A liquid chromatography column, utilizing radial flow of sample material passing there through in an inward direction, comprising:
- a sealed housing defining a chamber therein;
- longitudinal closing opposite end sections of the sealed housing of which one end section is removable and provided by a screw lid, the screw lid having a radially outer depending skirt bearing an internal screw thread;
- a cylindrical housing wall longitudinally extending between and connecting to said opposite end sections and closing the housing, the cylindrical housing wall bearing an external screw thread that engages the internal screw thread of the screw lid;
- a first and a second longitudinally extending, cylindrical porous frit positioned within said chamber of said sealed housing;
- a doughnut shaped packing of particulate chromatographic separation material contained in a longitudinally sealed doughnut shaped packing space positioned within said chamber and intermediate said first and second porous frits, the first porous frit being adjacent said cylindrical housing wall and a sample material inlet channel of the housing, the second porous frit being positioned adjacent from said screw lid towards the opposite end section furthest from the screw lid;
- a longitudinally extending tapered core member, the tapered core member tapering towards an end section opposite the screw lid, such that a cross sectional area of a longitudinal centrally located outlet channel of the housing increases continuously in an axial direction, the tapered core member being mounted in a separate, self-contained partially penetrating through hole in the screw lid and such that the tapered core member partly projects outside the housing at a side of the screw lid, the tapered core member being a separate part bearing an external screw thread engaging an internal screw thread of a central bore in the screw lid;
- first and second o-rings sealing the core to the screw lid, the first and second o-rings being below the external screw thread engaging the internal screw thread of the central bore in the screw lid;
- a third o-ring sealing the screw lid to the longitudinally extending housing wall, the third o-ring being above the internal screw thread of the radially outer depending skirt of the screw lid;
- both the sample material inlet and outlet channels extend from outside the housing through said screw lid into the housing, the inlet channel extending straight externally from the housing, and externally from the housing the inlet channel is radially outwardly spaced from a longitudinal housing centre and extends at an angle of at least 10 degrees relative to the longitudinal housing centre;
- said porous frits are coaxially positioned with respect to one another and with respect to said tapered core member, said first porous frit having a larger cross-section than said second porous frit, and said tapered core member is centrally located in said housing chamber;
- a length of the tapered core member containing a longitudinally extending outflow channel connecting to said outlet channel, and the tapered core member covers a distance between the opposite end sections and keeps at a longitudinal end of the tapered core member a gap with the end section opposite the removable screw lid, and the outlet channel provides a straight extension of the outflow channel and extends externally from the housing such that a complete length of the tapered core member contains a channel provided by the outlet channel and the outflow channel;
- within the housing is a distribution space into which said inlet channel debouches, the distribution space tapering in a radial outward direction and merges at a radial outward circumference with the inlet channel;
- a collector space within the housing is operatively connected to said outlet channel, the collector space being delimited between a lower end of the tapered core member and a bottom end of the housing;
- said distribution space and said inlet channel being constructed to direct associated sample material, supplied to the housing to be separated in said packing of separation material evenly across a longitudinal length of said packing of separation material;
- said collector space and said outlet channel being constructed to remove associated sample material processed in said packing of separation material evenly across a longitudinal length of said packing of separation material,
- such that during operation of the apparatus said sample material enters the housing through the inlet channel and then flows further to become evenly distributed across the first frit and then flows in a substantially radial direction inwards through said doughnut shaped packing of separation material and then exits the packing space evenly distributed through the second frit and is subsequently collected by said outflow channel and then flows through the outlet channel to exit the housing;
- wherein the packing of separation material is contained in a removable, self-contained cartridge providing said packing space, said cartridge comprising the first and the second frit, a first longitudinal end wall, penetrated by the tapered core member, and a spaced, opposite second longitudinal end wall, said first and second longitudinal end walls connecting both frits and longitudinally sealing the packing space, which cartridge is separate from the screw lid and the cylindrical housing wall, such that the cartridge can be removed from the housing as a self-contained unit by removing the screw lid,
- the cartridge is positively located radially at the first longitudinal end wall of the cartridge by the radially outer depending skirt of the screw lid in that said skirt abuts and is fitted to said first longitudinal end wall of the cartridge, the central bore of the screw lid having the skirt circumferentially extending around the central bore, and
- the cartridge is located longitudinally by and is fitted between the lid and an inward projection of and unitary with the cylindrical housing wall at the level of the second longitudinal end wall, the design being such that the cartridge can be replaced by unscrewing the screw lid from the housing and subsequently axially extracting the tapered core member from the cartridge while axially removing the screw lid from the housing and subsequently the cartridge is lifted from the inward projection at the level of the second longitudinal end wall by axially extracting the cartridge from the housing, wherein the screw lid, tapered core member and cartridge move in the same direction relative to the housing, and wherein after passing the second frit the sample material collects at the lower end of the tapered core member and from there enters said lower end of the tapered core member and flows longitudinally through the tapered core member to exit the liquid chromatography column.