Rear Seal Wash System - Thermo Scientific Dionex UltiMate 3000 Series Operating Instructions Manual

UltiMate 3000 Series:
NCS-3500RS and NCP-3200RS

5.5.7 Rear Seal Wash System

Rear seal washing helps avoiding damages to the pistons, piston seals, and support rings,
and thus prolongs the seal lifetime. For information about how to set up the rear seal wash
system, see page 67.
5.5.7.1 Working with Rear Seal Washing
The rear seal wash system is enabled and cannot be disabled. As a standard, one seal washing
cycle is performed per hour. However, you can start an additional wash cycle or stop a
running cycle.
1. Open the Commands dialog box for the pump module (→ page 89).
2. Select RearSealWashPump. If RearSealWashPump =
Idle, select Active to start a wash cycle.
Active, select Idle to stop the running wash cycle.
Observe the following:
• The seal wash solution is directed to waste through the UltiMate 3000 drain system.
Therefore, verify that the drain line is properly connected. If it is not, any modules that
are located below this module in the UltiMate 3000 system stack may suffer severe
damage from the liquid leaving the drain port.
• Always use fresh rear seal wash solution.
• Observe the precautions for the composition of the seal wash solution (→ page 122).
• There will be a warning when the reservoir is empty ("Rear seal wash system has run out
of wash solution"). Nevertheless, check the liquid level in the seal wash reservoir at
regular intervals.
• Regularly check the volume in the waste container for the seal wash solution. Empty the
waste container as needed.
5.5.7.2 Choosing the Seal Wash Solution
Observe the precautions for the composition of the seal wash solution:
• Make sure that the liquid used for rear seal washing is miscible with the solvent. This is
to avoid impairing the tightness of the pump.
• Make sure that the seal wash solution is compatible with the silicone tubing.
• For reliable detector performance, the seal wash solution must have certain conductivity.
Standard HPLC-grade water with 10% methanol is appropriate. (Isopropanol should not
be used as an additive.) To increase the conductivity, highly diluted acids can be used.
• If you have to use a liquid other than HPLC grade water due to the miscibility of the
delivered solvent, you have to make the liquid slightly conductive by using the
appropriate additives. Do not use additives with a high salt content or additives that cause
solid residuals upon evaporation. Be sure that with this liquid drops are present in the
detector.
Page 122 Operating Instructions