Distribution and collection panel comprising an upper screen (4), a collector (5), a separation plate (6) with outlet openings (11), a distributor (7), a lower screen (8), an injection/withdrawal tank (9) adjacent to the separation plate, and a jet breaker element (12) perpendicular to the flow (E) of a main fluid and comprising two solid jet breaker plates (13) that are: extended on either side of the injection/withdrawal tank; juxtaposed with the lower screen; disposed beneath the outlet openings (11); designed to direct the main fluid in the distributor in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the flow (E), the ratio I/L of the width I of the solid jet breaker plate to the width L of the lateral part of the separation plate being at least 0.1.

The present invention relates to a method for fractionating a feedstock into two or more fractions enriched with different components, and more particularly to a method for fractionating a feedstock into two or more fractions by a chromatographic sequential simulated moving bed (SMB) system, wherein the SMB system comprises a separation loop comprising at least 2 compartments; and wherein the method comprises a separation cycle comprising at least one feeding step, at least one circulating step and at least one eluting step; wherein the dissolved substances in the feedstock form a separation profile as they progress through the separation loop; and the separation profile is progressed more than once or less than once through the separation loop in each separation cycle; and wherein at least two flow paths are present in the separation loop during each feeding step of the separation cycle; and at least one of said flow paths is an active flow path and at least one of said flow paths is an inactive flow path.

A simulated moving-bed type chromatographic separation method separating a weakly adsorptive component, a strongly adsorptive component, and an intermediately adsorptive component, with eluents by using a circulation system in which a plurality of unit packed columns packed with an adsorbent are connected in series and in an endless form via pipes in which a feed solution supply port F, two or more eluent supply ports D corresponding to the eluents, an extraction port A of a fraction containing the weakly adsorptive component, an extraction port B of a fraction containing the intermediately adsorptive component, and an extraction port C of a fraction containing the strongly adsorptive component are provided in the pipes of the circulation system, and positions of the ports F, A, B, and C are set to have a specified relationship.

The present invention relates to a method for fractionating a feedstock into two or more fractions enriched with different components, and more particularly to a method for fractionating a feedstock into two or more fractions by a chromatographic sequential simulated moving bed (SMB) system, wherein the SMB system comprises a separation loop comprising at least 2 compartments; and wherein the method comprises a separation cycle comprising at least one feeding step, at least one circulating step and at least one eluting step; wherein the dissolved substances in the feedstock form a separation profile as they progress through the separation loop; and the separation profile is progressed more than once or less than once through the separation loop in each separation cycle; and wherein at least two flow paths are present in the separation loop during each feeding step of the separation cycle; and at least one of said flow paths is an active flow path and at least one of said flow paths is an inactive flow path.

A simulated moving-bed type chromatographic separation method separating a weakly adsorptive component, a strongly adsorptive component, and an intermediately adsorptive component, with eluents by using a circulation system in which a plurality of unit packed columns packed with an adsorbent are connected in series and in an endless form via pipes in which a feed solution supply port F, two or more eluent supply ports D corresponding to the eluents, an extraction port A of a fraction containing the weakly adsorptive component, an extraction port B of a fraction containing the intermediately adsorptive component, and an extraction port C of a fraction containing the strongly adsorptive component are provided in the pipes of the circulation system, and positions of the ports F, A, B, and C are set to have a specified relationship.

The invention relates to a method for separating a mixture in a system comprising a plurality of chromatography columns, the method successively comprising, in a cyclical manner, in a given part of the system: a step of collecting a raffinate; a step of injecting the mixture to be separated; a step of collecting an extract; and a step of injecting a mobile phase; the method further comprising: determining, in a node of the system, the history of a variable representing the concentration of at least one species contained in the mixture to be separated; detecting, within said history, a characteristic point between the beginning of a step of collecting the extract and the end of the following step of collecting the raffinate; comparing the position of the characteristic point in relation to a target position; and adjusting the carrier volume of the characteristic point, modifying the position of the characteristic point in order to bring the position of the characteristic point closer to the target position; the volume of the mobile phase injected per cycle being maintained higher than, or equal to, a minimum threshold and/or lower than, or equal to, a maximum threshold. The invention also relates to a computer program for carrying out the steps of such a method, to a storage medium on which such a program is recorded, and to a system comprising a processor coupled to a memory on which such a program is recorded.

The invention relates to a method for separating a mixture in a system comprising a plurality of chromatography columns, the method successively comprising, in a cyclical manner, in a given part of the system: a step of collecting a raffinate; a step of injecting the mixture to be separated; a step of collecting an extract; and a step of injecting a mobile phase; the method further comprising: determining, in a node of the system, the history of a variable representing the concentration of at least one species contained in the mixture to be separated; detecting, within said history, a characteristic point between the beginning of a step of collecting the extract and the end of the following step of collecting the raffinate; comparing the position of the characteristic point in relation to a target position; and adjusting the carrier volume of the characteristic point, modifying the position of the characteristic point in order to bring the position of the characteristic point closer to the target position; the volume of the mobile phase injected per cycle being maintained higher than, or equal to, a minimum threshold and/or lower than, or equal to, a maximum threshold. The invention also relates to a computer program for carrying out the steps of such a method, to a storage medium on which such a program is recorded, and to a system comprising a processor coupled to a memory on which such a program is recorded.

The present invention describes a device for distributing incoming fluid or for collecting fluid being discharged from a column forming part of an assembly of N columns in series intended to be used in a simulated moving bed separation process. The present device can be used to very substantially reduce the non-selective volumes at each column, while at the same time providing the flow with good synchronicity.

The present invention relates to a method for purifying a target product in a flow-through chromatography system comprises at least a first column loaded with feed material from a feed source. The at least first column is purged after binding of impurities and wherein the outlet of purged material from the column is subsequently passed to the feed source.

The invention relates to a method for separating a mixture in an installation comprising a first system comprising a plurality of chromatography columns, a second system downstream of the first system and a tank fed by an outlet line of the first system and feeding the second system with a continuous stream, the method successively comprising, in a cyclical manner, in a given part of the first system, steps of collecting a raffinate, injecting the mixture to be separated, collecting an extract and injecting a mobile phase; wherein the method further comprises the measurement of the purity and/or yield of at least one collected fraction, comprising: the determination of the concentration of at least two species of the mixture to be separated in the fraction collected in the tank; and the determination of the purity and/or yield of at least one species of the fraction collected in the tank.