Managing a heat transfer characteristic in a temperature control chamber
A temperature control chamber includes a heat impact unit configured for heat impacting a sensor unit in accordance with a heat profile, the sensor unit configured for sensing heat impact response data over time in response to being heat impacted with the heat profile, and a determining unit configured for determining information indicative of a heat transfer characteristic in the temperature control chamber based on the sensed heat impact response data.
1 . A temperature control chamber, comprising:
a casing delimiting an interior and configured to enclose therein a sample separation unit to be temperature-controlled;
a sensor unit disposed in the interior separate from and outside the sample separation unit;
a heat impact unit configured to heat impact the sensor unit in accordance with a heat profile,
wherein the sensor unit is configured to sense heat impact response data over time in response to being heat impacted in accordance with the heat profile; and
a determining unit configured to determine information indicative of a heat transfer characteristic in the interior based on the sensed heat impact response data.
2 . The temperature control chamber according to claim 1 , wherein the heat profile comprises a heat pulse.
3 . The temperature control chamber according to claim 1 , wherein the heat impact unit is configured to heat impact the sensor unit with the heat profile by conducting electric current through the sensor unit.
4 . The temperature control chamber according to claim 1 , comprising at least one of the following features:
wherein the sensor unit comprises a temperature sensor;
wherein the sensor unit comprises a resistance temperature sensor;
wherein the heat impact unit and the sensor unit are configured so that the heat profile heat impacts the sensor unit and the heat impact response data is sensed via the same physical quantity;
wherein the heat impact unit and the sensor unit are configured so that the heat profile heat impacts the sensor unit and the heat impact response data is sensed via the same physical quantity, and the physical quantity is electric current and/or electric voltage;
wherein the heat impact unit and the sensor unit are configured so that heat impacting the sensor unit with the heat profile increases a temperature of the sensor unit by a value selected from the group consisting of: not more than 5K; and not more than 2K.
5 . The temperature control chamber according to claim 1 , wherein the heat impact response data comprises a recorded decay characteristic of a signal sensed by the sensor unit after being heated by the heat profile.
6 . The temperature control chamber according to claim 1 , wherein the heat transfer characteristic comprises a value of a Heat Transfer Coefficient in the temperature control chamber.
7 . The temperature control chamber according to claim 1 , comprising at least one of the following features:
wherein the sensor unit is arranged in the interior at a position with a heat transfer characteristic that resembles a heat transfer characteristic at another position in the interior at which the sample separation unit is arranged or is to be arranged;
wherein the sensor unit has a geometry that resembles a geometry of the sample separation unit arranged or to be arranged in the interior;
wherein the determining unit is configured to convert determined information indicative of the heat transfer characteristic at a position of and/or relating to the geometry of the sensor unit to an information indicative of a heat transfer characteristic at another position of and/or relating to another geometry of the sample separation unit arranged or to be arranged in the interior.
8 . The temperature control chamber according to claim 1 , comprising:
a heat transfer impact unit configured to impact the heat transfer characteristic in the interior; and
a control unit configured to control the heat transfer impact unit to adjust the heat transfer characteristic in the interior based on the determined information.
9 . The temperature control chamber according to claim 1 , comprising at least one of the following features:
the temperature control chamber is configured as a column oven for accommodating the sample separation unit as a chromatographic separation column;
at least one sample separation unit mounting provision configured to mount at least one sample separation unit in the interior;
a heating and/or cooling unit configured to heat and/or cool the sample separation unit arranged or to be arranged in the interior;
a preheater assembly configured for preheating a fluidic sample and/or a mobile phase before reaching the sample separation unit for separating the fluidic sample in the mobile phase arranged or to be arranged in the interior;
a heat exchanger for thermally coupling a heating and/or cooling unit with the sample separation unit.
10 . A sample separation apparatus for separating a fluidic sample, the sample separation apparatus comprising:
a fluid drive unit configured for driving a mobile phase and the fluidic sample injected in the mobile phase; and
the temperature control chamber according to claim 1 accommodating the sample separation unit for controlling temperature of the sample separation unit, the sample separation unit being configured to separate the fluidic sample in the mobile phase.
11 . The temperature control chamber according to claim 1 , comprising the sample separation unit, wherein the sample separation unit is selected from the group consisting of: a chromatographic column; an electrophoretic capillary; a biochemical reactor; a sample amplification device; a polymerase chain reaction device; and a dissolution apparatus.
12 . A temperature control chamber, comprising:
a casing delimiting an interior and configured to enclose therein a sample separation unit to be temperature-controlled;
a sensor unit disposed in the interior separate from and outside the sample separation unit and configured to sense sensor data indicative of a heat transfer characteristic in the interior;
a heat transfer impact unit configured to impact the heat transfer characteristic in the interior; and
a control unit configured to control the heat transfer impact unit to adjust the heat transfer characteristic in the interior to comply with a target heat transfer characteristic, based on the sensor data.
13 . The temperature control chamber according to claim 12 , comprising:
a heat impact unit configured to heat impact the sensor unit in accordance with a heat profile,
wherein the sensor unit is configured to sense heat impact response data over time in response to being heat impacted in accordance with the heat profile; and
a determining unit configured to determine information indicative of the heat transfer characteristic in the interior based on the sensed heat impact response data,
wherein the control unit is configured to control the heat transfer impact unit to adjust the heat transfer characteristic in the interior based on the determined information.
14 . The temperature control chamber according to claim 12 ,
wherein the target heat transfer characteristic is a heat transfer characteristic of another temperature control chamber to be emulated, and wherein the target heat transfer characteristic is defined so that, when carrying out a sample separation method for separating a fluidic sample by the sample separation unit located in the temperature control chamber with the target heat transfer characteristic, a separation result resembles another separation result obtained when carrying out the sample separation method in the emulated other temperature control chamber.
15 . The temperature control chamber according to claim 12 , wherein the heat transfer impact unit comprises at least one of:
a ventilator for generating a fluid flow in the interior;
a pump for generating a fluid flow in the interior;
at least one flap being movable for redirecting a fluid flow in the interior.
16 . The temperature control chamber according to claim 12 , wherein the target heat transfer characteristic comprises a target value of a Heat Transfer Coefficient in the temperature control chamber.
17 . A temperature control chamber, comprising:
a casing delimiting an interior and configured to enclose therein a sample separation unit to be temperature-controlled;
a sensor unit disposed in the interior;
a heat impact unit configured to heat impact the sensor unit in accordance with a heat profile,
wherein the sensor unit is configured to sense heat impact response data over time in response to being heat impacted in accordance with the heat profile;
a determining unit configured to determine information indicative of a heat transfer characteristic in the interior based on the sensed heat impact response data;
a heat transfer impact unit configured to impact the heat transfer characteristic in the interior; and
a control unit configured to control the heat transfer impact unit to adjust the heat transfer characteristic in the interior based on the determined information.
18 . The temperature control chamber according to claim 17 , wherein the heat transfer characteristic comprises a value of a Heat Transfer Coefficient in the temperature control chamber.
19 . A temperature control chamber, comprising:
a casing delimiting an interior and configured to enclose therein a sample separation unit to be temperature-controlled;
a sensor unit disposed in the interior and configured to sense sensor data indicative of a heat transfer characteristic in the interior;
a heat transfer impact unit configured to impact the heat transfer characteristic in the interior; and
a control unit configured to control the heat transfer impact unit to adjust the heat transfer characteristic in the interior to comply with a target heat transfer characteristic, based on the sensor data, wherein the target heat transfer characteristic comprises a target value of a Heat Transfer Coefficient in the temperature control chamber.
20 . The temperature control chamber according to claim 19 , comprising:
a heat impact unit configured to heat impact the sensor unit in accordance with a heat profile,
wherein the sensor unit is configured to sense heat impact response data over time in response to being heat impacted in accordance with the heat profile; and
a determining unit configured to determine information indicative of a heat transfer characteristic in the interior based on the sensed heat impact response data.