# US 2020/0400623 A1 · Fluid mixing by fluid supply lines with line-specific fluid pumps for liquid chromatography

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2020/0400623 A1
- Document ID: US20200400623A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/977,798
- Filed: 2019-03-01
- Published: 2020-12-24
- Earliest claimed: 2018-03-02
- Assignees: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
- Applicants: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
- Inventors: Clemens Plachetka
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200400623A1

## CPC

- G01N 30/34: of fluid composition, e.g. gradient (G01N30/36 takes precedence)
- F04B 13/02: of two or more fluids at the same time
- F04B 23/04: Combinations of two or more pumps
- B01D 15/16: relating to the conditioning of the fluid carrier
- G01N 35/1097: {characterised by the valves (valves in general F16K)}
- G01N 2030/027: {Liquid chromatography}
- G01N 2030/347: {mixers}
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)
- F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F)
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)

## Abstract

A liquid chromatography fluid supply apparatus, for providing a mixture of a plurality of different fluids as a mobile phase for a liquid chromatography sample separation apparatus, includes a plurality of supply lines, a plurality of fluid pumps, and a combining point. Each of the supply lines is fluidically coupled to a respective one of a plurality of fluid component sources for providing a respective one of the fluids. Each of the fluid pumps is associated with a respective one of said supply lines. The fluids from the supply lines are to be merged at the combining point. Each of the fluid pumps conveys or does not convey a respective fluid from a respective one of the fluid component sources to the combining point, depending on a respective switching state of the fluid supply apparatus.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A fluid supply apparatus for providing a mixture of a plurality of different fluids as a mobile phase for a liquid chromatography sample separation apparatus, which has a chromatographic sample separation device, the fluid supply apparatus comprising:
a plurality of supply lines, each of which is fluidically coupled to a respective one of a plurality of fluid component sources, configured to provide a respective one of said fluids;
a plurality of fluid pumps, each of which is associated with a respective one of said supply lines;
a combining point, at which the fluids from the supply lines are to be combined; and
a fluid conveying device downstream of the combining point, which is configured to convey the fluids to the chromatographic sample separation device;
wherein each one of said plurality of fluid pumps pushes or does not push a respective fluid from a respective one of said fluid component sources to said combining point depending on a respective switching state of said fluid supply apparatus; and
wherein the plurality of fluid pumps is configured to bring the respective fluid to a normalized initial pressure and to transfer it to the downstream fluid conveying device, which serves as a metering device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each one of said plurality of fluid pumps is switchable such that a respective fluid pump, depending on its respective switching state, conveys or does not convey a respective fluid from a respective one of said fluid component sources to said combining point.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 1, comprising at least one switching valve,
wherein each one of the plurality of fluid pumps runs continuously in operation such that, depending on a respective switching state of the at least one switching valve, a respective fluid pump conveys or does not convey a respective fluid from a respective one of the fluid component sources to the combining point.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 3, wherein at least one fluidic capacity is arranged, as a fluid reservoir, between the plurality of fluid pumps and the at least one switching valve.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 1, comprising at least one of the following features:
wherein the fluid conveying device is configured for drawing the fluids starting from the combining point;
wherein the fluid conveying device is configured for conveying the fluids at a pressure of at least 500 bar;
wherein the fluid conveying device comprises one or more piston pumps;
wherein the fluid conveying device is selected from the group consisting of: a binary pump; a quaternary pump; and a multi-channel pump.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 1, comprising at least one of the following features:
wherein the fluid supply apparatus is free from a proportioning device;
comprising a proportioning device for proportioning packages of the respective one of the fluids supplied by the supply lines.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each one of said plurality of fluid pumps is disposed in a respective one of said supply lines.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 1, comprising at least one of the following features:
wherein each one of the fluid pumps is configured to, in an active switching state, actively convey a respective fluid from a respective one of the fluid component sources to the combining point;
wherein each one of said fluid pumps is configured to, in an inactive switching state, not convey a respective fluid from a respective one of said fluid component sources.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said fluid pumps is selected from the group consisting of: a piston pump; a gear pump; a peristaltic pump; and a membrane pump.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 1, comprising at least one pressure sensor for detecting a value, which is indicative for a pressure in a respective one of said supply lines.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a respective switching valve in a respective one of said supply lines.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a multi-channel gradient valve is formed by said switching valves.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 1, comprising at least one pressure sensor downstream of the combining point.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a non-return valve downstream of the combining point, which is configured to prevent a backflow of conveyed fluids in the direction back to the combining point.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 1, comprising at least one sound sensor configured to detect a switching noise for monitoring the switching state of the fluid supply apparatus.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

A sample separation apparatus for separating a fluidic sample by liquid chromatography, the sample separation apparatus comprising:
the fluid supply apparatus according to claim 1 for providing a mobile phase in the form of the fluids to be combined at the combining point, wherein the fluidic sample is to be injected into the mobile phase; and
the sample separating device, which is configured to separate the fluidic sample that is injected into the mobile phase into fractions.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The sample separation apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising at least one of the following features:
the sample separation device comprises a chromatography separation column;
the sample separation apparatus is configured for analyzing at least one physical, chemical and/or biological parameter of at least one fraction of the fluidic sample;
the sample separation apparatus is configured as an HPLC apparatus;
the sample separation apparatus is configured as a microfluidic apparatus;
the sample separation apparatus is configured as a nanofluidic apparatus;
the sample separation apparatus comprises a detector for detecting the separated fractions;
the sample separation apparatus comprises an injector for injecting the fluidic sample into the mobile phase;
the sample separation apparatus comprises a sample fractionating device for fractionating the separated fractions.

### Claim 18

A method of providing a mixture of a plurality of different fluids as a mobile phase for a liquid chromatography sample separation apparatus, which has a chromatographic sample separation device, the method comprising:
fluidically coupling a respective one of a plurality of supply lines to a respective one of a plurality of fluid component sources for providing a respective one of said fluids;
providing a plurality of fluid pumps, each of which is associated with a respective one of said supply lines for conveying said respective one of said fluids;
combining the fluids from the supply lines at a combining point;
sequentially supplying the fluids from the supply lines to the combining point such that each one of the plurality of fluid pumps, depending on a respective switching state, pushes or does not push a respective fluid from a respective one of the fluid component sources to the combining point;
conveying the fluids by a fluid conveying device downstream of the combining point to the chromatographic sample separation device; and
bringing the respective fluid to a normalized initial pressure and transferring it to the downstream fluid conveying device, which serves as a metering device, by the plurality of fluid pumps.