How to clean FID Jet?

[jpolreis]

I am having issues with our FID lighting and then once I get it lit it will go out after various amounts of time. I have checked the flows and they are all correct. I then tore apart the FID and removed the Jet and see that it is very dirty. I am using a Shimadzu GC-2010 and can't seem to find a cleaning procedure in the manuals. What is the cleaning procedure for this? I just want to try cleaning it to see if this helps solve the problem, while I am waiting for a new jet to arrive. Thanks in advance.

[dblux_]

... I am using a Shimadzu GC-2010 and can't seem to find a cleaning procedure in the manuals. What is the cleaning procedure for this? I just want to try cleaning it to see if this helps solve the problem, while I am waiting for a new jet to arrive. Thanks in advance.

Althou not Shimadzu, but appropriate for jets:
http://www.chem.agilent.com/en-US/Suppo ... 01441.aspx

[KM-USA]

I have Agilent, and have used the above cleaning procedure. We typically clean these only if we observe an issue, like noise or trouble lighting. Service engineers do maintenance on the regulated instruments every year.

copied from above link:

The Procedure for FID Jet Cleaning is as follows.
You can use FID Cleaning Kit (PN#9301-0985) for this procedure.
1.Run a cleaning wire through the top of the jet. Run it back and forth a few times until it moves smoothly. Be careful not to scratch the jet. (Do not force too large a wire or probe into the jet opening or the opening will become distorted. A loss of sensitivity, poor peak shape and/or lighting difficulties may result if the opening is deformed.)
2. Fill an ultrasonic cleaning bath with aqueous detergent, and place the jet in the bath. Sonicate for five minutes.
3. Use a jet reamer to clean the inside of the jet.
4. Sonicate again for five minutes.
NOTE: From this point on, handle the parts only with forceps!
5. Remove the jet from the bath and rinse it thoroughly, first with hot tap water and then with a small amount of GC-grade methanol.
6. Blow the jet dry with a burst of the compressed air or nitrogen, and then place the jet on a paper towel and allow it to air dry.

[Alexandre]

It is also how you start. Do not try to use much make up at the beginning, it simply will blow away the flame.
Concentration/solvent/amount/split of samples are important too, do not use solvent that gives you too much soot.

Start with no make up, this ignites easier, wait a bit to warm up and then increase makeup.
Depending on your application adjustments of air/makeup/split may reduce the amount of soot.

[jpolreis]

Thanks for the responses. The FID jet turned out to not be the issue. The issue was the H2 restrictor. The capillary tubing running through this broke off at the end somehow. So I am thinking there was adequate flow right at start up but after a while the H2 stored in the lines diminished and there wasn't enough flow able to get through the restrictor to keep the flame lit. And since I measured flows to confirm they were correct after the instrument had sat a while I got correct gas flows.