Column oven

A column oven, for heating or cooling one heat block contacting a column, and adjusting a temperature of the column through heat transmission from the heat block, the one heat block having a longitudinal direction of from an influx of the column to an outflux of the column, and the column oven comprising:

• a) a plurality of temperature adjustment bodies, separately disposed along the longitudinal direction of the heat block, and heating or cooling the heat block;
• b) a plurality of temperature sensors, measuring temperatures of the heat block adjacent to the temperature adjustment bodies;
• c) a control unit, controlling the corresponding temperature adjustment bodies independently according to the temperatures of the heat block measured by the temperature sensors;
• and
• d) a temperature determination unit, respectively determining setting temperatures of temperature adjustment bodies according to an analysis condition that at least comprises a temperature of the column oven and a flow of a mobile phase applied in an analysis,
• wherein
• the control unit controls the temperature adjustment bodies in a manner of enabling the temperatures measured by the temperature sensors to reach the setting temperatures of the temperature adjustment bodies,
• the temperature determination unit determining the setting temperatures of the plurality of temperature adjustment bodies comprises:
• when the heat block is heated through the temperature adjustment bodies, the setting temperature of the temperature adjustment body disposed nearer to the influx of the column becomes higher, and when the heat block is cooled through the temperature adjustment bodies, the setting temperature of the temperature adjustment body disposed nearer to the influx of the column becomes lower,
• the temperature determination unit derives a critical value of a setting temperature difference of the temperature adjustment bodies according to the analysis condition, and determines the setting temperatures of the temperature adjustment bodies in a manner such that the setting temperature difference of the temperature adjustment bodies is smaller than the critical value, and
• the temperature determination unit determines the setting temperatures of the temperature adjustment bodies and derives the critical value such that a temperature difference between the influx of the column and the outflux of the column is minimized.