Contamination; Reproducibility; Cycle Time (Between Injections); Preventing Leaks - Waters ACQUITY UPLC I-Class System Manual

Tips:
• Use additional valve cycles (actuate the valve) if you suspect that sample
residue in the valve is causing carryover problems.
• When flushing the sample manager - FL, you can use more aggressive
solvents than those typically used to clean the system.

Contamination

To minimize contamination, ensure cleanliness during sample preparation
(verify that sample preparation tools are cleaned thoroughly, for example).

Reproducibility

The precision (area reproducibility) is less than 0.5% RSD for injection
volumes from 2.0 to 10.0 μL (See ACQUITY UPLC I-Class System
Specifications for details).

Cycle time (between injections)

The short run time of a UPLC separation requires efficient use of the time
between analyses.
The ACQUITY SM-FTN and SM-FL have Load Ahead and Loop Offline
features to help decrease cycle time. See the ACQUITY UPLC Console online
Help for details on how to use these features.
When using the SM-FL, you can employ a larger ID needle to help reduce
Tip:
cycle time.

Preventing leaks

Preventing leaks ensures that the system maintains adequate pressure and
sample integrity throughout the analysis.
Leaks can potentially occur at any tubing connection, gasket, or seal but are
most common at tubing connections. Low pressure leaks (on the intake side of
the solvent manager's pump) cause solvent loss and air introduction during
Contamination 2-5