• Created : 
  • Modified : 
  • Category :  Agilent Knowledge Portal
  • Entry Type :  Article
  • Product Type :  ICP-MS Systems
  • Component :  ICP-MS Single Quadrupole
  • Product Name :  7700 ICP-MS 7800 ICP-MS 7850 ICP-MS 7900 ICP-MS 8800 Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS 8900 Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS
  • Task :  Maintenance Operation
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How To Purge the ICP-MS Helium Cell Gas Line to Ensure a Good Tune in Helium Mode

Answer

This Information Applies To: Agilent ICP-MS Systems

Issue

The Helium cell gas line on the ICP-MS may be contaminated with air and moisture in case of a tank replacement, or if the instrument was not used for an extended amount of time. Purging the Helium cell gas line helps ensure a steady supply of clean Helium to the Cell. It can also reduce the Relative Standard Deviation (RSD) of your tune results. This is especially true in cases where operator observes a high RSD in Helium Mode, compared with low RSD running in No Gas Mode. 

Symptoms:

  • Sensitivity is OK in no gas mode but can be extremely low (less than 10 cps) for tuning in He and H2 modes.
  • Common problem seen at installation, after maintenance of gas filters, gas bottle replacement. Usually related to insufficient gas line purge.
  • Another symptom is an upward drift for ISTD in He and H2 mode, while stable in no-gas mode.

Steps to Follow

  
Tips: Gas line purge is detailed in the Hardware Maintenance Guide / Appendix D

  1. Check that exhaust is working properly and that plasma is turned off.

    Agilent Purging.
    Figure 1. Dashboard showing plasma status is off.


    Dashboard showing instrument is in standby status.
    Figure 2. Dashboard showing instrument is in standby status.

  2. On the hardware pane, click Collision/Reaction Cell > Maintenance

    Dashboard showing Maintenance option for Collision Cell.
    Figure 3. Dashboard showing Maintenance option for Collision Cell.

  3. Click Open Bypass Valve.

    Maintenance screen showing the Open Bypass Valve was selected.
    Figure 4. The maintenance screen showing the "Open ByPass Valve" was selected.

  4.  Increase input gas flow gradually by 0.2 mL/min steps until desired value is reached.
    Purge time and flow depend on the total volume of the external gas line, but general set can be 8-10 mL/min for 3 hours or 2 mL/min overnight.

    Maintenance screen showing the Open Bypass Valve was selected.
    Figure 5. The maintenance screen showing the adjustment of Helium gas flow rate

Note:

  • MassHunter will be "blocked" during the purge time because moving to another window will stop the purge.
  • Maximum flows are 12 mL/min for He and 10 mL/min for H2
  • If flows are increased too quickly, instrument may turn into shutdown mode.

 

 
Learn how to effectively operate your Agilent ICP-MS system:
ICPMS-MULTI-2200e - Agilent ICP-MS with MassHunter: System Maintenance e-learning course available from Agilent education

 

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