External Leakage; Maintenance - Thermo Scientific Prima PRO User Manual

External Leakage

Maintenance

Thermo Fisher Scientific
A limited amount of leak checking can be carried out with process
gasses connected and flowing e.g. leak checking of external
connections using a proprietary bubble type leak detector, such as
Snoop. It should be noted that the pressure in the RMS body may be
low or below ambient and it is very difficult to test rotary seals by
this method.
The best method involves a positive pressure test. Isolate or
disconnect / plug all sample lines and the exhaust line (<see the note
at the beginning of this appendix). Disconnect the transfer line
(Prima PRO) or sample line (Sentinel PRO) from the RMS, and plug
the RMS port(s). The RMS body should now be pressurised to
0.5 bar(g) with a clean inert gas (e.g. nitrogen) via one of the inlet
ports. The RMS body pressure should be monitored via one of the
unused inlet ports.
Once pressurised, isolate from the gas supply, and monitor the RMS
pressure as a function of time. The test is passed if the pressure falls
by no more than 0.05 bar in a 1 hour period.
If the test fails, leak check the accessible parts of the system while
still under pressure, including any external connections which may
also be pressurised. If the leak cannot be found, follow the
procedures for inspection and / or replacement of seals detailed in
"Maintenance".
Little maintenance is required on the system providing that the
incoming gases are correctly conditioned. The system will require
attention if there is a failure of the gas conditioning system resulting
in excessive liquid or particulate contamination.
The seals in hazardous area systems should be inspected on a six
monthly basis.
Caution!
Before starting any work, switch off all gas lines.

If required, the system should be purged with a suitable inert,

safe gas and the system exhaust isolated.
Liquid or solid contaminants might be encountered within the

RMS assembly during maintenance operations. The likely
composition of any such contaminants should be determined
so that appropriate safety measures can be put in place before
further work is carried out.
It is the responsibility of the user to assess the hazard

involved in breaking into any gas handling part of the system.
Prima PRO & Sentinel PRO Mass Spectrometers User Guide
Technical Description: Inlet
Rapid Multi-Stream Sampler
C-15