Temperature control system for liquid chromatographic columns employing a thin film heater/sensor

摘要

A temperature control system for a liquid chromatographic column includes a thin film heater/sensor comprising a foil-like patterned heating element adhesively mounted between a pair of flexible electrically insulative layers. A patterned foil-like temperature sensing element is also coextensively adhesively mounted between the insulative layers in temperature sensing relationship to the heating element. The thin film heater/sensor is wrapped around the chromatographic column and is uniformly compressively secured in contact therewith by a spirally tubularly wound length of flexible wrapping. A remote temperature sensing element controls the heat output of the heating element a linear proportional fashion, thereby maintaining a predetermined temperature gradient over the length of the column. A pre and post-column heaters may be similarly wrapped with a thin film heater/sensors so as to appropriately control the temperature of the liquid entering or leaving the column. The heater/sensor may include a plurality of foil-like patterned heating elements and sensors displaced along the length of the column to define a plurality of heating zones controlled by a patterned foil-like temperature sensing element in sensing relation to respective one of the zones.