Patent · US Expired

Process for controlling a pump to account for compressibility of liquids in obtaining steady flow

US4797834A · kind A · utility

56Cited by
7References
9Claims
0Family size

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 30, 1986
Grant dateJan 10, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 30, 2006

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T137/0324
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An apparatus and method controls a dual piston pump for a liquid chromatography system so as to pump a flow of solvent through the liquid chromatography column at a constant flow rate and with a solvent composition which is substantially equal to the desired solvent composition despite changing conditions of compressibility of the solvent. A computer is used which measures the time it takes the pump shaft to move through an overlap region in the pump cycle when both pistons are simultaneously pumping as normalized to the time taken by the pump to move through a constant velocity portion of the piston travel defined by the user. This time is compared to the time stored in the computer for the particular flow rate used to measure the time defined above for the pump to move through the overlap region for an incompressible solvent at low pressure as normalized to the time taken by the input piston to move through the same user defined segment of the constant velocity portion of the travel of the input piston. The ratio of these two times is then used in an algorithm to derive a correction factor for compressibility. This correction factor is then used to control the flow rate and the m…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.