Troubleshooting a 1290 Infinity or 1290 Infinity II with a Dry Pump Module

Answer

This Information Applies To: Agilent 1290 Infinity and 1290 Infinity II LC Pumps.

Issue

Solvent bottle runs dry. As the result, the pump has continued to run dry or solvent lines are filled with air. The difference between purge, condition, and prime functions and when to use them are explained.

Caution: Running a pump dry can damage the pistons and wear out the piston seals prematurely. Avoid this issue by stopping the pump flow when out of solvent. See How to Stop Pump Flow When Out of Solvent for further details.

Items Required

• Syringe (p/n 5067-6624)
• Syringe Adapter (p/n 9301-1337)
  

Warning: This procedure risks exposure to hazardous, toxic, or flammable solvents and reagents. Wear appropriate personal protective equipment as described in the material handling and safety data sheet supplied by the chemical vendor, and always follow good laboratory practice.

Steps to Follow

1. Replace solvent bottles with freshly prepared mobile phase. If the system has been left dry for three days or more, use LC-grade IPA to first restore flow and purge the system. Inspect the solvent filters for blockages, and replace if needed. If it does not work, go to Step 2.
   
   

   Tips: With PPE on, place paper towel underneath the solvent selection valve (SSV) and tubing to the degasser to catch any drips and avoid setting off the module's leak sensor.

2. Use Purge, Condition, or Prime functions via either Lab Advisor or Chromatography Data Systems. If those functions do not help, go to Step 3.
   1. Lab Advisor: Start Lab Advisor and connect to the HPLC. Navigate to the Instrument Control > go to Pumps > Control > turn on the pump (Figure 1).

      
      
      Figure 1. Lab Advisor 
      
      

   2. Chromatography Data Systems. Right-click the pump module:
      1. For 1290 Infinity pumps: select either Purge On, Prime On, or Condition On (Figure 2).

         
         
         Figure 2. UI for 1290 Infinity pumps 
         
         

      2. For 1290 Infinity II pumps: Prepare Pump (Figure 3).

         
         
         Figure 3. UI for 1290 Infinity II pumps
         1. Prepare Pumps, 2. Purge, Conditioning, and Prime options
         
         

   3. Depending on the current condition of the HPLC solvent lines, run the following options:  
      • Purge
        • Use when the solvents have changed, or the pump has been switched off, or to remove air bubbles from tubing after the pump has not been in use for a few hours or overnight.
        • Purge each channel with flow rate 3 to 5 mL/min for 5 mins or until there is steady flow from the waste tubing. If the flow or pressure fluctuates, follow the steps for Conditioning and Priming.
      • Condition:
        • Use when the pressure and/or the composition ripple is excessive. Condition can also be used to equilibrate the system with the solvents for the specific application for 15 mins. It is recommended to condition the pump after a long standby period, or after a repair, or as a part of the daily start-up process. During Condition, the pump delivers flow using the last method setting (flow rate, composition, and max pressure). It is useful to remove micro air bubbles in the pump heads.
        • In cases where the pump heads are completely dry, it may be necessary to skip conditioning and prime the system first.
        • To Condition the pump:
          
          • Ensure that the solvent type is correctly set and there is no evidence of a leak at the pump.
          • Set the flow rate to give at least greater than 200 bar, with 500 bar preferable (for example 1.5 mL/min) and A: 50% and B: 50% and a column suitable for solvents in use and pressure.
          • Run the Condition function for 15 mins or until the pressure is stable.
      • Prime:
        
        • Use when air has entered the pump heads, and the pressure ripple has not resolved by conditioning the pump, or when the pump heads are completely dry.
        • During Priming, solvent is drawn into all pump chambers simultaneously at high speed. This repeats 20 times and dispenses the solvent to waste.
        •  
        • It is also useful to free a potentially stuck purge valve.
          

          Caution: Never use the Prime function to fill empty solvent lines connected to the pump head. The process is stressful to the purge valve and seals. Use a syringe to manually fill empty solvent lines.

3. Prime the Solvent Selection Valve (SSV) and/or degasser. If priming does not help, go to Step 4.
   1. Unscrew the tubing between the solvent bottles and SSV (for High Speed or binary pumps) and/or degasser.
   2. Using the syringe with the adapter attached, gently draw solvent into the syringe to manually fill the tubing.
   3. Re-attach the tubing to the SSV, clean up any spills, and repeat this process for each solvent line. 
   4. Figure 4 is an example of drawing solvent through the degasser on Flexible/Quaternary pumps.
   5. Figure 5 is an example of drawing solvent through the SSV on High Speed/Binary pumps.

      
      
      Figure 4. Priming degasser in Flexible/Quaternary pumps
      
      

      
      
      Figure 5. Priming an SSV in High Speed/Binary pumps
                                               

      Caution: Only gentle force is required on the syringe to draw solvent from the solvent bottle to the pump inlet. Avoid pulling with excess force on the outlet of the degasser module (if installed) to prevent any internal damage to the degasser. After flow has been restored to the pump, run flow through the degasser at your desired flow rate for at least 10 minutes to ensure proper solvent degassing before starting any analysis.

4. Release stuck inlet valve for
   1. High Speed/Binary pumps
   2. Flexible/Quaternary pumps 
5. If the system has been run dry or air has diffused into the pump, it might require extra steps to get rid of the air again. 
   1. Following Step 2, turn on the Prime function.
   2. Purge the system with 3 mL/min, composition 50/50 and for 10 mins.
   3. Attach a column suitable for IPA and set the maximum pressure limit to the limit of the column.
   4. Run the system at composition 50/50 and a flow rate that gives a pressure close to the limit of the column.
   5. Turn on the Conditioning function.
   6. Observe the pressure fluctuations. The system is air free when the pressure is stable.
6. Once the pump has flow restored and the pressure is stable, if needed, replace solvents with those required for the analytical conditions and purge again the system to change the solvents over. Purge and equilibrate the system with the new solvents before use.

Tips: See Best Practices for Using an Agilent LC System for more information.

Learn how to effectively maintain your Agilent HPLC:  Agilent 1290 Infinity LC Systems with OpenLab CDS Agilent 1290 Infinity LC Systems with OpenLab CDS ChemStation Edition e-learning path available from Agilent education