Column manager with a multi-zone thermal system for use in liquid chromatography

A liquid chromatography system, comprising:

• a column manager receiving a solvent composition to be delivered to a liquid chromatography column, the column manager including a thermal system providing a multi-zone thermal environment for a plurality of liquid chromatography columns, the thermal system comprising:
• a plurality of spatially separated individually controlled thermoelectric chips;
• a column module housing a plurality of thermally conductive troughs, each trough residing in a separate thermal zone to be thermally conditioned individually by one of the individually controlled thermoelectric chips, each trough being adapted to hold one or more liquid chromatography columns therein;
• and
• a plurality of spatially separated thermal bridges, a first thermal bridge of the plurality of thermal bridges thermally coupling one of the thermoelectric chips to a first one of the plurality of troughs, and a second thermal bridge of the plurality of thermal bridges thermally coupling another of the thermoelectric chips to a second one of the plurality of troughs.

A method for providing a multi-zone thermal environment for liquid chromatography columns, comprising:

• individually controlling each thermoelectric chip of a plurality of spatially separated thermoelectric chips;
• installing one or more liquid chromatography columns within each compartment of a plurality of adjacent thermally isolated compartments;
• physically and thermally coupling one of the thermoelectric chips to a first one of the plurality of compartments and another of the thermoelectric chips to a second one of the plurality of compartments;
• and
• thermally conditioning each compartment independently of each other compartment in response to individually controlling the thermoelectric chip thermally coupled to that compartment.