JP4862729B2 - Chromatographic column support pressure device and chromatography device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a support pressure device that supports a chromatography column and reciprocates a movable lid, and a chromatography device in which a chromatography column is attached to the support pressure device.

  Conventionally, in order to separate and purify each component from a mixed solution containing a plurality of components, a liquid chromatography column (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “column”) has been used. The column is configured by adsorbing an adsorbent as a filler inside a cylinder whose both ends are open. After the adsorbent is filled in the cylinder, a pair of lids are attached to both opening end faces of the cylinder. One of the lids is fixed to one end surface of the column, and the other is inserted into the column as a movable lid that reciprocates inside the column. A pair of lids are formed with through-holes for introducing or discharging the sample, respectively, and samples to be separated and purified are introduced into the column from one side of the lid and discharged from the other side to the outside of the column. The

  Such a chromatography column is generally installed such that its extending direction (that is, the direction connecting both ends of the column) is perpendicular to the installation surface. Therefore, in order to install the chromatography column, a pedestal for holding the column in a suspended state is preferably provided so that the sample can be introduced and discharged from both ends of the column. Also attached to the platform is a piston engine that moves a movable lid that reciprocates in the column. The gantry to which such a piston engine is attached constitutes a support pressurizing device that supports the chromatography column and moves the movable lid as a whole.

As such a support pressurizing device, there is a device having a pedestal, holding a column on the pedestal, holding a piston engine with a column standing on the pedestal, and inserting a movable lid from the upper end side of the column. (Patent Document 1). Alternatively, there is also a type in which a column is supported by a column standing on a pedestal and a movable lid is inserted from the lower end side of the column by attaching a piston engine to the pedestal (Patent Document 2).
JP-A-2005-321302 JP 2006-78231 PR

  By the way, in recent years, large-sized chromatography columns having a large diameter have been used, particularly in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical manufacturing fields that handle microorganism-producing substances. When the chromatography column is increased in size, the supporting pressure device including a gantry for supporting the column is also increased in size.

  On the other hand, the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and the like tends to be performed in a clean room in order to avoid contamination with germs. A clean room is a space specially designed so that the internal environment can be maintained cleanly and aseptically, and it is not preferable to install a large device, an excessively heavy object, or a complicated structure inside. For this reason, it is required to make the entire chromatography apparatus including the column pressurizing apparatus as compact as possible while increasing the diameter of the chromatography column.

  Further, when the diameter of the chromatography column is increased, it becomes difficult to uniformly press the entire movable lid covering the one end surface of the column. If the entire movable lid cannot be pressed uniformly, the entire cross section of the column is not uniformly pressurized, and the moving speed of the sample inside the column may be different in the cross section direction.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and it is possible to make a support pressure device that supports and pressurizes a large-diameter chromatography column having a diameter of more than 1 m compact, and further to make the entire chromatography device including such incidental equipment compact. With the goal. Another object of the present invention is to provide a supporting pressure device that can uniformly press the entire cross section of the chromatography column.

  In the present invention, instead of arranging a piston engine for reciprocating the movable lid so as to face the end surface of the chromatography column, a plurality of jacks are provided around the side surface of the column. Then, in order to transmit the movement of the reciprocating rod of each jack to the movable lid, a movable frame configured to have a frame structure reduced in weight by a plurality of rod-shaped members is connected to the jack and the movable lid, thereby moving the movable lid. Disperses the stress applied to the lid when moving. Specifically, the present invention provides the following.

(1) Supporting a fixed lid, a movable lid facing the fixed lid, and a cylindrical column disposed between the fixed lid and the movable lid, and reciprocating the movable lid in the extending direction of the column A supporting pressure device for a chromatography column, comprising a plurality of jacks disposed around a side surface of the column and having a reciprocating rod that reciprocates in the extending direction of the column, the movable lid, and the reciprocating rod. A movable frame coupled to transmit the motion of the reciprocating rod to the movable lid, the movable frame having a plurality of bearing rods coupled to the movable lid, and the bearing rod is movable. The connection point between the support rod and the movable lid is inclined to the lid, and a plurality of points of four or more are provided, and the distance from the center of the movable lid is 60 of the distance from the center of the movable lid to the outer edge. % Or more and 70% or less Lifting pressure device.
(2) The support pressurizing device according to (1), wherein the movable frame further includes a connecting rod that connects the reciprocating rods of the plurality of jacks and the supporting rod.
(3) The angle formed by the bearing rod and the surface of the movable lid is 45 ° or more and 75 ° or less, and the connecting rod extends in parallel with the surface direction of the movable lid. Support pressure device.
(4) It further includes a support frame connected to the fixed lid and supporting the fixed lid, and the support frame includes a plurality of fixed-side support rods whose one ends are coupled to the fixed lid, and the plurality of fixed sides. The supporting and pressing device according to any one of (1) to (3), further including: a fixed-side connecting rod that is connected to the other ends of the supporting rod and extends parallel to the surface direction of the fixed lid.
(5) The column has a flange at an end portion on the side where the fixed lid is disposed, and has a lifting rod whose one end is in contact with the flange and reciprocates between the movable lid and the fixed lid. The supporting pressure device according to any one of (1) to (4), further including an auxiliary jack.
(6) a stationary lid, a movable lid facing the stationary lid, a cylindrical column disposed between the stationary lid and the movable lid and filled with a filler, the stationary lid, the movable lid, And a supporting pressurizing device that supports the column and reciprocates the movable lid in the extending direction of the column, wherein the supporting pressurizing device is any one of (1) to (5) A chromatography apparatus, which is a support pressure apparatus according to claim 1.

  In the present invention, by disposing a plurality of jacks around the column, the height of the supporting pressurizing device is reduced as compared with the case where the piston engine is disposed so as to face the column end surface. In order to avoid an uneven load, it is preferable that the plurality of jacks are distributed around the column so that the intervals between the adjacent jacks are substantially equal. In particular, assuming that the number of jacks is an even number, any pair of jacks is substantially point-symmetric with respect to the center of the column, and jacks adjacent to each other along the periphery of the column are arranged at substantially equal intervals. Preferably it is. Moreover, if the space | interval between jacks is widened and the space which can move a fixed lid is ensured, a maintenance will become easy.

  The movable frame includes a plurality of supporting rods that are connected to a plurality of reciprocating rods extending from each jack and press the movable lid at a position closer to the center than the outer edge of the movable lid. As described above, in the present invention, the movable frame is a skeleton type composed of a plurality of rod-shaped members, and the stress applied to the movable lid is dispersed by pushing the movable lid at a plurality of locations. For this reason, not only the movable frame itself can be reduced in weight but also the plate thickness of the movable lid can be reduced, and the entire chromatography apparatus can be reduced in weight. In addition, by making the connection point between the support rod and the movable lid a plurality of four or more points, the force pushing the movable lid can be equalized, and more than 60% and 70% of the distance from the center of the movable lid to the outer edge If it is set as the following position, deformation of the movable lid can be prevented and pressure applied in the column cross-sectional direction can be equalized. If the connection point between the bearing rod and the movable lid is set to a position less than 60% of the distance from the center of the movable lid to the outer edge, the strain near the outer edge of the movable lid increases, and if it is greater than 70%, the movable lid is movable. The strain near the center of becomes large.

  The chromatographic apparatus is usually installed such that the installation surface is a flat surface horizontal to the ground, the column extending direction is perpendicular to the installation surface, and both open end surfaces of the column are horizontal to the installation surface. The movable lid may be attached to either the upper end or the lower end of the column, but when using a large-diameter column with a diameter exceeding 1 m, it is preferable to attach the movable lid to the upper end side and cover the lower end of the column with a fixed lid. .

  At this time, if a frame-type support frame having an oblique member in which a plurality of rod-like members are combined as described in claim 4 is attached to the fixed lid, the entire column covered at both ends by the fixed lid and the movable lid is the support frame. Will be supported. Since the support frame having the slanted member is lighter than the pedestal that supports the pedestal with the legs, the chromatography apparatus is lighter than the example of Patent Document 1 in which a flange is provided at the column end and the pedestal holds the flange. Can be

  Similarly to the case where the support rod of the movable frame and the movable lid are connected to each other, the connection point between the fixed side support rod and the fixed lid is also 60% of the distance from the center of the lid to the outer edge. If it is 70% or less, the pressure applied to the fixed lid can be dispersed. For this reason, since not only the support frame itself can be reduced in weight but also the plate thickness of the fixed lid can be reduced, the entire chromatography apparatus can be further reduced in weight.

  Furthermore, if the auxiliary jack is attached as described in claim 5, the column can be moved upward from the fixed lid by lifting the flange at the fixed lid side end of the column with the lifting rod of the auxiliary jack. Maintenance of the screen and seal on the lid is possible. An auxiliary jack is also used when removing the fixed lid from the column. At this time, a structure in which the fixed lid and the support frame are moved up and down is conceivable, but this is not preferable because a jack having the same size as the jack for moving the upper movable lid is required.

  According to the present invention, the liquid chromatography apparatus can be reduced in weight. Moreover, the force which pushes a movable cover can be disperse | distributed, and the whole movable cover can be pressed uniformly.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified. In the drawings, each member may be provided with a pattern, but these patterns are used for convenience of description and do not indicate materials. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a chromatography apparatus 1 in which a column 20 is supported by a supporting pressure device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the chromatography apparatus 1 as viewed from above the front (when a movable lid 21 described later is installed on the upper side).

  The support pressure device 10 includes a movable frame 11, a support frame 12, a jack 17 and a support base 30. The column 20 has a cylindrical shape, and a movable lid 21 and a fixed lid 22 are attached to both end faces. The fixed lid 22 has a larger diameter than the column 20. A flange portion 202 is provided at one end (lower end) of the column 20 in order to attach the fixing lid 22, and the fixing lid 22 is fixed to the flange portion 202. On the other hand, since the column 20 is not suspended from the support base 30 as will be described later, a flange portion is not formed at the other end (upper end) of the column 20. The movable lid 21 has substantially the same size as the inner diameter of the column 20 and is in contact with the inner wall of the column 20 via a sealing material and can reciprocate in the vertical direction (the extending direction of the column 20).

  The column 20 is disposed between the movable lid 21 and the fixed lid 22, and the column 20 having both ends covered with a pair of lids is installed by being lifted from the installation surface by supporting the fixed lid 22 on the support frame 12. The extending direction of the column 20 is perpendicular to the installation surface, and the cross section of the column 20 is substantially horizontal to the installation surface. Since the chromatography apparatus 1 has the movable lid 21 as the upper side and the fixed lid 22 as the lower side, the following description will be made with the movable lid 21 side as the upper side and the fixed lid 22 side as the lower side.

  The side of the column 20 is surrounded by the support 30. The support base 30 has legs 301 that extend in the same direction as the extending direction of the column 20 and are perpendicular to the installation surface. In this example, the legs 301 are set as a set of three legs, and the two sets of legs 301 are arranged so as to face each other across the column 20. The legs 301 located outside the three legs 301 and facing each other across the column 20 are connected to each other by a reinforcing plate 303. Further, the lower portions of the pair of three legs 301 are connected to each other by a lower reinforcing plate 304. Therefore, the support base 30 has a rectangular frame shape in plan view. Although this embodiment is described in a state where the reinforcing plate 303 is caught on the front and back as shown in FIG. 1, the terms such as front, back, and side are only used for convenience of description. .

  One set of three legs 301 supports one jack base 302. The jack 17 is held on the jack stand 302 in a suspended state. Two jacks 17 are held in one jack base 302, but the number of jacks 17 is not limited to this. The jack table 302 is provided with the column 20 in between. In this embodiment, two jacks 17 are assembled and arranged in a line on one side of the column 20, and another two jacks 17 are assembled. Are substantially aligned in the opposite side of the column 20. Thus, the chromatography apparatus 1 can be reduced in height by arranging the jack 17 on the side of the column 20. Moreover, the space | interval between the jacks 17 which oppose on both sides of the column 20 is made wider than the fixed lid | cover 22, and the fixed lid | cover 22 can be moved to the horizontal direction from between the jacks 17. FIG.

  Each jack 17 has a reciprocating rod 171 extending substantially vertically upward from one end side. The reciprocating rod 171 is connected to the movable frame 11.

  The movable frame 11 includes a support rod 111, a pair of connecting rods 112, and a reinforcing rod 113. The connecting rod 112 and the reinforcing rod 113 extend horizontally on the installation surface. Each connecting rod 112 is connected to the tip (upper end) of a reciprocating rod 171 that is held by the same jack stand 302 and extends from a pair of jacks 17 arranged on one side of the column 20. Therefore, the pair of connecting rods 112 are above the column 20 and face each other with the column 20 interposed therebetween. The reinforcing rod 113 is orthogonal to the connecting rod 112 and connects the pair of connecting rods 112 to each other. In this embodiment, two reinforcing rods 113 are provided.

  One end (connection end) of the support rod 111 is connected to the connecting rod 112, and the other end (support end) is connected to the movable lid 21. As a result, the movement of the reciprocating rod 171 is transmitted to the support rod 111 via the connecting rod 112. As the jack 17, a fluid pressure jack capable of forcibly moving the reciprocating rod 171 upward or downward is used. Specifically, a piston is provided inside a cylinder filled with oil, and either an upper side or a lower side of the piston is selected, and a fluid such as oil is fed into the cylinder by a pump. The base end of a reciprocating rod 171 is connected to the piston. When fluid is supplied from the upper side of the piston, the piston is pushed down and the reciprocating rod 171 is forcibly lowered toward the fixed lid 22 side. . Conversely, if fluid is supplied from the lower side of the piston, the piston can be pushed up to forcibly raise the reciprocating rod 171 toward the movable lid 21 side. In order to smoothly move the movable lid 21 up and down, the movements of the four jacks 17 may be synchronized.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic view for explaining the movement of the movable lid 21 using the jack 17, and is a view of the chromatography apparatus 1 as seen from the front with the support base 30 omitted. When the reciprocating rod 171 is lowered (that is, moved to the fixed lid 22 side), the supporting rod 111 pushes the movable lid 21 and pressure is applied to the inside of the column 20. Further, when the reciprocating rod 171 is raised, the bearing rod 111 is also raised, and the movable lid 21 moves in the direction of being taken out from the column 20 as shown in FIG.

  The support pressure device 10 of this embodiment further includes a total of four auxiliary jacks 18 attached to each jack base 302 two by two. A lifting rod 181 extends from the auxiliary jack 18. The lifting rod 181 extends in the opposite direction to the reciprocating lot 171, that is, downward in the vertical direction toward the fixed lid 22, and is installed so that the tip thereof is in contact with the flange portion 202.

  In the present invention, the bearing end of the bearing rod 111 is positioned on the inner side from the vicinity of the outer edge of the movable lid 21. Specifically, the position at which the bearing end of the bearing rod 111 is attached to the movable lid 21 is the length from the liquid introduction path 211 provided at substantially the center of the movable lid 21 to the outer edge (that is, the movable lid 21 of the movable lid 21). It is in the range of 60% or more and 70% or less of the same length as the radius). More specifically, the attachment position of the bearing end is concentric with the circle drawn by the outer edge of the movable lid 21 and draws a circle having a diameter of 60% to 70% of the circle drawn by the outer edge of the movable lid 21.

  At this time, the support rod 111 is inclined with respect to the movable lid 21, and the movable frame 11 has a frame structure having an oblique member. The inclination angle of the support rod 111 may be about 45 ° to 75 °, for example, about 60 °.

  As described above, if the mechanism for moving the movable lid 21 is a skeleton frame composed of a plurality of rod-shaped members, the force for pressing the movable lid 21 can be dispersed. For this reason, the bar which comprises the movable frame 11 can be made thin, the plate | board thickness of the fixed lid | cover 22 can be made thin, and the chromatography apparatus 1 can be reduced in weight. Further, if the bearing end of the bearing rod 111 is closer to the inside of the movable lid 21, the entire movable lid 21 can be pushed more uniformly.

  The support frame 12 has substantially the same configuration as the movable frame 11, and includes a fixed-side support rod 121, a pair of fixed-side connecting rods 122, and a fixed-side reinforcing rod 123. The pair of fixed side connecting rods 122 extend horizontally on the installation surface and face each other with the column 20 in between, and the fixed side reinforcing rod 123 connects the fixed side connecting rods 122 perpendicular to each other.

  The fixed side support rod 121 has one end connected to the fixed side connecting rod 122 and the other end connected obliquely to the fixed side fixed lid 22. The fixed-side support rod 121 is also attached inside the outer edge of the fixed lid 22. Specifically, the fixed-side support rod 121 is 60% or more of the length from the liquid lead-out path 221 provided at substantially the center of the fixed lid 22 to the outer edge (that is, substantially the same length as the radius of the fixed lid 22). It is attached within the range of 70% or less. The inclination angle of the fixed-side support rod 121 may be about 45 ° to 75 °, for example, about 60 °.

  The support frame 12 is installed so that the fixed-side connecting rod 122 and the fixed-side reinforcing rod 123 are in contact with the receiving table 40 below the support table 30, and the column 20 with the movable lid 21 and the fixed lid 22 attached to both ends is provided. It is supported by the support frame 12 in a state of floating from the installation surface. The cradle 40 on which the support frame 12 is installed is connected to the support pedestal 30 along the lower reinforcing plate 304 of the support pedestal 30 and has a triangular prism shape in the figure. The shape may be sufficient and a plate-shaped thing may be sufficient.

  As described above, if the column 20 is supported by the frame-type support frame 12, it is not necessary to provide a flange at the upper part of the column and suspend the upper flange from the support base in order to hold the column hollow. Further, if the support frame 12 is used, the force applied to the fixed lid 22 is dispersed, so that the plate thickness of the fixed lid 22 can be reduced. Therefore, further weight reduction can be achieved by using the support frame 12.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. As a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 shows a support pressure device having a movable frame 11B different from the movable frame 11 of the support pressure device 10 of the first embodiment. Each supporting rod 111B of the movable frame 11B has a substantially Y shape in which the tip of one shaft extending vertically is bifurcated. The shaft of each support rod 111B is connected to each reciprocating rod 171 and supported by two connecting rods 112B extending in both the up and down directions, and the movement of the reciprocating rod 171 is transmitted via the connecting rod 112B. Has been.

  In this embodiment, the movable frame 11B has four supporting rods 111B, and the connection points of the connecting rod 112B and the supporting rod 111B are connected by a reinforcing rod 113B. Also in this example, the support rod 111B is attached to the movable lid so that the attachment position draws a substantially circular shape with a size of about 60% to 70% with respect to the outer circumference of the movable lid. Only the movable frame 11B, which is different from the support pressure device 10 of the first embodiment, is shown.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a part of a supporting and pressing device having still another movable frame 11C as the third embodiment of the present invention. The movable frame 11C includes the same support rod 111B as the movable frame 11B of the second embodiment. The shaft of each supporting rod 111B is supported by two connecting rods 112C extending downward and horizontally from each reciprocating rod 171. The reinforcing rod 113C connects the connection points of the connecting rod 112C and the supporting rod 111B as in the case of the movable frame 11B of the second embodiment. Also in this example, the support rod 111B is attached to the movable lid so that the attachment position draws a substantially circular shape having a size of about 60% to 70% with respect to the outer circumferential circle of the movable lid.

  As described above, the present invention can be variously modified within the range, and the fixed frame can be modified in the same manner as the movable frame.

  As a design example, using the same material, the chromatography apparatus 3 according to the prior art shown in FIG. 6 and the chromatography apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 were designed. In the chromatography apparatus 3 according to the prior art, in order to suspend the column 20 ′ from the support base 30 ′, the column 20 ′ provided with the flange portion 212 on the upper part was used. In the chromatography apparatus 3, the jack 17 ′ was provided so as to be perpendicular to the column 20 ′. Further, since the center of the movable lid 21 ′ is pushed by one jack 17 ′, it is necessary to increase the plate thickness of the movable lid 21 ′. Further, since the fixed lid 22 'is fixed on the outer periphery, it is necessary to increase the plate thickness of the fixed lid 22'.

  As a result of designing the column with a diameter of 2 m and a height of 0.5 m, the height from the installation surface (lower end) to the upper end of the chromatography apparatus 1 according to the present invention was 3.5 m, and the weight was 6,000 kg. On the other hand, the chromatography apparatus 3 according to the prior art has a height from the installation surface to the upper end of 5 m and a weight of 13,000 kg.

  Thus, according to the present invention, it was shown that the chromatography apparatus can be reduced in weight.

  The present invention can be used in a liquid chromatography apparatus.

The perspective view of the chromatography apparatus which has the support pressurization apparatus which concerns on the 1st embodiment of this invention. The perspective view from the front upper direction of the said chromatography apparatus. The front view of a part of the chromatography apparatus. The perspective view of the support pressurization apparatus concerning the 2nd embodiment of the present invention. The perspective view of the support pressurization apparatus concerning the 3rd embodiment of the present invention. The front view of the chromatography apparatus which concerns on a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 3 Liquid chromatography apparatus 10 Supporting pressurization apparatus 11 Movable frame 12 Support frame 17 Jack 18 Auxiliary jack 20 Column 21 Movable lid 22 Fixed lid 30 Support base 40 Receptacle 111 Pressure rod 112 Contact rod 113 Reinforcing rod 121 Fixed side support Pressure rod 122 Fixed side connecting rod 123 Fixed side reinforcing rod

Claims (6)

A chromatography lid for supporting a fixed lid, a movable lid facing the fixed lid, and a cylindrical column disposed between the fixed lid and the movable lid and reciprocating the movable lid in the extending direction of the column A supporting pressure device,
A plurality of jacks having reciprocating rods arranged around the side of the column and reciprocating in the extending direction of the column;
A movable frame connected to the movable lid and the reciprocating rod and transmitting the movement of the reciprocating rod to the movable lid;
The movable frame has a plurality of bearing rods connected to the movable lid, the bearing rods are inclined with respect to the movable lid, and a connection point between the bearing rod and the movable lid is set at 4 points . A supporting and pressing apparatus having a plurality of points equal to or greater than a point and a position where the distance from the center of the movable lid is 60% to 70% of the distance from the center of the movable lid to the outer edge. The support pressing device according to claim 1, wherein the movable frame further includes a connecting rod that connects the reciprocating rods of the plurality of jacks and the supporting rod. An angle formed by the bearing rod and the surface of the movable lid is 45 ° or more and 75 ° or less,
The support pressure device according to claim 2, wherein the connecting rod extends parallel to a surface direction of the movable lid. A support frame connected to the fixed lid and supporting the fixed lid;
The support frame includes a plurality of fixed-side support rods whose one ends are connected to the fixed lid, and a fixed side that is connected to the other ends of the plurality of fixed-side support rods and extends parallel to the surface direction of the fixed lid. The supporting pressure device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a connecting rod. The column has a flange at an end on the side where the fixed lid is disposed,
The support pressurizing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an auxiliary jack having a lifting rod whose one end is in contact with the flange and reciprocates between the movable lid and the fixed lid. A fixed lid, a movable lid facing the fixed lid, a cylindrical column disposed between the fixed lid and the movable lid and filled with a filler, the fixed lid, the movable lid, and the column A supporting pressurizing device that reciprocally moves the movable lid in the extending direction of the column,
The chromatography apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the supporting pressure device is a supporting pressure device.