Chromatography Forum

Hi all,

Has anyone used Empower 3 with Agilent GCs using packed columns? I'm using a 4m x 3mm packed column for an isothermal method. I've set the inlet pressure so that I'm getting my ideal flow (when measured manually out the the FID jet), but when I go to set up an instrument method in Empower, it won't allow me to run a column of undefined length/diameter/film thickness in constant pressure mode.

The Empower help manual says to 'set the column parameters as zero (0) to put the instrument into constant pressure mode, and select either constant pressure or ramped pressure'

However, when I do this, I get the two opposite options - constant flow or ramped flow!

Any ideas?

I am not an Empower user, but Agilent GC's will normally interpret a zero entry for column dimensions to mean that you are using packed columns. It will also depend on what the carrier gas source is. If you are using a PCM (Pneumatics Control Module), channel '1' of the unit can either be configured as constant flow mode or constant pressure mode.

Gasman