Heaters and their use in temperature gradient and traveling wave chromatography

A heater comprising a plurality of inductive heaters, each inductive heater comprising an inductive element and an aperture configured to receive a gas chromatography column, each inductive element comprising a plane being arranged substantially parallel to a plane of each of the other inductive elements, wherein each of the plurality of inductive heaters provides an individually controlled heating zone along a longitudinal axis of the gas chromatography column positioned in the apertures of the inductive heaters, each individually controlled heating zone corresponding to a position of a respective inductive element, the heater further comprising a thermally conductive support positioned in the apertures, wherein the gas chromatography column is wound around the thermally conductive support to position the longitudinal axis of the gas chromatography column perpendicular to a radial plane of each inductive element of the inductive heaters, and wherein the thermally conductive support is magnetically coupled to each of the inductive elements.

A method of providing a thermal gradient to a gas chromatography column, the method comprising individually controlling a temperature at each of a plurality of heating zones along a longitudinal axis of the gas chromatography column using a plurality of individual inductive heaters, wherein the temperature at each heating zone is controlled using a respective one of the plurality of individual inductive heater, wherein each individual inductive heater comprises an inductive element and an aperture configured to receive the gas chromatography column, wherein a space is present between each inductive element and the gas chromatography column when the gas chromatography column is positioned within the apertures of each inductive element of the plurality of individual inductive heaters, and wherein the temperature at a heating zone at an inlet end of the gas chromatography column is different than a temperature at a heating zone at an exit end of the gas chromatography column to provide the thermal gradient to the gas chromatography column positioned in the apertures of the respective individual inductive heaters.

A method of providing a thermal gradient to a gas chromatography column, the method comprising individually controlling a temperature at each of a plurality of heating zones along a longitudinal axis of the gas chromatography column, wherein the temperature at each heating zone is controlled using a respective inductive heater comprising an inductive element, and wherein the temperature at a heating zone at an inlet end of the gas chromatography column is different than a temperature at a heating zone at an exit end of the gas chromatography column to provide the thermal gradient to the gas chromatography column, wherein the gas chromatography column is wound around a thermally conductive support that is configured to position the longitudinal axis of the gas chromatography column perpendicular to a plane of each inductive element of the inductive heaters, and wherein the thermally conductive support is magnetically coupled to each of the inductive elements.