Were you able to join us on October 10th for our Agilent GC Live session? If so, we would like to hear your thoughts and questions. If you missed it, please see the video below.
Were you able to join us on October 10th for our Agilent GC Live session? If so, we would like to hear your thoughts and questions. If you missed it, please see the video below.
Time stamps refer to the above video.
(24:25) How do I determine Gas Saver On time or the time when Gas Saver turns on after the injection is made?
Default is 2 min/20mL/min. This can be adjusted based on sample time. We advise starting with default settings, evaluating the resulting data for response, peak shape or retention time changes. Heavier compounds may need more time at higher injection flows, and lighter compounds may work well for earlier implementation.
(26:07) What is the lowest Gas Saver Flow recommended by Agilent?
We recommend running at least 15 - 20mL/min to ensure all inlet zones have sufficient gas flow. Total flow is a combination of split or purge flow, septum purge, and column flow, so all zones need to have enough flow to operate.
(27:08) Are there recommendations for Sleep mode parameters on a GC-MS
Yes. We can switch from He to N2 on GCMS for sleep mode. Best practice is to maintain heated zones above 100C to prevent water condensation, and keep sufficient column flow moving into the MSD so the vacuum doesn’t pull in air. Recommendations would be keeping thermal zones around 110C and column flow at 0.5-0.7mL/min. The time needed to switch from N2 to He is typically 15-20 minutes, so 1 hour should be more than effective as a wakeup time.
(29:44) Are the helium consumption graphs only available in OpenLab CDS software?
These graphs are not part of the OpenLab software package. They exist on the GC and can be accessed through the touch screen or Browser Interface, which uses web browsing software to view information on the GC. Check out Episode 4 for more details on how to use this feature.
(31:50) When I make changes to the Sleep/Wake methods in MassHunter software, the software prompts the user to save. The default method is listed as the active method. Will the changes overwrite the active method or should we save the method as a different name?
We recommend saving as, and putting key info into the method name, such as gas type, sleep, creation date, etc. The default methods usually are protected and cannot be over-written, but this is not a blanket statement, and we don’t know which version of MassHunter is installed.
As a best practice, we advise building the method independently, saving as Sleep_N2_’DATE’.M or similar, then browsing to the method location using the scheduling tools, as opposed to creating the method within the tool itself.
34:07 What is the best way to access the Agilent Community?
Google search ‘Agilent Community’
QR Code slide 17 (PS You are here 
).
Link on GC product pages and on Agilent.com
35:13 Is there a time when Gas Saver is not recommended?
Yes. If your total flow is below the gas saver setpoint, the system will increase the flows to reach that value. As long as your method total flow is larger than the gas saver setting, gas saver is a good option for conserving helium.
36:17 If you have a sequence running, and sleep mode is scheduled before the end of the sequence, how can I be sure that I won’t lose any data?
Sleep mode cannot be enabled until the GC is in an idle state. During a sequence, the GC never reaches this state, so it should not go to sleep as long as there are runs in the queue. However, if there are any doubts, create a dummy sequence, set an arbitrary sleep time before the projected end of sequence, and verify.
37:23 How do you change makeup gas?
39:12 Can I use the Helium Conservation Module with backflush?
Absolutely. This makes the most sense, and we want the carrier gas to be consistent throughout our flowpath. To do this, simply tee all of the affected zones together between the ‘Out’ line of the Helium Conservation Module and each involved EPC connections. When helium is selected, the module will provide helium to the tee, which will supply both the inlet and the PSD/PCM/AuxEPC driving the backflush.
Time stamps refer to the above video.
(24:25) How do I determine Gas Saver On time or the time when Gas Saver turns on after the injection is made?
Default is 2 min/20mL/min. This can be adjusted based on sample time. We advise starting with default settings, evaluating the resulting data for response, peak shape or retention time changes. Heavier compounds may need more time at higher injection flows, and lighter compounds may work well for earlier implementation.
(26:07) What is the lowest Gas Saver Flow recommended by Agilent?
We recommend running at least 15 - 20mL/min to ensure all inlet zones have sufficient gas flow. Total flow is a combination of split or purge flow, septum purge, and column flow, so all zones need to have enough flow to operate.
(27:08) Are there recommendations for Sleep mode parameters on a GC-MS
Yes. We can switch from He to N2 on GCMS for sleep mode. Best practice is to maintain heated zones above 100C to prevent water condensation, and keep sufficient column flow moving into the MSD so the vacuum doesn’t pull in air. Recommendations would be keeping thermal zones around 110C and column flow at 0.5-0.7mL/min. The time needed to switch from N2 to He is typically 15-20 minutes, so 1 hour should be more than effective as a wakeup time.
(29:44) Are the helium consumption graphs only available in OpenLab CDS software?
These graphs are not part of the OpenLab software package. They exist on the GC and can be accessed through the touch screen or Browser Interface, which uses web browsing software to view information on the GC. Check out Episode 4 for more details on how to use this feature.
(31:50) When I make changes to the Sleep/Wake methods in MassHunter software, the software prompts the user to save. The default method is listed as the active method. Will the changes overwrite the active method or should we save the method as a different name?
We recommend saving as, and putting key info into the method name, such as gas type, sleep, creation date, etc. The default methods usually are protected and cannot be over-written, but this is not a blanket statement, and we don’t know which version of MassHunter is installed.
As a best practice, we advise building the method independently, saving as Sleep_N2_’DATE’.M or similar, then browsing to the method location using the scheduling tools, as opposed to creating the method within the tool itself.
34:07 What is the best way to access the Agilent Community?
Google search ‘Agilent Community’
QR Code slide 17 (PS You are here ).
Link on GC product pages and on Agilent.com
35:13 Is there a time when Gas Saver is not recommended?
Yes. If your total flow is below the gas saver setpoint, the system will increase the flows to reach that value. As long as your method total flow is larger than the gas saver setting, gas saver is a good option for conserving helium.
36:17 If you have a sequence running, and sleep mode is scheduled before the end of the sequence, how can I be sure that I won’t lose any data?
Sleep mode cannot be enabled until the GC is in an idle state. During a sequence, the GC never reaches this state, so it should not go to sleep as long as there are runs in the queue. However, if there are any doubts, create a dummy sequence, set an arbitrary sleep time before the projected end of sequence, and verify.
37:23 How do you change makeup gas?
39:12 Can I use the Helium Conservation Module with backflush?
Absolutely. This makes the most sense, and we want the carrier gas to be consistent throughout our flowpath. To do this, simply tee all of the affected zones together between the ‘Out’ line of the Helium Conservation Module and each involved EPC connections. When helium is selected, the module will provide helium to the tee, which will supply both the inlet and the PSD/PCM/AuxEPC driving the backflush.