Gas chromatography column connector
AssigneeThermo Finnigan LLC
InventorsAdam Durgin BRYANT, Riccardo FACCHETTI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A connector for a gas chromatography (GC) column includes a receiving portion coupled to a ferrule receiving conical surface and a column holding portion. The column holding portion includes a column guide tube and a column retention spring to fix the axial position of the column and a compression spring to bias the column guide tube towards the ferrule receiving conical surface. When connected, a ferrule is compressed between the ferrule receiving conical surface and the column guide tube.
Claims19
A connector for a gas chromatography column, comprising:
- a receiving portion coupled to a ferrule receiving conical surface;
- and
- a column holding portion including:
- a column guide tube and a column retention spring to fix the axial position of the column;
- and
- a compression spring to bias the column guide tube towards the ferrule receiving conical surface;
- wherein, when connected, a ferrule is compressed between the ferrule receiving conical surface and the column guide tube.
A gas chromatography system comprising:
- a capillary column including a stationary phase for chromatographically separating components of a sample;
- and
- a connector including a receiving portion coupled to a ferrule receiving conical surface;
- and a column holding portion including:
- a column guide tube and a column retention spring to fix the axial position of the column;
- and
- a compression spring to bias the column guide tube towards the ferrule receiving conical surface;
- wherein, when connected, a ferrule is compressed between the ferrule receiving conical surface and the column guide tube.
A method of connecting a capillary column, comprising:
- deflecting a column retention spring of a column holding portion of a connector;
- positioning the capillary column within the column holding portion of the connector;
- releasing the column retention spring to fix the axial position of the capillary column within the column holding portion;
- and
- coupling the column holding portion to a receiving portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.