US-12623213-B2 - Fluidic system and corresponding method

US12623213B2US 12623213 B2US12623213 B2US 12623213B2US-12623213-B2

Abstract

A fluidic system for fraction collection comprises a switching valve having a plurality of ports for connecting first and second ports in different configurations. An inlet line is directly connected to the first port, and a collection device is directly connected to the second port. In a collection configuration, the first port and the second port are connected. The ports further comprise third and fourth ports, and the fluidic system further comprises a buffer section directly connected to the third and fourth ports. The fluidic system further comprises a first collection reservoir and is configured to position the collection device to expel a fluid into the first collection reservoir. In a buffer configuration, fluid flows through the inlet line, the first port, the third port, the buffer section, the fourth port, the second port, and the collection device.

Inventors

Thomas Wachinger
Zhicheng Zhang
Hongfang Wang
Yongqiang Li

Assignees

DIONEX SOFTRON GMBH
THERMO FISHER (SHANGHAI) INSTRUMENTS CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20220916
Priority Date: 20210922

Claims (12)

1 . A fluidic system, comprising: a switching valve comprising a plurality of ports that includes a first port, a second port, a third port, a fourth port, and a discharge port, wherein the switching valve is configured for connecting the ports in different configurations, the switching valve further comprising: a stator, wherein the stator comprises the plurality of ports, a rotor, wherein the rotor comprises at least one connecting element for connecting the ports in the different configurations, wherein the at least one connecting element is at least one groove, wherein the rotor comprises a groove connected to the second port and extending between the second port and the discharge port, wherein the switching valve is configured to: assume a collection configuration fluidly connecting the first port and the second port, assume a discharge configuration fluidly connecting the first port and the discharge port, and to transition from the collection configuration to the discharge configuration such that the first port is always connected to the second port or the discharge port during the transition; an inlet line directly connected to the first port; and a collection device directly connected to the second port, wherein the fluidic system is configured to assume a collection configuration, wherein the first port and the second port are connected, wherein the fluidic system comprises a buffer section directly connected to the third port and the fourth port, and wherein the fluidic system is configured to assume a buffer configuration, wherein the first port and the third port are connected and the fourth port and the second port are connected.
2 . The fluidic system according to claim 1 , wherein the ports comprise a pump port directly connected to a pump and a waste port directly connected to waste, and wherein the fluidic system is configured to assume a buffer section wash configuration, wherein the pump port and the fourth port are connected and the third port and the waste port are connected.
3 . The fluidic system according to claim 1 , wherein the switching valve comprises a first connecting element for connecting the ports.
4 . The fluidic system according to claim 3 , wherein the first connecting element connects the first port and the second port in the collection configuration.
5 . The fluidic system according to claim 1 , wherein the fluidic system comprises a first collection reservoir, and wherein the fluidic system is configured to position the collection device to expel a fluid into the first collection reservoir.
6 . The fluidic system according to claim 1 , further comprising a second collection reservoir, and wherein the fluidic system is configured to position the collection device to expel a fluid into the second collection reservoir.
7 . A computer program product comprising instructions configured to, when run on a control unit of a fluidic system having (1) a switching valve comprising a stator defining a plurality of ports that includes a first port, a second port, a third port, a fourth port, and a discharge port, a rotor having at least one connecting element for connecting the ports in different configurations, wherein the at least one connecting element is at least one groove, wherein the rotor comprises a groove connected to the second port and extending between the second port and the discharge port, (2) an inlet line directly connected to the first port, (3) a collection device directly connected to the second port, and (4) a buffer section directly connected to the third port and the fourth port, cause the fluidic system to perform a method, comprising: configuring the switching valve to assume a collection configuration fluidly connecting the first port and the second port causing a fluid flow through the inlet line, the first port, the second port, and the collection device into a first collection reservoir; configuring the switching valve to assume a discharge configuration fluidly connecting the first port and the discharge port; configuring the switching valve to transition from the collection configuration to the discharge configuration such that the first port is always connected to the second port or the discharge port during the transition; and configuring the switching valve to assume a buffer configuration, wherein the first port and the third port are connected and the fourth port and the second port are connected.
8 . A method of operating a fluidic system having (1) a switching valve comprising a stator defining a plurality of ports that includes a first port, a second port, a third port, a fourth port, and a discharge port, a rotor having at least one connecting element for connecting the ports in different configurations, wherein the at least one connecting element is at least one groove, wherein the rotor comprises a groove connected to the second port and extending between the second port and the discharge port, (2) an inlet line directly connected to the first port, (3) a collection device directly connected to the second port, and (4) a buffer section directly connected to the third port and the fourth port, the method comprising: configuring the switching valve to assume a collection configuration fluidly connecting the first port and the second port causing a fluid flow through the inlet line, the first port, the second port, and the collection device into a first collection reservoir; configuring the switching valve to assume a discharge configuration fluidly connecting the first port and the discharge port; configuring the switching valve to transition from the collection configuration to the discharge configuration such that the first port is always connected to the second port or the discharge port during the transition; and configuring the switching valve to assume a buffer configuration, wherein the first port and the third port are connected and the fourth port and the second port are connected.
9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising: with the fluidic system assuming the buffer configuration, causing a second fluid flow flowing through the inlet line, the first port, the third port, the buffer section, the fourth port, the second port, and the collection device.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the second fluid flow causes fluid to flow into the first collection reservoir.
11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the ports of the fluidic system comprise a pump port directly connected to a pump and a waste port directly connected to waste and the fluidic system is configured to assume a buffer section wash configuration, wherein the pump port and the fourth port are connected and the third port and the waste port are connected, the method further comprising: with the fluidic system assuming the buffer section wash configuration after the fluidic system assumes the buffer configuration, causing a washing flow through the pump port, the fourth port, the buffer section, the third port, the waste port, and towards the waste port.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the fluidic system includes a second collection reservoir, and the fluidic system is configured to position the collection device to expel a fluid into the second collection reservoir, the method further comprising: with the fluidic system again assuming the collection configuration after the fluidic system assumes the buffer section wash configuration, causing a fluid flow through the inlet line, the first port, the second port, and the collection device into the second collection reservoir.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority from China Application No. 202111106132.9, filed on Sep. 22, 2021, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a fluidic system and a method for fraction collection that may be used, at least as a part, in a liquid chromatography system, preferably in a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) system. More particularly, it relates to a flush function and a switching valve configured to be used in a fluidic system for fraction collection. BACKGROUND Chromatographic systems are widely used for separating a sample into its various components. More particularly, chromatography is a group of analytical methods for taking a sample (for e.g., a complex mixture) and separating its component substances, or analytes, from one another. In general, analytical chromatography is used to determine the existence, and sometimes the concentration, of analytes in a sample. SUMMARY Some components, that may be called fractions, separated from a sample may need further sample handling, such as separation and analysis. They may then be collected into target vessels as separated fractions. Embodiments of the present invention relate to a fraction collector, which is a device of a fluidic system, preferably an HPLC system, to collect those target fractions. It may be appreciated that without collection of fractions, chromatography may only yield information on the composition of a sample but may not help to separate the different components. Fraction collection may thus form a part of most chromatographic separation processes. Separation of components may be of interest, for example, in purification of samples, or in chemical testing of different components of a sample, that may be particularly advantageous for medical applications. In a liquid chromatography system, a sample to be analyzed is pushed by an analytical pump through a separation column with the help of a solvent (that may be called a mobile phase). The separation column may be filled with an adsorbent material (that may be called a stationary phase) that may interact with the component molecules of the sample. Depending on the strength of interaction of different components present in the sample with the stationary phase, they are eluted from the separation column at different times. They may then be detected by a detector downstream of the separation column as peaks at different times, with strongly interacting components eluting as peaks later in time than weakly interacting components. As described above, it may be advantageous to collect the fractions eluted from the separation column downstream of the detector for further analysis. For example, the sample may comprise a plurality of components that all interact weakly with a first stationary phase in the separation column. A mixture of these components may then be eluted relatively early in the separation process. It may then be advantageous to repeat the separation process with a different stationary phase to allow for further analysis of this mixture that interacted only weakly with the first stationary phase. This may be of particular advantage in cases where only a limited volume of sample may be used for analysis and fractions may be collected from a first separation to conserve the volume of sample. Collection of fractions may be based on the detector signal, for example, on the identification of certain peaks, or on retention times in the separation column, for example, collection of a fraction that is eluted from the separation column between some start time and end time. These may be classified as peak-based and time-based fractionation, respectively. Time-based fractionation may be advantageously employed when the fractions to be collected have known, stable retention times or known, stable peak shapes such that a start and stop of the fraction collection process may be based on, for example, a slope of the peak shape. It may also be particularly advantageous for complex samples, where accurate differentiation between peaks may be difficult so that a peak-based method may yield inaccurate collection. However, time-based fractionation may provide low resolution as all the components that may be eluted in the time window chosen for collection will be collected in the fraction. Peak-based fractionation, on the other hand, may be advantageous when retention times and/or peak shapes are not known or are unstable. However, it may provide higher resolution than time-based fractionation, since only known peaks are collected as fractions. A relevant consideration for fraction collecting systems, that may be called fraction collectors, may be minimization of fluid volume lost to waste when switching reservoirs for collecting more than one fraction, for example. Another consideration may be the purity of fractions collected, for example, for fractions that may b