Agilent InfinityLab LC Series Multicolumn Thermostats User Manual
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Introduction to the Multicolumn Thermostat
Operating Principle
Operating Principle
Figure 3
Hydraulic path
The Concept of Heating and Cooling
The design of the Multicolumn Thermostat (MCT) uses Quick Connect Heat
Exchangers that are mounted on to the heating and cooling devices with Peltier
elements. The solvent entering the Quick Connect Heat Exchangers is heated up
or cooled down to a settable temperature before entering the column. A
triangular shape of the Quick Connect Heat Exchangers prevents incorrect
placement and ensures optimum heat exchange of the solvent. Optimal
insulation of the heater room offers best temperature stability for the column.
This ensures that the column and the solvent flowing through it are almost at the
same temperature. The solvent cools down or heats up on its transfer from the
Quick Connect Heat Exchangers to the column inlet. This depends on several
factors: flow rate, setpoint temperature, and ambient temperature. Any type of
heated column compartment brings one important consequence for column
temperature equilibration. Before an equilibrium is reached, the whole mass of
column, column packing, and solvent volume inside the column has to be
brought to the selected temperature. This depends on several factors: flow rate,
setpoint temperature, ambient temperature, and column dimensions. The
column equilibrates faster at higher flow rates (due to thermostatted mobile
phase). In a flowthrough temperature regulation system, there are necessarily
Multisampler
Detector
Column
Heat exchanger
Valve
