Solvent supply with correction of piston movement
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorsKlaus Witt, Konstantin Choikhet, Alexander Bierbaum
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A supply flow path for supplying a solvent is described. The supply flow path comprises a metering device with a piston, the metering device being adapted for metering the solvent. The supply flow path further comprises a control unit adapted for controlling the metering device's piston movement in accordance with solvent pressure, wherein a variation of the solvent pressure gives rise to a corresponding variation of a solvent volume contained in the supply flow path or a part thereof. The control unit is adapted for compensating for the variation of the solvent volume by a corresponding corrective movement of the piston.
Claims14
A solvent supply system for supplying a solvent, comprising a supply flow path having:
- a metering device with a piston, the metering device being adapted for metering the solvent, and
- a control unit adapted for controlling the metering device's piston movement in accordance with solvent pressure,
- wherein a variation of the solvent pressure gives rise to a corresponding variation of a solvent volume contained in the supply flow path or a part thereof, and wherein the control unit is adapted for compensating for the variation of the solvent volume by a corresponding corrective movement of the piston.
A solvent supply system comprising
- a first supply flow path comprising a first metering device with a piston, the first supply flow path being adapted for supplying a first solvent to a mixing unit,
- a second supply flow path comprising a second metering device with a piston, the second supply flow path being adapted for supplying a second solvent to the mixing unit,
- the mixing unit being adapted for mixing the first and the second solvent and for supplying a composite solvent with a mixing ratio of the first and the second solvent,
- a control unit adapted for such controlling the piston movements of the first and the second metering device that the mixing ratio becomes substantially independent of a variation of the solvent pressure of the composite solvent.
A method for supplying a solvent, the method comprising:
- providing the solvent using a metering device that is part of a supply flow path;
- monitoring a solvent pressure, wherein a variation of the solvent pressure gives rise to a corresponding variation of a solvent volume contained in the supply flow path or a part thereof,
- controlling the piston movement of the metering device in accordance with the solvent pressure, and compensating for the variation of the solvent volume by a corresponding corrective movement of the piston.
A method for generating a composite solvent with a time-dependent solvent composition, the method comprising:
- providing a first solvent using a first metering device that is part of a first supply flow path;
- providing a second solvent using a second metering device that is part of a second supply flow path;
- mixing the first and the second solvent and generating a composite solvent with a time-dependent mixing ratio of the first and the second solvent;
- monitoring the solvent pressure of the composite solvent;
- controlling piston movements of the first and the second metering device in a way that the mixing ratio becomes substantially independent of a variation of the solvent pressure of the composite solvent.
A software program or product, preferably stored on a data carrier, for controlling, when run on a data processing system such as a computer, a method for supplying a solvent comprising:
- providing the solvent using a metering device that is part of a supply flow path;
- monitoring a solvent pressure, wherein a variation of the solvent pressure gives rise to a corresponding variation of a solvent volume contained in the supply flow path or a part thereof,
- controlling the piston movement of the metering device in accordance with the solvent pressure, and compensating for the variation of the solvent volume by a corresponding corrective movement of the piston.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.