Multi-valving sample injection apparatus

A Probe-In-Loop (PIL) architecture sample injection assembly comprising:

• a rotor valve assembly including a stator element having a stator face defining an injection pump port, a metering port, a loop upstream port, a loop downstream port, an exit port and a waste port, and a rotor element having a rotor face in fluid-tight contact against said stator face, and defining at least one bridge channel;
• an injection pump fluidly coupled to the stator injection pump port for supplying mobile phase fluid;
• a metering pump fluidly coupled to the stator metering port for supplying or withdrawing metered mobile phase fluid;
• an analyzing device fluidly coupled to the stator exit port;
• a PIL sample loop assembly having a docking station, a probe, an upstream loop portion fluidly coupling the loop upstream port of the stator element to the probe to aspirate sample into the probe and dispense the aspirated sample from the probe into the docking station, and a downstream loop portion fluidly coupling the docking station to the loop downstream port of the stator element, said downstream loop portion having a discrete interior volume between the docking station and the loop downstream port;
• said rotor element being rotatable about a rotation axis to rotate the rotor face relative the stator face between:
• a Load Position fluidly coupling the metering port to the sample loop upstream port enabling the probe to aspirate one of a discrete volume of sample into the probe, during a Partial-Fill Mode, and a second volume of sample into the probe, during a Complete-Fill Mode;
• an Overfill Position, in the Complete-Fill Mode, fluidly coupling the sample loop downstream port to the waste port, and the metering port to the sample loop upstream port enabling the metering pump, when the probe is docked in the docking station, to dispense the aspirated sample from the probe into the downstream loop portion, and out of the loop downstream port toward the waste port to completely fill the downstream loop portion a substantially precise known volume;
• and
• an Injection Position fluidly coupling the sample loop downstream port to the stator exit port, and the stator injection pump port to the sample loop upstream port enabling the injection pump, when the probe is docked in the docking station, to inject the discrete volume of sample, in the Partial-Fill Mode, or the precise known volume of sample, in the Complete-Fill Mode, into the analyzing device.

A method of transferring sample from a sample source to an analyzing device using multi-function valve apparatus for use with a Probe-In-Loop (PIL) architecture sample injection assembly to direct a Partial-Fill or a Complete-Fill of the sample into a sample loop assembly, and to inject the sample from the sample loop assembly into the analyzing device, said sample loop assembly including an upstream loop portion coupled between the valve apparatus and a probe configured to aspirate and dispense the sample into a dock, and a downstream loop portion having an interior volume and coupled between the dock and the valve, said method comprising:

• providing a stator element having a stator face defining a loop upstream port fluidly coupled to the end of the upstream loop portion, a loop downstream port fluidly coupled to the end of the downstream loop portion, an exit port fluidly coupled to the analyzing device and a waste port;
• providing a rotor including a rotor face in fluid-tight contact against said stator face, and having a second bridge channel defining a discrete volume with the stator face, said rotor face being rotatable about a rotation axis relative the stator;
• loading a discrete volume of sample through the probe, in a Partial-Fill Mode, and a second volume of sample through the probe, in a Complete-Fill Mode;
• in the Complete-Fill Mode when the probe is docked in the dock, fluidly coupling the sample loop downstream port to the waste port through the second bridge channel of the rotor, and dispensing a portion of the sample from the probe though the dock and into the downstream loop portion, out of the downstream port, into the second bridge channel and out the waste port to completely fill the downstream loop portion and the second bridge channel with a substantially precise known volume;
• fluidly coupling the sample loop downstream port to the exit port;
• and
• injecting the discrete volume of sample, in the Partial-Fill Mode, or the precise known volume of sample, in the Complete-Fill Mode, into the analyzing device.