may be performed. For example, the first logic component 1002 of the support module 1000 may perform the operation of 2002. The first operation may include obtaining a chromatogram, obtaining retention times and peak widths of a plurality of peaks in the chromatogram, and calculating the square of the retention time (t r 2 ) and peak width variance (σ 2 ).

[0029] At 2004, a second operation may be performed. For example, the second logic component 1004 of the support module 1000 may perform the operation of 2004. The second operation may include selecting a peak of interest, calculating an expected plate number (N exp ) and the number of observation plates (N obs ), and calculate the O / E ratio (N obs / N exp ).

[0030] At 2006, a third operation may be performed. For example, the third logic component 1006 of the support module 1000 may perform the operation of 2006. The third operation may include determining the status of the suppressor based on the O / E ratio and providing a notification to the user. The third operation may also provide the user with an estimate of the remaining life of the suppressor.

[0031] The scientific instrument support methods disclosed herein may include (e.g., as described herein with reference to Figure 5 The user local computing device 5020 discussed above) interacts with a human user. These interactions may include providing information to the user (e.g., about scientific instruments (such as Figure 5 information about the operation of a scientific instrument 5010), information about samples being analyzed or other tests or measurements performed by the scientific instrument, information retrieved from a local or remote database, or other information) or to provide a user with a means for inputting commands (e.g., for controlling a scientific instrument such as Figure 5 In some embodiments, these interactions may be performed through a graphical user interface (GUI) that includes a display device (e.g., a graphical user interface such as a display device such as a display device such as a display device such as a display device such as a display device such as a computer program product such as a computer program product, or a display device such as a computer program product, ... such as a computer program product, and a display device such as a computer program product, such as a computer program product, and a display device such as a computer program product, such as a computer program product, and a display device such as a computer program product, such as a computer program product, and a display device such as a computer program product, such as a computer program Figure 4 A visual display on a display device 4010 discussed herein that is provided to a user (e.g., via a display device 4010 referred to herein). Figure 4 One or more input devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, trackpad, or touch screen, included in the other I / O devices 4012 discussed provide output and / or prompt the user to provide input. The scientific instrument support system disclosed herein may include any suitable GUI for interacting with the user.

[0032] Figure 3 depicts an example GUI 3000 according to various embodiments that can be used to perform some or all of the support methods disclosed herein. As described above, the GUI 3000 can be provided on a display device of a computing device (e.g., the computing device 4000 discussed herein with reference to Figure 5 ), of a scientific instrument support system (e.g., the scientific instrument support system 5000 discussed herein with reference to Figure 4 ), and a user can interact with the GUI 3000 using any suitable input device (e.g., any input device among the input devices included in the other I / O devices 4012 discussed herein with reference to Figure 4 ) and input techniques (e.g., cursor movement, motion capture, face recognition, gesture detection, voice recognition, button actuation, etc.). Figure 4

[0033] The GUI 3000 can include a data display area 3002, a data analysis area 3004, a scientific instrument control area 3006, and a settings area 3008. Figure 3 The specific number and arrangement of the areas depicted in [[ ]] are merely illustrative, and any number and arrangement of areas (including any desired features) can be included in the GUI 3000.

[0034] The data display area 3002 can display data generated by a scientific instrument (e.g., the scientific instrument 5010 discussed herein with reference to Figure 5 ). For example, the data display area 3002 can display a chromatogram.

[0035] The data analysis area 3004 can display the results of data analysis (e.g., the results of analyzing the data illustrated in the data display area 3002 and / or other data). For example, the data analysis area 3004 can display the retention time, peak height, and peak width of the peaks identified from the chromatogram. In various embodiments, the data analysis area 3004 can also include an indication of the suppressor state. The indication of the suppressor state can be a simple green / yellow / red indicator. In various embodiments, the status indicator can also include an indicator of the estimated time to failure state, particularly if the status is in the yellow / intermediate state. In some embodiments, the data display area 3002 and the data analysis area 3004 can be combined in the GUI 3000 (e.g., to include the data output from the scientific instrument and some analysis of the data in a common graph or area).

[0036] The scientific instrument control area 3006 can include allowing the user to control the scientific instrument (e.g., the scientific instrument discussed herein with reference to Figure 5 ​Options for the scientific instrument 5010 being discussed. For example, the scientific instrument control region 3006 can include settings for flow rate, gradient, and other operating parameters of the scientific instrument.

[0037] The settings region 3008 can include options that allow the user to control the features and functions of the GUI 3000 (and / or other GUIs) and / or perform common computational operations with respect to the data display region 3002 and the data analysis region 3004 (e.g., saving data on a storage device (such as the storage device 4004 discussed herein), transmitting data to another user, tagging data, etc.). Figure 4 as discussed herein), transmitting data to another user, tagging the data, etc.).

[0038] As noted above, the scientific instrument support module 1000 can be implemented by one or more computing devices. Figure 4 is a block diagram of a computing device 4000 that can perform some or all of the scientific instrument support methods disclosed herein according to various embodiments. In some embodiments, the scientific instrument support module 1000 can be implemented by a single computing device 4000 or by multiple computing devices 4000. Additionally, as discussed below, the computing device 4000 (or multiple computing devices 4000) that implements the scientific instrument support module 1000 can be Figure 5 a part of one or more of the scientific instrument 5010, the user local computing device 5020, the service local computing device 5030, or the remote computing device 5040.

[0039] Figure 4 The computing device 4000 is illustrated as having multiple components, but any one or more of these components can be omitted or duplicated depending on the suitability for the application and the settings. In some embodiments, some or all of the components included in the computing device 4000 can be attached to one or more motherboards and encapsulated in a housing (e.g., including plastic, metal, and / or other materials). In some embodiments, some of these components can be fabricated on a single system-on-chip (SoC) (e.g., the SoC can include one or more processing devices 4002 and one or more storage devices 4004). Additionally, in various embodiments, the computing device 4000 may not include Figure 4One or more of the illustrated components, but may include interface circuitry (not shown) for coupling to one or more components using any suitable interface (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) interface, Controller Area Network (CAN) interface, Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) interface, Ethernet interface, wireless interface, or any other suitable interface). For example, computing device 4000 may not include display device 4010, but may include display device interface circuitry (e.g., connectors and driver circuitry) to which display device 4010 may be coupled.

[0040] Computing device 4000 may include a processing device 4002 (e.g., one or more processing devices). As used herein, the term "processing device" may refer to any device or portion of a device that processes electronic data from registers and / or memory to transform that electronic data into other electronic data that may be stored in registers and / or memory. Processing device 4002 may include one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), cryptographic processors (specialized processors that execute cryptographic algorithms in hardware), server processors, or any other suitable processing device.

[0041] Computing device 4000 may include a storage device 4004 (e.g., one or more storage devices). Storage device 4004 may include one or more memory devices, such as random access memory (RAM) (e.g., static RAM (SRAM) devices, magnetic RAM (MRAM) devices, dynamic RAM (DRAM) devices, resistive RAM (RRAM) devices, or conductive-bridge RAM (CBRAM) devices), hard-drive-based memory devices, solid-state memory devices, network drives, cloud drives, or any combination of memory devices. In some embodiments, storage device 4004 may include a memory that shares a die with processing device 4002. In such embodiments, the memory may be used as a cache memory and may include, for example, embedded dynamic random access memory (eDRAM) or spin-transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM). In some embodiments, storage device 4004 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions that, when executed by one or more processing devices (e.g., processing device 4002), cause computing device 4000 to perform any suitable method or portion of the methods disclosed herein.

[0042] The computing device 4000 may include an interface device 4006 (e.g., one or more interface devices 4006). The interface device 4006 may include one or more communication chips, connectors, and / or other hardware and software to manage communication between the computing device 4000 and other computing devices. For example, the interface device 4006 may include circuitry for managing wireless communication that is used to transfer data to and from the computing device 4000. The term “wireless” and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques, communication channels, etc., that can convey data by using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. The term does not imply that the associated devices do not contain any wires, although in some embodiments they may not contain any wires. The circuitry for managing wireless communication included in the interface device 4006 may implement any one of a plurality of wireless standards or protocols, including but not limited to Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards, including Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 family), IEEE 802.16 standards (e.g., IEEE 802.16-2005 amendment), Long Term Evolution (LTE) project, and any amendments, updates, and / or revisions (e.g., LTE-Advanced project, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) project (also known as “3GPP2”), etc.). In some embodiments, the circuitry for managing wireless communication included in the interface device 4006 may operate according to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Evolved HSPA (E-HSPA), or LTE networks. In some embodiments, the circuitry for managing wireless communication included in the interface device 4006 may operate according to Enhanced Data GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), or Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN). In some embodiments, the circuitry for managing wireless communication included in the interface device 4006 may operate according to Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), and their derivative protocols, and any other wireless protocols designated as 3G, 4G, 5G, and higher generations, etc. In some embodiments, the interface device 4006 may include one or more antennas (e.g., one or more antenna arrays) for receiving and / or transmitting wireless communication.

[0043] In some embodiments, interface device 4006 may include circuitry for managing wired communications, such as electrical communication protocols, optical communication protocols, or any other suitable communication protocol. For example, interface device 4006 may include circuitry that supports communication according to Ethernet technology. In some embodiments, interface device 4006 may support both wireless and wired communications and / or may support multiple wired communication protocols and / or multiple wireless communication protocols. For example, a first set of circuitry of interface device 4006 may be dedicated to short-range wireless communications such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, while a second set of circuitry of interface device 4006 may be dedicated to long-range wireless communications such as Global Positioning System (GPS), EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, EV-DO, etc. In some embodiments, a first set of circuitry of interface device 4006 may be dedicated to wireless communications, while a second set of circuitry of interface device 4006 may be dedicated to wired communications.

[0044] Computing device 4000 may include battery / power circuitry 4008. Battery / power circuitry 4008 may include one or more energy storage devices (e.g., batteries or capacitors), and / or circuitry for coupling components of computing device 4000 to an energy source separate from computing device 4000 (e.g., an AC line power source).

[0045] Computing device 4000 may include a display device 4010 (e.g., multiple display devices). Display device 4010 may include any visual indicator, such as a heads-up display, computer monitor, projector, touchscreen display, liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode display, or flat panel display.

[0046] Computing device 4000 may include other input / output (I / O) devices 4012. Other I / O devices 4012 may include, for example, one or more audio output devices (e.g., speakers, headphones, earbuds, sirens, etc.), one or more audio input devices (e.g., microphones or microphone arrays), positioning devices (e.g., GPS devices that communicate with satellite-based systems as known in the art to receive the location of computing device 4000), audio codecs, video codecs, printers, sensors (e.g., thermocouples or other temperature sensors, humidity sensors, pressure sensors, vibration sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.), image capture devices such as cameras, keyboards, cursor control devices such as mice, styli, trackballs, or touchpads, barcode readers, quick response (QR) code readers, or radio frequency identification (RFID) readers.

[0047] The computing device 4000 can have any suitable form factor appropriate for its applications and settings, such as a handheld or mobile computing device (e.g., a cellular phone, smartphone, mobile Internet device, tablet computer, laptop computer, netbook computer, ultrabook computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), ultra-mobile personal computer, etc.), a desktop computing device, or a server computing device or other networked computing components.

[0048] One or more computing devices implementing any of the scientific instrument support modules or methods disclosed herein can be part of a scientific instrument support system. Figure 5 FIG. 5000 is a block diagram of an example scientific instrument support system in which some or all of the scientific instrument support methods disclosed herein can be executed according to various embodiments. The scientific instrument support modules and methods disclosed herein (e.g., Figure 1 the scientific instrument support module 1000 of Figure 2 and

[0049] the method 2000 of Figure 4 can be implemented by one or more of the scientific instrument 5010, the user local computing device 5020, the service local computing device 5030, or the remote computing device 5040 of the scientific instrument support system 5000. Figure 4 Any one of the scientific instrument 5010, the user local computing device 5020, the service local computing device 5030, or the remote computing device 5040 can include any of the embodiments of the computing device 4000 discussed herein with reference to

[0050] and any one of the scientific instrument 5010, the user local computing device 5020, the service local computing device 5030, or the remote computing device 5040 can take the form of any suitable embodiment of the computing device 4000 discussed herein with reference to Figure 4 Any one of the scientific instrument 5010, the user local computing device 5020, the service local computing device 5030, or the remote computing device 5040 can include a processing device 5002, a storage device 5004, and an interface device 5006. The processing device 5002 can take any suitable form, including any of the processing devices of the processing device 4002 discussed herein with reference to Figure 4Any form of storage device in the storage device 4004 under discussion, and the storage device 5004 in different devices including in the scientific instrument 5010, the user local computing device 5020, the service local computing device 5030 or the remote computing device 5040 can take the same form or different forms. The interface device 5006 can take any suitable form, including the interface device in any interface device 4006 under discussion in this article, and the interface device 5006 in different devices including in the scientific instrument 5010, the user local computing device 5020, the service local computing device 5030 or the remote computing device 5040 can take the same form or different forms. Figure 4 Any form of interface device in the interface device 4006 under discussion, and the interface device 5006 in different devices including in the scientific instrument 5010, the user local computing device 5020, the service local computing device 5030 or the remote computing device 5040 can take the same form or different forms.

[0051] The scientific instrument 5010, the user local computing device 5020, the service local computing device 5030 and the remote computing device 5040 can communicate with other elements of the scientific instrument support system 5000 via the communication path 5008. The communication path 5008 can communicatively couple the interface devices 5006 of different elements in the elements of the scientific instrument support system 5000 (as shown in the figure), and can be a wired or wireless communication path (for example, according to any communication technology in the communication technologies under discussion of the interface device 4006 of the computing device 4000 in this article). Figure 4 Any communication technology in the communication technologies under discussion of the interface device 4006 of the computing device 4000 in this article). Figure 5 The specific scientific instrument support system 5000 depicted in includes communication paths between each pair of devices among the scientific instrument 5010, the user local computing device 5020, the service local computing device 5030 and the remote computing device 5040, but this specific implementation of "fully connected" is merely illustrative, and in various embodiments, various communication paths in the communication path 5008 may not exist. For example, in some embodiments, the service local computing device 5030 may not have a direct communication path 5008 between its interface device 5006 and the interface device 5006 of the scientific instrument 5010, but can communicate with the scientific instrument 5010 via the communication path 5008 between the service local computing device 5030 and the user local computing device 5020 and the communication path 5008 between the user local computing device 5020 and the scientific instrument 5010.

[0052] The scientific instrument 5010 can include any appropriate scientific instrument, such as Figure 7 the ion chromatography system described in.

[0053] The user local computing device 5020 can be a computing device local to the user of the scientific instrument 5010 (e.g., according to any of the embodiments of the computing device 4000 discussed herein). In some embodiments, the user local computing device 5020 can also be local to the scientific instrument 5010, but this is not necessarily the case; for example, the user local computing device 5020 in the user's home or office can be remote from the scientific instrument 5010 but communicate with the scientific instrument such that the user can use the user local computing device 5020 to control and / or access data from the scientific instrument 5010. In some embodiments, the user local computing device 5020 can be a laptop computer, a smart phone, or a tablet device. In some embodiments, the user local computing device 5020 can be a portable computing device. In some embodiments, the user local computing device 5020 can determine the status of the suppressor and provide an indication of the status to the user.

[0054] The service local computing device 5030 can be a computing device local to the entity servicing the scientific instrument 5010 (e.g., according to any of the embodiments of the computing device 4000 discussed herein). For example, the service local computing device 5030 can be a local device of the manufacturer of the scientific instrument 5010 or a third-party service company. In some embodiments, the service local computing device 5030 can communicate with the scientific instrument 5010, the user local computing device 5020, and / or the remote computing device 5040 (e.g., via the direct communication path 5008 or via multiple "indirect" communication paths 5008, as described above) to receive data regarding the operation of the scientific instrument 5010, the user local computing device 5020, and / or the remote computing device 5040 (e.g., self-test results of the scientific instrument 5010, calibration coefficients used by the scientific instrument 5010, measurement results of sensors associated with the scientific instrument 5010, etc.). In some embodiments, the service local computing device 5030 can communicate with the scientific instrument 5010, the user local computing device 5020, and / or the remote computing device 5040 (e.g., via the direct communication path 5008 or via multiple "indirect" communication paths 5008, as described above) to send data to the scientific instrument 5010, the user local computing device 5020, and / or the remote computing device 5040 (e.g., to update the programmed instructions (such as firmware) in the scientific instrument 5010 to initiate the execution of a test or calibration sequence in the scientific instrument 5010, to update the programmed instructions (such as software) in the user local computing device 5020 or the remote computing device 5040, etc.). A user of the scientific instrument 5010 can use the scientific instrument 5010 or the user local computing device 5020 to communicate with the service local computing device 5030 to report problems with the scientific instrument 5010 or the user local computing device 5020, thereby requesting a technician visit to improve the operation of the scientific instrument 5010, order consumables or replacement parts associated with the scientific instrument 5010, or for other purposes. The service local computing device 5030 can determine the status of the suppressor and provide an indication of the status to the user.

[0055] The remote computing device 5040 can be a computing device that is remote from the scientific instrument 5010 and / or the user local computing device 5020 (e.g., according to any of the embodiments of the computing device 4000 discussed herein). In some embodiments, the remote computing device 5040 can be included in a data center or other large-scale server environment. In some embodiments, the remote computing device 5040 can include network-attached storage (e.g., as part of the storage device 5004). The remote computing device 5040 can store data generated by the scientific instrument 5010, perform analysis on the data generated by the scientific instrument 5010 (e.g., according to programmed instructions), facilitate communication between the user local computing device 5020 and the scientific instrument 5010, and / or facilitate communication between the service local computing device 5030 and the scientific instrument 5010. The remote computing device can determine the status of the suppressor and provide an indication of the status to the user.

[0056] In some embodiments, Figure 5 one or more of the elements of the scientific instrument support system 5000 illustrated in may not be present. Additionally, in some embodiments, Figure 5 multiple of the various elements of the scientific instrument support system 5000 may be present. For example, the scientific instrument support system 5000 can include multiple user local computing devices 5020 (e.g., different user local computing devices 5020 associated with different users or located in different locations). In another example, the scientific instrument support system 5000 can include multiple scientific instruments 5010, all of which communicate with the service local computing device 5030 and / or the remote computing device 5040; in such embodiments, the service local computing device 5030 can monitor the multiple scientific instruments 5010, and the service local computing device 5030 can cause updates or other information to be "broadcast" to the multiple scientific instruments 5010 simultaneously. Different scientific instruments among the scientific instruments 5010 in the scientific instrument support system 5000 can be close to each other (e.g., in the same room) or far from each other (e.g., on different floors of a building, in different buildings, in different cities, etc.). In some embodiments, the scientific instrument 5010 can be connected to an Internet of Things (IoT) stack that allows the scientific instrument 5010 to be commanded and controlled via web-based applications, virtual or augmented reality applications, mobile applications, and / or desktop applications. Any of these applications can be accessed by a user operating the user local computing device 5020, which communicates with the scientific instrument 5010 via an intermediate remote computing device 5040. In some embodiments, the scientific instrument 5010 can be sold by a manufacturer together with one or more associated user local computing devices 5020 as part of the local scientific instrument computing unit 5012.

[0057] In some embodiments, different scientific instruments in the scientific instrument 5010 included in the scientific instrument support system 5000 can be different types of scientific instruments 5010; for example, one scientific instrument 5010 can be an ion chromatography system, and another scientific instrument 5010 can be an ion chromatography mass spectrometry system. In some such embodiments, the remote computing device 5040 and / or the user's local computing device 5020 can combine data from different types of scientific instruments 5010 included in the scientific instrument support system 5000.

[0058] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a method 6000 for determining the state of a suppressor according to various embodiments. At 6002, a chromatogram can be obtained. In various embodiments, the chromatogram can be obtained by instructing the scientific instrument to perform an analysis of a sample or a standard. In other embodiments, the chromatogram can be from a previously performed analysis, and the chromatogram can be retrieved from a data storage device. At 6004, the retention times and peak widths of multiple peaks in the chromatogram can be obtained. In various embodiments, a peak detection algorithm can identify the peaks and determine the retention times and intensities. Further analysis of the peaks can determine the peak widths, such as by determining the width measured at half of the maximum peak intensity. In other embodiments, the retention times and peak widths of the chromatogram can be pre-analyzed, and the data can be retrieved from a storage device. At 6006, the square of the retention time (t r 2 ) is calculated, and the peak width variance (σ 2 ) can be calculated.

[0059] At 6008, peaks of interest can be selected. The peaks of interest can be homologous peaks that interact similarly with the column. For example, the peaks of interest can be selected by selecting a set of 3 or more peaks, where the coefficient of determination (R 2 ) of the selected peaks is at least about 0.9, such as at least about 0.99, and even at least about 0.995 to about 1.0. At 6010, the expected plate number (N exp ) and the observed plate number (N obs ) can be calculated. The expected plate number can be determined by the slope of the fit of t r 2 to σ 2 with a forced 0,0 intercept. The observed plate number can be calculated for the first eluting peak from the selected peaks by t r 2 / σ 2 . Once the observed plate number and the expected plate number are calculated, the O / E ratio can be calculated as N obs / N exp .

[0060] At 6012, the status of the suppressor can be determined based on the O / E ratio. A low O / E ratio (such as below 0.5) can indicate a fault condition, while a high O / E ratio (such as above 0.7) can indicate a normal operating condition. An intermediate value (such as between 0.5 and 0.7) can indicate a suppressor that is approaching a fault condition but is still operating within acceptable parameters. At 6014, the user can be notified of the status of the suppressor. For example, when the suppressor is in a normal operating condition, the indicator can display green, when the suppressor is in a fault condition, the indicator can display red, and when the suppressor is in an intermediate condition, the indicator can display yellow. In other embodiments, when the suppressor is in a fault condition, a message can be sent to the user, such as an email, an SMS message, a push notification, etc. Additionally, when it is determined that the suppressor is in a fault condition, further operation can be paused to prevent waste of samples and reagents.

[0061] Figure 7 An embodiment of the chromatographic system 100 is illustrated. The chromatographic system 100 can include a pump 102, an electrolytic eluent generator 104, a continuously regenerated capture column 106, a degasser 108, an injector 110, a chromatographic separation column 112, an electrolytic suppressor 114, a detector 116, and a microprocessor 118. The chromatographic separation column 112 can be in the form of a capillary column or an analytical column. A recirculation line 120 can be used to transfer liquid from the output of the detector 116 to the inlet of the electrolytic suppressor 114, a recirculation line 122 can be used to transfer liquid from the outlet of the electrolytic suppressor 114 to the inlet of the degasser 108, and a recirculation line 124 can be used to transfer liquid from the outlet of the degasser 108 to the inlet of the continuously regenerated capture column 106.

[0062] The pump 102 can be configured to pump liquid from a liquid source 124 and be fluidly connected to an electrolytic eluent generator 104. In one embodiment, the liquid can be deionized water, an aqueous solution having one or more electrolytes, or a mixture of an organic solvent and deionized water or with one or more aqueous electrolyte solutions. Several exemplary electrolytes are sodium acetate and acetic acid. The eluent mixture containing an organic solvent can include a water-miscible organic solvent such as, for example, methanol. The pump 102 can be configured to deliver liquid at a pressure in the range of about 20 PSI to about 15,000 PSI. In some cases, pressures greater than 15,000 PSI can also be implemented. It should be noted that the pressures indicated herein are listed relative to ambient pressure (13.7 PSI to 15.2 PSI). The pump 102 can take the form of a high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) pump. Additionally, the pump 102 can also be configured such that the liquid only contacts the inert portions of the pump 102, so that a significant amount of impurities will not be filtered out. In this context, "significant" means the amount of impurities that would interfere with the expected measurement results. For example, the inert portion can be made of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) or at least coated with a PEEK lining that does not leach a large amount of ions when exposed to the liquid.

[0063] An eluent is a liquid containing an acid, a base, a salt, or a mixture thereof, and can be used to elute analytes through a chromatographic column. Additionally, the eluent can include a mixture of a liquid and a water-miscible organic solvent, where the liquid can include an acid, a base, a salt, or a combination thereof. The electrolytic eluent generator 104 is configured to generate a product. A product refers to an acid, a base, or a salt of a specific species that can be added to the eluent. In one embodiment, the product can be a base such as a cationic hydroxide, or the product can be an acid such as carbonic acid, phosphoric acid, acetic acid, methanesulfonic acid, or a combination thereof.

[0064] Reference Figure 7 , the eluent generator 104 can be configured to receive the liquid from the pump 102 and then add the product to the liquid. The liquid containing the product can be output from the eluent generator 104 to the inlet of a continuous regeneration capture column 106.

[0065] The continuous regeneration capture column 106 is configured to remove cationic or anionic contaminants from the eluent. The continuous regeneration capture column 106 may include an ion exchange bed having electrodes at the eluent outlet. An ion exchange membrane interface may separate the eluent from the second electrode, and contaminant ions may be swept through the ion exchange membrane towards the second electrode. In various embodiments, anion removal may utilize an anion exchange bed, where the cathode at the eluent outlet is separated from the anode by an anion exchange membrane. Alternatively, cation removal may utilize a cation exchange bed, where the anode at the eluent outlet is separated from the cathode by a cation exchange membrane. Contaminant ions may be filtered out of the regenerated capture column 106 using recycled liquid through a recycle line 124 located downstream of the degasser assembly 108.

[0066] The degasser 108 can be used to remove residual gases from the eluent. In one embodiment, the residual gases may be hydrogen and oxygen. The degasser 108 may include a gas-permeable and liquid-impermeable tubing section, such as amorphous fluoropolymer or more specifically Teflon AF. The flowing liquid can be output from the degasser 108 to an injector 110 where a significant portion of the gas has been removed. The gas can be filtered out of the degasser 108 using recycled liquid through a recycle line 122 located downstream of the electrolytic suppressor 114. The recycled liquid containing residual gases can also be output from the degasser 108 and directed into the continuous regeneration capture column 106.

[0067] The injector 110 can be used to inject a large dose of liquid sample into the eluent stream. The liquid sample may contain a variety of chemical components (i.e., matrix components) and one or more analytes of interest.

[0068] The chromatographic separation column 112 can be used to separate the various matrix components present in the liquid sample from the analytes of interest. Generally, the chromatographic separation column 112 may be in the form of a hollow cylinder containing a packed stationary phase. When the liquid sample flows through the chromatographic separation column 112, the matrix components and the target analytes may have a certain retention time range for elution from the chromatographic separation column 112. Depending on the characteristics of the target analytes and matrix components, they may have different affinities for the stationary phase in the chromatographic separation column 112. The output of the chromatographic separation column 112 may be fluidly connected to the electrolytic suppressor 114.

[0069] The electrolytic suppressor 114 can be used to reduce the eluent conductivity background by effectively exchanging the eluent counterions for regenerant ions and enhancing the analyte response. The electrolytic suppressor 114 can include an anode chamber, a cathode chamber, and an eluent suppression bed chamber separated by an ion exchange membrane. The anode chamber and / or the cathode chamber can generate regenerant ions. The eluent suppression bed chamber can include a flow path for the eluent separated from the regenerant by an ion exchange barrier, and the eluent counterions can exchange with the regenerant ions across the ion exchange barrier. The cathode chamber or the anode chamber can supply the recycled liquid through a recycle line 120 located downstream of the conductivity detector 116. The output of the electrolytic suppressor 114 can be fluidly connected to the detector 116 to measure the presence of the separated chemical components of the liquid sample.

[0070] As Figure 7 shown, the fluid output of the eluent from the detector 116 is recycled to the electrolytic suppressor 114 through the recycle line 120, the fluid output of the electrolytic suppressor 114 is recycled to the degasser 108 through the recycle line 122, the fluid output of the degasser 108 is recycled to the continuously regenerated capture column 106 through the recycle line 124, and the fluid output of the continuously regenerated capture column 106 flows to the waste liquid.

[0071] The detector 116 can take the form of an ultraviolet-visible spectrometer, a fluorescence spectrometer, an electrochemical detector, a conductivity detector, a charge detector, or a combination thereof. Details regarding a charge detector based on a charged barrier and two electrodes can be found in U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 20090218238, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. For cases where the recycle line 120 is not required, the detector 116 can also take the form of a mass spectrometer or a charged aerosol detector. The charged aerosol detector sprays the effluent flow and generates charged particles, which can be measured as a current proportional to the analyte concentration. Details regarding the charged aerosol detector can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,544,484 and 6,568,245, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0072] The electronic circuit can include a microprocessor 118, a timer, and a memory section. Additionally, the electronic circuit can include a power supply configured to apply control signals respectively. The microprocessor 118 can be used to control the operation of the chromatographic system 100. The microprocessor 118 can be integrated into the chromatographic system 100 or be part of a personal computer communicating with the chromatographic system 100. The microprocessor 118 can be configured to communicate with and control one or more components of the chromatographic system, such as the pump 102, the eluent generator 104, the injector 110, and the detector 116. The memory section can be used to store instructions to set the magnitude and timing of the current waveform relative to the switching of the injector 110 for injecting the sample.

[0073] Figures 8A to 8E Chromatograms showing various states of an exemplary ion chromatography system are presented. Each chromatogram was obtained using an Ion Pac AS19 column with a 20 mM KOH eluent at a flow rate of 1 ml / min. The injection volume was 10 μl, and the column oven temperature was 30 °C. The peaks were (1) fluoride, (2) chloride, (3) nitrite, (4) bromide, (5) nitrate, (6) carbonate, and (7) sulfate. Figure 8A A good suppressor is shown. Figure 8A The suppressor of was "aged" due to exposure to high pressure. After exposure to 500 psi, Figure 8B A suppressor in an intermediate state is shown, where the user should consider replacement. After exposure to 1000 psi, Figure 8C A suppressor in a failed state that should be replaced is shown. It is noted that after exposure to increasing pressure, the peaks broaden and the tailing increases.

[0074] Figure 8D and Figure 8E Illustrates calculations that can isolate the effects of a bad suppressor from those of a bad column. Figure 8D A chromatogram produced by using a good column and a good suppressor is shown, while Figure 8E A chromatogram produced by using a bad column and a good suppressor is shown. It should be noted that, similar to Figure 8C Figure 8E is shown in comparison with Figure 8D wider peaks and increased tailing. However, the O / E ratio indicates that the suppressor is good, as expected.

[0075] The following paragraphs provide various examples of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0076] Example 1 is a computing device that includes a scientific instrument support device, the scientific instrument support device including:

[0077] Chromatogram logic components for calculating the sum of the squares of the retention times and the peak width variances of each of a plurality of peaks in a chromatogram; plate calculation logic components for calculating the expected plate number and the observed plate number; and suppressor state logic components for determining the suppressor state based on the ratio of the observed plate number to the expected plate number (O / E ratio) and displaying the state.

[0078] Example 2 may include the subject matter of Example 1 and may further specify that the chromatogram logic components, the plate calculation logic components, and the suppressor state logic components are implemented by a common computing device. ​

[0079] Embodiment 3 may include the subject matter according to Embodiment 1 or 2, and may further specify that at least one of the chromatogram logic component, the plate calculation logic component, and the suppressor state logic component is implemented by a computing device remote from the scientific instrument.

[0080] Embodiment 4 may include the subject matter according to Embodiment 1, 2, or 3, and may further specify that at least one of the chromatogram logic component, the plate calculation logic component, and the suppressor state logic component is implemented by a user computing device.

[0081] Embodiment 5 may include the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 4, and may further specify that at least one of the chromatogram logic component, the plate calculation logic component, and the suppressor state logic component is implemented in the scientific instrument.

[0082] Embodiment 6 may include the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 5, and may further specify that the chromatogram logic component further includes a logic component for obtaining the chromatogram.

[0083] Embodiment 7 may include the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 6, and may further specify that the chromatogram logic component further includes a logic component for identifying the plurality of peaks in the chromatogram.

[0084] Embodiment 8 may include the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 7, and may further specify that the chromatogram logic component further includes a logic component for determining the retention time and the peak width of each of the plurality of peaks in the chromatogram.

[0085] Embodiment 9 may include the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 8, and may further specify that the plate calculation logic component further includes a logic component for selecting a peak of interest from the plurality of peaks, wherein the peak of interest has a determination coefficient (R2) of at least 0.9, such as at least about 0.99, and even at least about 0.995.

[0086] Embodiment 10 may include the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 9, and may further specify that the plate calculation logic component further includes a logic component for fitting a line to the square of the retention time (tr2) and the peak width variance (σ2) of each peak of interest among the peaks of interest when forcing a 0,0 intercept and determining the slope of the line, wherein the expected plate number is the slope of the line.

[0087] Embodiment 11 may include the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 10, and may further specify that the plate calculation logic component further includes using t for the first elution peak from the selected peaksr 2 / σ 2 Logic component for determining the number of the observation plates.

[0088] Embodiment 12 may include the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 11, and may further specify that the suppressor status logic component further includes a logic component for assigning a normal status when the O / E ratio is higher than a first threshold and for assigning a replacement status when the O / E ratio is lower than a second threshold.

[0089] Embodiment 13 may include the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 12, and may further specify that the suppressor status logic component further includes a logic component for assigning a status of considering replacement when the O / E ratio is between the first threshold and the second threshold.

[0090] Embodiment 14 may include the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 13, and may further specify that the first threshold is about 0.7.

[0091] Embodiment 15 may include the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 14, and may further specify that the second threshold is about 0.5.

[0092] Embodiment 16 may include the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 15, and may further specify that the suppressor status logic component further includes a logic component for displaying the status using a color indicator, wherein the normal status is green, the status of considering replacement is yellow, and the replacement status is red.

[0093] Embodiment 17 may include the subject matter according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 16, and may further specify that the suppressor status logic component further includes a logic component for displaying a decreasing count of replacement value and an indicator of the status of considering replacement, wherein the decreasing count of replacement value is an estimated replacement time, an estimated number of samples until replacement, the O / E ratio, a difference between the O / E ratio and the second threshold, or any combination thereof.

[0094] Embodiment 18 is a scientific instrument support device, the scientific instrument support device including: a first chromatogram logic component for receiving a chromatogram from an ion chromatography system, the ion chromatography system including a suppressor; and a second suppressor status logic component for generating a status indicator of the suppressor based at least in part on the chromatogram.

[0095] Example 19 may include the subject matter according to Example 18, and may further specify that the scientific instrument support device further includes a third logic component for causing an output to be graphically represented on a display device.

[0096] Example 20 may include the subject matter according to Example 18 or 19, and may further specify that the output is graphically represented on a display device using color indicators, where the normal state is green, the considered replacement state is yellow, and the replacement state is red.

[0097] Example A includes any one of the scientific instrument support modules disclosed herein.

[0098] Example B includes any of the methods disclosed herein.

[0099] Example C includes any of the GUIs disclosed herein.

[0100] Example D includes any one of the scientific instrument support computing devices and systems disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A scientific instrument support device, the scientific instrument support device comprising: A chromatogram logic component for calculating the sum of squares of the retention times and the peak width variances of each of a plurality of peaks in a chromatogram; A plate calculation logic component for calculating the expected plate number and the observed plate number; and A suppressor status logic component for determining a suppressor status based on a ratio of the observed plate number to the expected plate number (O / E ratio) and displaying the status.

2. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein the chromatogram logic component, the plate calculation logic component, and the suppressor status logic component are implemented by a common computing device.

3. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the chromatogram logic component, the plate calculation logic component, and the suppressor status logic component is implemented by a computing device remote from the scientific instrument.

4. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the chromatogram logic component, the plate calculation logic component, and the suppressor status logic component is implemented by a user computing device.

5. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the chromatogram logic component, the plate calculation logic component, and the suppressor status logic component is implemented in the scientific instrument.

6. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein the chromatogram logic component further comprises a logic component for obtaining the chromatogram.

7. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein the chromatogram logic component further comprises a logic component for identifying the plurality of peaks in the chromatogram.

8. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein the chromatogram logic component further comprises a logic component for determining the retention time and the peak width of each of the plurality of peaks in the chromatogram.

9. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein the board computing logic component further includes logic for selecting a peak of interest from the plurality of peaks, wherein the peak of interest has a determination coefficient (R 2 ) of at least about 0.

9.

10. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein the plate calculation logic component further includes logic for fitting a line to the square of the retention time (t r 2 ) of each peak of interest in the peaks of interest when forcing a 0,0 intercept and determining the slope of the line, wherein the expected number of plates is the slope of the line. 2 ) and the peak width variance (σ 11. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein the board computing logic component further includes logic for determining the observed number of plates using t r 2 / σ 2 for the first elution peak in the selected peaks.

12. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein the suppressor status logic component further comprises a logic component for assigning a normal status when the O / E ratio is higher than a first threshold and assigning a replacement status when the O / E ratio is lower than a second threshold.

13. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein the suppressor status logic component further comprises a logic component for assigning a consider replacement status when the O / E ratio is between the first threshold and the second threshold.

14. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein the first threshold is about 0.

7.

15. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein the second threshold is about 0.

5.

16. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein the suppressor status logic component further comprises a logic component for displaying the status using a color indicator, wherein the normal status is green, the consider replacement status is yellow, and the replacement status is red.

17. The scientific instrument support system according to claim 1, wherein the suppressor status logic component further includes a logic component for displaying a decreasing count of replacement values and considering a replacement status indicator, wherein the decreasing count of replacement values is an estimated replacement time, an estimated number of samples until replacement, the O / E ratio, a difference between the O / E ratio and the second threshold, or any combination thereof.

18. A scientific instrument support device, the scientific instrument support device comprising: a chromatogram logic component for receiving a chromatogram from an ion chromatography system, the ion chromatography system including a suppressor; and a suppressor status logic component for generating a status indicator of the suppressor based at least in part on the chromatogram.

19. The scientific instrument support device according to claim 18, the scientific instrument support device further comprising: a third logic component for causing an output to be graphically represented on a display device.

20. The scientific instrument support device according to claim 18, wherein the output is graphically represented on the display device using a color indicator, wherein a normal state is green, a replacement-considering state is yellow, and a replacement state is red.

Images