United States Patent [19] [ii] Patent Number: 4,599,169
Ray [45] Date of Patent: Jul. 8, 1986
[54] HEATING AND COOLING APPARATUS FOR CHROMATOGRAPHY COLUMN
[75] Inventor: Curtis Ray, Benicia, Calif.
[73] Assignee: Varian Associates, Inc., Palo Alto, Calif.
[21] Appl. No.: 584,421
[22] Filed: Feb. 28, 1984
[51] Int. CI.* G01D 15/08
[52] U.S. CI 210/175; 55/197;
55/386; 210/198.2
[58] Field of Search 55/197, 386, 208;
210/198.2, 149, 175
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
4,038,055 7/1977 Varano 55/197
4,070,169 1/1978 Iwao et al 55/267
4,111,643 9/1978 Welland 432/48
4,181,613 1/1980 Welsh et al 210/179
Primary Examiner—John Adee
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Stanley Z. Cole; Allan M.
Lowe; David Schnapf
[57] ABSTRACT
A baffle divides a housing into first and second com
partments. The first compartment includes a chromatography oven having a fan for circulating heated air over the columns while the oven is closed and for sucking ambient temperature cooling air in the first compartment into the oven while the oven is open. Ambient air is sucked into a tortuous path in the first compartment. Cooling air from the second compartment flows into the first compartment via openings in the baffle. The cooling air flows over the oven exterior and is at least partially sucked into the oven by an oven fan while the oven is open. The oven heater, coaxial with the blades, is located between an oven wall and blades. A ring baffle, having approximately the same diameter as and coaxial with the blades, is located between the wall and the blades. A fan outside of the oven sucks air from the oven through an outlet while the oven is open. The second fan is separated from an inlet for the oven by a baffle having an opening through which air is sucked by the second fan while the oven is closed. The second compartment includes a casing for fluid flow controllers for the columns, which casing is maintained at constant temperature by ambient air sucked around the second compartment.
