Apparatus and a method are provided for bringing a well-fluid sample in a well through a sampling device which is in fluid communication with the apparatus. The apparatus includes: a dump chamber for receiving the well-fluid sample; a first hydraulic piston arranged in a first cylinder housing; a second hydraulic piston arranged in a second cylinder housing; a piston rod for mechanically connecting the first piston to the second piston to form a piston arrangement, the dump chamber being defined by the first piston and a portion of the first cylinder housing. The apparatus further includes at least one holding device arranged to switch between an active position, in which the piston arrangement is held fixed against movement, and an inactive position, in which the piston arrangement is allowed a movement relative to the cylinder housings.

A sample pre-compression valve for liquid chromatography applications is described. The valve enables a sample pre-compression while the solvent pump continues to conduct solvent to the chromatography column. Furthermore, the sample pre-compression valve includes an INJECT position, a LOAD position and a PUMP PURGE position, in which all connecting grooves of the valve are flushed with liquid. A use of the sample pre-compression valve is described as part of a sampler for liquid chromatography applications.

A sample pre-compression valve for liquid chromatography applications is described. The valve enables a sample pre-compression while the solvent pump continues to conduct solvent to the chromatography column. Furthermore, the sample pre-compression valve includes an INJECT position, a LOAD position and a PUMP PURGE position, in which all connecting grooves of the valve are flushed with liquid. A use of the sample pre-compression valve is described as part of a sampler for liquid chromatography applications.

The present invention relates to a mixing assembly for mixing a fluid, wherein the mixing assembly comprises a fluid accommodation portion configured to accommodate the fluid, and a wave source, wherein the wave source is configured to generate an acoustic wave. The mixing assembly is configured to inject at least part of the acoustic wave into the fluid accommodated in the fluid accommodation portion to thereby cause mixing of the fluid in the fluid accommodation portion. The present invention also relates to a corresponding liquid chromatography system, method and use.

A controller (50) of a liquid chromatograph (1) is configured to execute, as an analysis operation in an analysis unit (3), a sample injection step of bringing a high-pressure valve (10) into a loading state, sucking a sample from a tip of a needle (12) to hold a sample in a sampling channel (2), then connecting the sampling channel (2) to an injection port (16) and bringing the high-pressure valve (10) into an injecting state, and supplying a mobile phase from a liquid supplier (6), thereby injecting a sample held in the sampling channel (12) into an analysis channel (4), and an analysis step of separating components of a sample injected into the analysis channel (4) in a separation column (14) by bringing the high-pressure valve (10) in the loading state and supplying the mobile phase from the liquid supplier (6) after the sample injection step is ended. In a case where at least a predetermined condition is satisfied, after the analysis step is ended, the controller is configured to execute, as the analysis operation, a system cleaning step of cleaning a liquid flowing route from the sampling channel (2) to the analysis channel (4) by connecting the sampling channel (2) to the injection port (16) and bringing the high-pressure valve (10) into the injecting state, and supplying the mobile phase and/or a cleaning liquid from the liquid supplier (6).

An apparatus for separating a fluidic sample includes a fluid drive arrangement including fluid drive units for driving a mobile phase along a flow path to a sample separation unit, a sample accommodation volume for accommodating the fluidic sample and selectively fluidically coupleable with or decoupleable from the flow path, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to control pressure decoupling of at least part of at least one of the fluid drive units from the flow path, and enable the partially pressure-decoupled fluid drive unit(s) to pressurize the sample accommodation volume before fluidically coupling the sample accommodation volume with the flow path and/or to de-pressurize the sample accommodation volume after fluidically coupling the sample accommodation volume with the flow path for preparing a subsequent intake of fluidic sample in the sample accommodation volume.

An apparatus for separating a fluidic sample includes a fluid drive arrangement including fluid drive units for driving a mobile phase along a flow path to a sample separation unit, a sample accommodation volume for accommodating the fluidic sample and selectively fluidically coupleable with or decoupleable from the flow path, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to control pressure decoupling of at least part of at least one of the fluid drive units from the flow path, and enable the partially pressure-decoupled fluid drive unit(s) to pressurize the sample accommodation volume before fluidically coupling the sample accommodation volume with the flow path and/or to de-pressurize the sample accommodation volume after fluidically coupling the sample accommodation volume with the flow path for preparing a subsequent intake of fluidic sample in the sample accommodation volume.

A multiple channel selector valve includes a stator and a rotor that is rotatable with respect to the stator. The rotor face includes first and second fluid flow paths for transferring fluids to selected sets of passages in the stator. The fluid flow paths in the rotor face are specifically configured to accommodate high fluid flow rate regimes while reducing flow restriction.

A liquid chromatographic apparatus which removes air bubbles during preparatory operation for apparatus startup which includes a liquid feeding pump to feed a solvent, an injector to inject a sample into the solvent, a separation column to receive the solvent and the sample through the injector and separate the sample into components, a detector to detect the components supplied from the separation column, a pressure sensor to measure a pressure in a solvent flow channel of the liquid feeding pump, and a controller to control a purge operation for removing air bubbles in the solvent flow channel by the liquid feeding pump, judges whether a pressure change amount in the solvent flow channel measured by the pressure sensor during the purge operation is a specified change amount or larger, and completes the air bubble removal operation when the pressure change amount is the specified change amount or larger.

A flowpath switch valve is configured for extended service life by spreading the region, of the sliding surfaces of a stator and a rotor, that is subject to wear over the entirety of the sliding surfaces. The stator has fixed stator flowpaths, and the rotor has rotor flowpaths. A flowpath switch valve, depending on the rotor rotation state, realizes connection patterns that include: a first connection pattern wherein a rotor flowpath 241 connects a fixed stator flowpath 31 and a fixed stator flowpath 32; a second connection pattern wherein the rotor flowpath 241 connects the fixed stator flowpath 31 and a fixed stator flowpath 36; a third connection pattern wherein a rotor flowpath 242 connects the fixed stator flowpath 31 and the fixed stator flowpath 32; and a fourth connection pattern wherein the rotor flowpath 242 connects the fixed stator flowpath 31 and the fixed stator flowpath 36.