Gas Chromatography Liner Colored Region Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for marking and identifying injection ports for capillary gas chromatographs, such as direct printing or etching, are limited in long-term thermostability and visibility, especially on narrow liners, and require additional manufacturing steps that can impact chemical deactivation processes.
Innovation Solution
Employing dimensionally equivalent glass subcomponents with inorganic pigments to create visible color regions within the liner assembly, ensuring easy identification and orientation without compromising optical transparency or adding manufacturing steps, using thermostable pigments like cobalt, nickel, and iron that maintain compatibility with the glass substrate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If direct printing or etching methods are used to mark liners, then identification information can be provided, but long-term thermostability and visibility are limited especially on narrow liners
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color-coded identification bands wrapped around the liner at specific positions to provide visible identification information. Different colors indicate different liner types, split ratios, or orientations. This color-coding system maintains visibility and identification capability without compromising thermostability, as the color bands are positioned on the exterior surface away from the high-temperature sample path region.
2Loss of information
If direct printing or etching methods are used to mark liners, then identification information can be provided, but additional manufacturing steps are required that can impact chemical deactivation processes
Solution Approach 1:
The identification system is segmented into discrete color bands positioned at specific locations on the liner exterior. Each band serves a specific identification purpose (e.g., liner type, split ratio, orientation). This segmentation allows the identification function to be added without integrating it into the core manufacturing process, thereby avoiding interference with chemical deactivation steps while still providing comprehensive identification information.
3Reliability
If colored glass subcomponents are used to create visible color regions, then durable identification is achieved, but manufacturing complexity may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite construction by wrapping color-coded identification bands around the liner. These bands are made from materials that can be clearly seen through the transparent liner wall. The composite structure of liner plus identification bands provides durable identification without requiring complex integration into the glass manufacturing process, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving reliable, durable identification.
Data Source
AI summary
A liner for mixing the sample gas and a carrier gas and delivering the gas mixture to the inlet end of a capillary tube of a gas chromatograph for analysis, comprises(a) a transparent tube having an inlet and an outlet and a bore with an inside surface, and(b) at least one glass subcomponent permanently affixed to the liner tube wherein the subcomponent is at least one color.