FLOW CELL, DETECTOR, AND LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPH

• US 20120127469A1
• Filed: 06/18/2010
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tsukada, Nobuhiro, Togashi, Shigenori, Shoji, Tomohiro, Nagaoka, Yoshihiro
• Application Number:
  US13/388,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20120127469A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/436
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/746 detecting along the line of flow, e.g. axial
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/74 Optical detectors measurement of intensity, velocity, spectral content, polarisation, or phase of infrared, visible or ultraviolet light G01J

Abstract

In a liquid chromatograph, a flow cell, in which a direction of detecting light and a flow direction of a sample fluid are parallel to each other, and in which the flow direction of the sample fluid changes at the moment of the sample fluid flowing out of a detecting portion into an outflow channel and at the moment of the sample fluid flowing into the detecting portion from an inflow channel, is capable of suppressing a peak broadening of a chromatogram. A plurality of outflow channels are provided, which shorten a distance between a flow outlet and a flow bend in the sample flow. A plurality of inflow channels are also provided, some of which collide jets flowing into the detecting portion from the inflow channels and others of which produce a swirl of jets flowing into the detecting portion from the inflow channels.

Claims

1. A flow cell comprising:

a detecting portion, in which a sample fluid is irradiated with a detecting light;

an inflow portion leading the sample fluid into the detecting portion in a direction different from a flow direction of the sample fluid inside the detecting portion; and

an outflow portion leading the sample fluid out of the detecting portion in a direction different from the flow direction of the sample fluid inside the detecting portion;

in such a way that an emitting direction of the detecting light and the flow direction of the sample fluid inside the detecting portion are parallel to each other,

wherein,

the outflow portion is provided with one or more channels leading the sample fluid out of the detecting portion in a plurality of directions.

2. The flow cell of claim 1, wherein the one or more channels in the outflow portion lead the sample fluid in the plurality of directions to later rejoin to make a single stream.

3. The flow cell of claim 2, wherein the sample fluid is led out of the detecting portion in the direction intersecting the emitting direction of the detecting light with a right angle.

4. The flow cell of claim 2, wherein the sample fluid is led out of the detecting portion in a plurality of radial directions.

5. The flow cell of claim 2, wherein:

the inflow portion comprises channels to lead the sample fluid into branched streams before the detecting portion to make the branched streams rejoin in the detecting portion; and

the branched streams are led into the detecting portion in directions, which are offset from a direction to the central axis of the detecting portion, and which are symmetrical with respect to the central axis of the detecting portion.

6. The flow cell of claim 1, wherein the channels lead the sample fluid out of the detecting portion in two different directions symmetrical with respect to a central plane including the central axis of the detecting portion.

7. The flow cell of claim 1, wherein the channels lead the sample fluid out of the detecting portion in more than two different directions symmetrical with respect to a center of the end face of the detecting portion.

8. The flow cell of claim 7, wherein the sample fluid is led out of the detecting portion in a plurality of radial directions.

9. The flow cell of claim 1, wherein the outflow portion leads the sample fluid out of the detecting portion in the direction intersecting the emitting direction of the detecting light with a right angle.

10. The flow cell of claim 1, wherein:

the inflow portion comprises channels to lead the sample fluid into branched streams before the detecting portion to make the branched streams rejoin in the detecting portion; and

the inflow portion leads the sample fluid into the detecting portion in the direction intersecting the central axis of the detecting portion.

11. The flow cell of claim 10, wherein the inflow portion leads the sample fluid into the detecting portion in the direction intersecting the central axis of the detecting portion with a right angle.

12. The flow cell of claim 1, wherein:

the inflow portion comprises channels to lead the sample fluid into branched streams before the detecting portion to make the branched streams rejoin in the detecting portion; and

the branched streams are led into the detecting portion in directions, which are offset from a direction to the central axis of the detecting portion, and which are symmetrical with respect to the central axis of the detecting portion.

13. A flow cell comprising:

a detecting portion, in which a sample fluid is irradiated with a detecting light;

an inflow portion leading the sample fluid into the detecting portion in a direction different from a flow direction of the sample fluid inside the detecting portion; and

an outflow portion leading the sample fluid out of the detecting portion in a direction different from the flow direction of the sample fluid inside the detecting portion;

in such a way that an emitting direction of the detecting light and the flow direction of the sample fluid inside the detecting portion are parallel to each other,

wherein;

the inflow portion comprises channels connected to both ends of the detecting portion to lead the sample fluid into branched streams before the detecting portion to make the branched streams rejoin in the detecting portion; and

the branched streams are led into the detecting portion in directions, which are offset from a direction to the central axis of the detecting portion, and which are symmetrical with respect to the central axis of the detecting portion.

14. A detector comprising:

a flow cell comprising;

a detecting portion, in which a sample fluid is irradiated with a detecting light;

an inflow portion leading the sample fluid into the detecting portion; and

an outflow portion leading the sample fluid out of the detecting portion;

a light source emitting the detecting light towards the detecting portion; and

a photo detector receiving the detecting light, which has passed through the detecting portion,

wherein;

an emitting direction of the detecting light and a flow direction of the sample fluid inside the detecting portion are parallel to each other;

the inflow portion leads the sample fluid into the detecting portion in a direction different from a flow direction of the sample fluid inside the detecting portion; and

the outflow portion leads the sample fluid out of the detecting portion in a plurality of directions different from the flow direction of the sample fluid inside the detecting portion.

15. The detector of claim 14, wherein the outflow portion leads the sample fluid in the plurality of directions to later rejoin to make a single stream.

16. A liquid chromatograph comprising:

a fluid supply pump pumping a supply fluid;

an injector mixing a sample with the supply fluid;

a separation column processing a sample fluid sent from the injector;

a detector detecting an intensity of a detecting light after an irradiation with the detecting light of the sample fluid processed by the separation column; and

a recorder recording an output from a measurement of the sample fluid on the basis of the intensity of the detecting light detected by the detector,

wherein;

the detector comprises;

a light source emitting the detecting light;

a photo detector receiving the detecting light; and

a flow cell comprising;

a detecting portion, in which the sample fluid flows in such a way that an emitting direction of the detecting light and a flow direction of the sample fluid inside the detecting portion are parallel to each other;

an inflow portion leading the sample fluid into the detecting portion; and

an outflow portion leading the sample fluid out of the detecting portion;

the inflow portion leads the sample fluid into the detecting portion in a direction different from the flow direction of the sample fluid inside the detecting portion; and

the outflow portion leads the sample fluid out of the detecting portion in a plurality of directions different from the flow direction of the sample fluid inside the detecting portion.

17. A liquid chromatograph of claim 16, wherein the outflow portion leads the sample fluid in the plurality of directions to later rejoin to make a single stream.