Horizontal Radial Flow Chromatographic Column Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing chromatography columns face challenges in reducing fabrication costs, achieving high throughput, and maintaining a small footprint while providing high performance and scalability for industrial-scale separation processes.
Innovation Solution
A horizontal or radial flow chromatographic column design featuring a housing with removable axial end sections, coaxially positioned porous frits, and a core member that optimizes fluid distribution and flow, allowing for even bed distribution and efficient separation across the chromatographic bed, with features such as angled supply channels and tapered outlet channels to enhance flow characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If horizontal or radial flow column design is used to achieve high throughput and high cross-sectional area, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The column is divided into modular components: a housing, a cartridge containing the frits and packing, and a core member. This segmentation allows for simplified manufacturing of individual parts while achieving the complex horizontal flow function when assembled, resolving the contradiction between high throughput design and fabrication complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cartridge with frits and packing is nested within the housing, and the core member is positioned within the cartridge assembly. This nested structure enables the horizontal flow column design to achieve high cross-sectional area for high throughput while keeping the overall device compact and manageable in terms of fabrication complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If horizontal flow mode is used to achieve even bed height and scalability, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a traditional vertical column where bed height uniformity is difficult to achieve, the invention inverts the flow direction to horizontal mode. This inversion naturally provides even bed height distribution because the bed height is computed as the distance between inner and outer annuli, which is inherently uniform in a radial configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from vertical axial flow (one-dimensional) to horizontal radial flow (two-dimensional). This dimensionality change allows the bed height to be defined radially between annuli, providing inherent uniformity and scalability by linearly increasing column length without changing the radial geometry.
3Ease of operation
If removable end sections are used to facilitate packing and handling, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented with removable axial end sections that can be taken off to facilitate packing of the cartridge. This segmentation provides easy access for loading and handling while keeping the main body structure relatively simple, resolving the contradiction between operational ease and structural complexity.
4Productivity
If high cross-sectional area is used to achieve high flow rates at low pressure, then productivity is improved, but volume increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses horizontal radial flow instead of vertical axial flow, changing the dimension of fluid movement. This allows the column to achieve high cross-sectional area for high flow rates while maintaining a compact vertical footprint, as the large area is achieved radially rather than vertically.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design significantly lowers fabrication costs, enables high throughput, and maintains a compact footprint while ensuring high performance and scalability, making it suitable for industrial-scale separations and easy handling.
Implementation Method 1
pumping a liquid suspension of the particles under pressure into the other end of the column
Implementation Method 2
The medium bed is retained between supports or frits on either or both ends of the column
Implementation Method 3
Liquid chromatography may briefly be described as the fractionation of components of a mixture based on differences in the physical or chemical characteristics of the components
Implementation Method 4
The various liquid chromatographic systems fractionate the components of a mixture based upon such chemical criteria as ionic charge, hydrophobicity, and the presence of certain chemical moieties
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid chromatography column, utilizing horizontal or radial flow of sample material passing there through, preferably in inward direction, comprising: a housing defining a chamber therein and including at least one removable end section, e.g. screw lid; a first and second longitudinally extending porous frits positioned within said chamber of said housing; a bed or packing of, preferably particulate, chromatographic separation material positioned within said chamber of said housing and intermediate said porous frits, the first of said porous frits being adjacent said housing and an inlet channel, the second of said porous frits being positioned adjacent a core member and an outlet channel; distribution means operatively connected to said inlet channel; collector means operatively connected to said outlet channel, said distribution means and said inlet channel being constructed to direct associated material to be separated in said bed evenly across a longitudinal length of said bed in a substantially horizontal direction.