JP2003344376A - Gaschromatograph - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problems that the function of displacing air in a thermostatic chamber with a fan is impaired by limitations on the arrangement of the function, and that exhausted hot air coupled be sucked again into a cooling means in the thermostatic chamber of a gas chromatograph, and to heighten the efficiency in controlling temperature such as cooling efficiency by improving the function of displacing air in the thermostatic chamber with a fan and suppressing that the exhausted hot air is sucked again. <P>SOLUTION: By making the gaschromatograph have a constitution in which the fan 2 and a heater 14 are arranged at the bottom of the thermostatic chamber 1, an inlet in the bottom surface, and an outlet 7 in the back surface 17 of the thermostatic chamber 1 and providing the outlet in the blasting direction of the fan, it is made possible to improve the temperature controlling efficiency of the thermostatic chamber. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gas chromatograph apparatus for separating and detecting a sample by a column, and more particularly to a temperature raising means for a constant temperature bath, a temperature equalizing means, a heater as a cooling means, a fan, an intake air. The present invention relates to a gas chromatograph device having a port and an exhaust port.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a gas chromatograph for separating a sample by a column for detection, a heater and a fan are used as means for heating and equalizing the temperature inside a constant temperature bath, and a fan and an intake port are used as cooling means. The one using an exhaust port is commonly used.

In recent gas chromatographs, an inlet for injecting a sample, a detector for measuring the separated gas, and an autosampler for automatically injecting the sample may be arranged above the gas chromatograph. In general, an opening door structure is used on the front surface for replacement work of the column in a constant temperature bath. In many cases, a device control system is arranged on the horizontal surface, and when a gas chromatograph device is seen as part of a measurement system, another gas chromatograph device or another measurement device is often arranged next to it. . Therefore, it is general that a device having a function different from the temperature raising function and the cooling function of the constant temperature oven is arranged on the upper surface, front surface and lateral surface of the constant temperature oven. Therefore, the intake port and the exhaust port of the constant temperature bath are often arranged on the same back surface of the apparatus, which is a structure often used. A fan that has both a uniform temperature distribution function and a cooling function in the constant temperature layer is often placed in the center of the back surface of the constant temperature layer in consideration of the uniform temperature distribution in the constant temperature chamber, which is the most important factor in a gas chromatograph. Generally, the intake port and the exhaust port are arranged at the end of the back surface of the constant temperature bath that can avoid positional interference with the fan and the motor that drives the fan. Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-64259 discloses a configuration in which an intake port and an exhaust port are provided on the same surface of the back surface of a constant temperature bath.

[0004]

Regarding cooling of the constant temperature layer, in the structure in which the fan is arranged at the center of the rear surface in the constant temperature layer and the intake port and the exhaust port are arranged on the same rear surface of the constant temperature tank, the intake port and the exhaust port are By arranging on the same plane, there is a possibility that the intake air and the outflow air may interact with each other near the exhaust port, collide with each other, and inhale the exhausted warm air. As a result, the air in the constant temperature layer to be replaced returns to the constant temperature layer again after being discharged, so that the cooling function was not efficient.
The fan has a function to blow air in the vertical direction of the fan by means of fins that are arranged obliquely with respect to the direction of the rotation axis of the fan. It also has a swirling air blowing function in the direction of rotation of the fan. In the case of a general gas chromatograph, the fan, the intake port, and the exhaust port are located on the same surface on the back side of the constant temperature layer, so most of the blowing energy in the blowing direction by the fan does not have an escape path and the pressure in the constant temperature chamber is low. Stay up to raise. Therefore, the movement of air in the constant temperature bath is
It continues to rotate with the rotational force that is the secondary blast energy. A part of this rotated air tends to be discharged from the side close to the exhaust port. That is, the air rotating on the side far from the exhaust port is not discharged so much, and the replacement operation of the air which is the cooling element of the constant temperature layer is not efficient. Further, a part of the air sucked from the intake port may be discharged from the exhaust port with almost no replacement of the air, and the cooling function is not efficient.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a gas chromatograph apparatus which improves the efficiency of displacement of air in the constant temperature layer and improves the temperature control efficiency including cooling of the constant temperature layer.

[0006]

FIG. 10 shows the importance of temperature control in a gas chromatograph. In a gas chromatograph, a column has a gas adsorption function and a gas desorption function, and the adsorption degree and the desorption degree differ depending on the type of gas. Therefore, the time to pass through the column is different for each gas. The gas chromatograph apparatus utilizes this to perform gas analysis. To detect an unknown sample, a standard gas is measured in advance and the retention time of each gas at a certain temperature is specified. Then, by knowing the retention time of the detection gas in the sample gas, it is determined which gas is included in the sample and how much.

Here, since the retention time largely depends on the temperature, the temperature distribution in the oven is extremely important in the gas chromatograph. Figure 1 as an example
As in the case of 0, there is a possibility that the detected gas is misplaced due to the different temperature.

According to the present invention, the intake port is arranged on the bottom surface of the thermostatic chamber, and the exhaust port is arranged on the upper surface of the back surface (a surface different from the bottom surface, in most cases a vertical surface) of the thermostatic tank (oven), Provided is a gas chromatograph device in which mechanical separation is performed by avoiding that the exhaust port and the exhaust port are arranged in the same plane.

That is, the intake port is arranged on the bottom surface of the thermostat, the exhaust port is arranged on the upper part of the back surface of the thermostat, the exhaust port is located above the swirling part of the column, and the intake port is located below. The air from the intake port passes through the heater and the swirling part of the column, and forms a different flow inflow and outflow flow discharged from the exhaust port above the fan. The intake port and the exhaust port form substantially 90 °, and the intake air is bent 90 ° and discharged. Conventionally this was 180 °.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a gas chromatograph device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of a partial configuration thereof, and FIG. 3 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a gas chromatograph apparatus which is an example to which the present invention is applied. In FIG.
The gas chromatograph device includes a main body 1 having a thermostatic chamber 1 built-in.
00, an injection device 11 and a detector 12 are provided.
A column 10 is arranged in the constant temperature bath 1, a sample container 21 and a carrier gas container 22 are connected to the injection device 11, and the sample and the carrier gas are introduced into the column 10 from the injection device. The temperature of the sample passing through the column 10 is controlled and reaches the detector 12, where the sample components are analyzed. The analysis result is recorded as analysis data in the data processing device 23 and is used for various purposes.

2 and 3, in the thermostat 1 in the main body 100 of the gas chromatograph apparatus, a fan drive motor 9 mounted on the lower bottom surface of the thermostat, and disposed at the bottom, is driven by the fan drive motor 9. Driven. The fan 2, its guide 15, the bottom surface 16 of the constant temperature bath 1 and the main body 100
An intake port (port) 4 provided between the bottom surface 18 and the bottom surface 18, an intake damper 5 provided at the intake port 4, an exhaust port (port) 6 provided at an upper portion of the rear surface 17 of the thermostatic chamber 1, and an exhaust port 6. Exhaust damper 8, column 10 which is a separation means for separating the sample to be measured, sample injection device 11 to column 10, column 1
The detector 12 for detecting the sample from 0 and the heater 14 provided between the detector 12 and the fan are provided. The constant temperature bath 1 is provided with a front door 13, and the exhaust port 6 is provided between a rear surface 17 thereof and a rear surface 19 of the main body 100. As described above, in the gas chromatograph apparatus of the present embodiment, the heater 14 and the fan 2 are arranged at the bottom of the thermostatic chamber 1, the intake port is at the bottom surface, and the exhaust port 6 is at a different surface. It is arranged above the rear surface 17 of the tank 1.

In this example, the guide 15 is placed in the constant temperature bath 1.
Is provided with the fan 2 so as to face the intake port 4
The air from is rectified by the guide 15 and is made to flow toward the heater 14 by the fan 2. The heater 14, the fan 2, the intake damper 5, the exhaust port 6, and the exhaust damper 8 constitute a unit having a temperature raising function in the constant temperature bath, a uniform temperature distribution function, and a cooling function.

With the above-described structure, the air intake side and the air discharge side of the fan 2 are mechanically separated on the bottom side and the back side, respectively, to enhance the air replacement efficiency in the constant temperature chamber and cool the constant temperature chamber. The air intake effect of the fan 2 is enhanced, and the cooling efficiency of the constant temperature bath 1 is enhanced. The sample to be measured is introduced into the separation means (column 10) for separating the sample to be measured from the inlet of the injection device 11, and the component separated by the separation means is sent to the detection means 12 to detect the component. It will be.

FIG. 4 is an image drawing of the air in the constant temperature chamber 1 of the gas chromatograph. The intake damper 5 and the exhaust damper 8 are shown in an open state. The feature of this embodiment is that the fan 2 and the heater 14 are arranged at the bottom of the thermostatic chamber 1, the intake port is arranged on the bottom surface, and the exhaust port 7 is arranged on the back surface 17 of the thermostatic chamber 1, and the guide 15 is provided. , The suction port 3 has a guide function for blowing the fan 2. The air flow of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The outside air i taken into the constant temperature bath 1 by the blowing function of the fan 2 is
It enters the constant temperature bath 1 as j, passes through m and k, and is swirled like n by the air blowing function of the rotating method of the fan 2, and is emitted as warm air to the outside air. With this configuration, the air flow is improved, and the problems described below of the conventional gas chromatograph device are solved. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, by providing a guide for blowing air of the fan 2 to the suction port 3, a part p of the blowing function of the fan 2 is reduced as compared with the case where the fan 2 is provided as shown in FIG. It becomes possible to suppress and increase the efficiency of o. In this mode, when the intake damper 5 and the exhaust damper 8 are closed when the temperature of the constant temperature bath is raised or kept at a constant temperature, the intake side of the fan 2 becomes a negative pressure, which becomes a resistance to prevent the rotation of the fan. This can be avoided by optimizing the clearance between the fan 2 and the intake port 3 and the rotation speed of the fan 2.

7 and 8 are schematic views showing the mechanical system of the constant temperature bath 1 in the conventional gas chromatograph apparatus. Further, FIG. 9 is an image drawing of the air in the constant temperature chamber 1 in the conventional gas chromatograph apparatus. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the mechanical system of the thermostatic chamber 1 in the conventional gas chromatograph apparatus is such that the fan 2, the suction port 3 and the exhaust port 7 are arranged on the same surface on the back surface of the thermostatic chamber 1. Is common. The flow of air during cooling of the constant temperature tank 1 is such that the air introduced from the suction port 4 by the blowing function of the fan 2 is taken into the constant temperature tank 1 from the suction port 3 and from the constant temperature tank 1 to the exhaust port 7. It is discharged to the exhaust port 6. This air flow is shown in FIG.
Will be explained. The outside air a taken into the constant temperature chamber 1 by the air blowing function of the fan 2 enters the constant temperature chamber 1 as b, passes through c, and is discharged as warm air d to the outside air. The first problem at this time is that the hot air d may be again taken into the constant temperature bath 1 as a, and the temperature of the introduced air becomes high, which impedes the cooling of the constant temperature bath 1. . The second problem is that the blowing element e of the fan 2 hinders the efficiency of discharging c. A third problem is that the blow energy f of the fan 2 is not efficient because the blow fan f of the fan 2 has no escape route. The fourth problem is that a part of b, which is repelled by the pressure of the flow rotating in the constant temperature chamber 1 like g, may be discharged without circulating in the constant temperature chamber 1 like h. is there.

According to this embodiment, the above-mentioned conventional problems are solved. That is, since an escape path can be formed in the air blowing direction of the fan during cooling, the air to be replaced can be rectified, and the exhaust port 6 and the intake port 4 are arranged on different surfaces,
It is possible to increase the area of the exhaust port, increase the area of the intake port, and suppress re-intake of the warm exhaust air, thus improving the cooling efficiency, that is, the cooling time. Further, the improvement of the ventilation efficiency according to the present invention enables the reduction of the energy consumption of the fan. Further, since the suction port is arranged on the bottom surface and the function of the back surface 17 of the constant temperature tank 1 is only the exhaust port 7, there is room in space. Therefore, by taking a large area of the exhaust port 7, the exhausted warm air can be prevented. It is possible to reduce the flow velocity and reduce the high temperature area due to the warm air, and it is possible to improve the safety.

[0018]

According to the present invention, since the exhaust port and the intake port are arranged on different surfaces, it is possible to increase the exhaust port area, the intake port area, and the re-intake of exhaust hot air. It is possible to provide a gas chromatograph device capable of improving temperature control efficiency including cooling efficiency, that is, shortening control time for cooling and the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a gas chromatograph device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view (side view) showing a part of the gas chromatograph apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view (front view) showing a part of the gas chromatograph device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an image drawing of air blowing in a thermostatic chamber in the gas chromatograph device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a positional relationship between a conventional fan and a suction port.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the fan and the suction port of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view (side view) showing a part of a conventional gas chromatograph device.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view (front view) showing a part of a conventional gas chromatograph device.

FIG. 9 is an image drawing of air blowing in a constant temperature bath in a conventional gas chromatograph device.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a chromatograph when the temperature of the constant temperature bath is high and a chromatograph when the temperature of the constant temperature bath is low.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Constant temperature bath, 2 ... Fan, 3 ... Suction port, 4 ... Suction port, 5
... intake damper, 6 ... exhaust port, 7 ... exhaust port, 8 ... exhaust damper, 9 ... fan drive motor, 10 ... column, 11 ...
Injection device, 12 ... Detector, 13 ... Front door, 14 ... Heater.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An injection device for injecting a sample to be measured, a separating means for separating the sample to be measured, a detecting means for detecting the components separated by the separating means, and a thermostatic chamber for controlling the temperature of the components. , A heater and a fan in the constant temperature bath,
In a gas chromatograph device having an intake port, a damper for opening and closing the intake port, an exhaust port, and a damper for opening and closing the exhaust port, the intake port is arranged on the bottom surface of the constant temperature bath, and the exhaust port is located above the rear surface of the constant temperature bath. The exhaust port is located above the separating means, the intake port is located below, and the air from the intake port passes through the heater, and further through the separating means, from the exhaust port above the fan. A gas chromatograph device, which forms an inflow and an outflow of different surfaces to be discharged. 2. The gas chromatograph device according to claim 1, wherein a guide for controlling the flow of air is provided on the same plane as the fan.