Pressurizable Injection Seat for HPLC Leakage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) systems face issues with sample fluid leakage and carry-over between injections due to high pressures, which existing self-washing injection apparatuses do not adequately address.
Innovation Solution
An injection device with a housing and seat configuration that pressurizes a medium surrounding the flow path element, reducing the pressure difference between the pressurized fluid and the medium, thereby minimizing leakage and carry-over. This is achieved through a pump device and supply/return paths, with a pressure source that pressurizes the medium to a level below the fluid pressure, using high-pressure sealing techniques and a resilient pressure seal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If high pressure is applied to the mobile phase for HPLC separation, then separation efficiency is improved, but sample fluid leakage and carry-over between injections increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful high pressure that causes leakage into a beneficial force by introducing a pressurizable medium into the injection chamber. This medium, when pressurized, counteracts the pressure differential across the seat sealing surface, transforming the problematic pressure condition into a solution that maintains sealing effectiveness during high-pressure HPLC operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the pressure parameter in the injection chamber by introducing a pressurizable medium that can be independently controlled. By adjusting the pressure of this medium to match or exceed the mobile phase pressure, the system maintains effective sealing at the seat without being constrained by the limitations of conventional atmospheric-pressure injection systems
2Device complexity
If conventional sealing techniques are used at high pressure, then structural simplicity is maintained, but leakage and carry-over occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pressurizable medium as an intermediary substance between the mobile phase and the injection chamber environment. This medium acts as a mediator that transmits and balances pressure forces, allowing conventional sealing techniques to remain effective under high-pressure conditions without requiring complex sealing mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies hydraulic principles by using a pressurizable liquid or gas medium to balance forces across the injection seat. By controlling the pressure of this medium through a pump or pressure source, the system maintains sealing effectiveness through pressure equilibrium rather than relying solely on mechanical sealing complexity
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 solution effectively reduces sample carry-over between subsequent injections by lowering the pressure difference, allowing for precise pressure regulation and maintaining a low leakage rate, even at high pressures up to 2000 bar.
Implementation Method 1
pressurizing a medium in the space in which the seat is located reduces the pressure difference between the pressurized fluid in the flow path element on the one hand and the medium on the other hand. A lower pressure difference results in a lower amount of leakage
Data Source
AI summary
An injection device comprising: a housing defining a space; a seat located in said space, the seat being configured for receiving a flow path element capable of injecting a pressurized fluid into the injection device through the seat; a pressure source for pressurizing a medium in said space, thereby reducing the pressure difference between the pressurized fluid in said flow path element and said medium.