US 11,692,980 B2
Valve and splitting system for multi-dimensional liquid analysis
Carl W. Sims, Santa Rosa, CA (US); Peter W. Carr, St. Paul, MN (US); Marcelo Filgueira, Downingtown, PA (US); and Klaus Witt, Keltern (DE)
Assigned to Regents of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (US)
Filed by Regents of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (US)
Filed on Sep. 19, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/575,533.
Application 16/575,533 is a continuation of application No. 14/996,784, filed on Jan. 15, 2016, granted, now 10,429,361.
Application 14/996,784 is a continuation of application No. 13/422,168, filed on Mar. 16, 2012, granted, now 9,239,319, issued on Jan. 19, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/466,739, filed on Mar. 23, 2011.
Prior Publication US 2020/0025726 A1, Jan. 23, 2020
Int. Cl. G01N 30/46 (2006.01); G01N 30/32 (2006.01); G01N 30/10 (2006.01); G01N 30/72 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 30/463 (2013.01) [G01N 30/10 (2013.01); G01N 30/32 (2013.01); G01N 30/465 (2013.01); G01N 30/7233 (2013.01); G01N 2030/324 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A multi-dimensional liquid analysis system, comprising:
a first separation system including a first separation column, the first separation column configured to chromatographically separate a sample within a liquid mobile phase and to provide a first dimension outflow having a first outflow rate;
a flow splitter fluidly coupled to the first dimension outflow, the flow splitter configured to split the first dimension outflow into a first split outlet flow and a second split outlet flow;
a second separation system including a sample loop and a second separation column, wherein the second separation system is configured such that the sample loop receives a sample volume from the second split outlet flow, and wherein the second separation column is configured to chromatographically separate the sample volume from the second split outlet flow; and
a flow controller fluidly coupled to and located downstream of one of the first split outlet flow and the second split outlet flow, the flow controller configured to control the flow rate of the one of the first split outlet flow and the second split outlet flow from the flow splitter at a controlled flow rate to effectuate consistent splitting of the first dimension outflow to obtain, in the sample volume from the second split outlet flow, a representative sampling of compounds in the first dimension outflow for separation in the second separation system.