Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of solvent flow through chromatographic columns: effect of packing density on flow patterns

NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) techniques have been used to measure and characterise solvent flow through chromatographic columns. NMR imaging was used to track an injection of D2O. PGSE (pulsed gradient spin echo) NMR was used to measure the flow-rate dependence of axial and transverse apparent diffusion. A combination of these two techniques (dynamic NMR imaging) gave the spatial distribution of the local velocity and apparent diffusion through a cross-section of the column. Significant column wall effects were observed and these effects were found to be highly dependent upon the column packing density. The column performance was assessed in terms of the HETP (height equivalent to a theoretical plate) determined by the NMR techniques employed.