Wear-in Procedure in HPLC 1100 Agilent

[haiedc]

Dear all,

I read thís and did not understand the purpose of this procedure. It is just a swap in new seals is'nt it?

Thanks

link:
http://www.chem.agilent.com/Library/Sup ... cedure.pdf

[lmh]

I usually trust Agilent documents completely, but we have our 1100 system on a service contract with Agilent, and I'm pretty sure I've never seen an engineer carry out this procedure when servicing the pump.

[MaryCarson]

I confess, I do not recall doing this when I changed seals on 1100s. Is this new with 1200s to support their higher pressure limits?

Of course, it's always possible I was doing it wrong on the 1100s.

[unmgvar]

i know that it is advised to turn on the pump with MeOH or IPA for several minutes to yes make sure that everything is set correclty and that there are no leaks, but i never heard of the need to apply a constant "high pressure" to tighten and wear the seals.

it is very much advised for new NP seals to be very well washed with IPA before moving to the application mobile phase.

it says that it is for 1100/1200 systems yet the footer states that it comes from the 1200 isocratic reference manual.

Is it possible that Agilent is using new pump seals material and that we are not aware of it?
the part number looks like the one that i am familiar to see.

[Bruce Hamilton]

I've always done this on the 1100s, and I've seen the local technical support person perform it as well. I think the rationale was described in the 1100 manual, or the note that came with replacement seals.

I'm not at work, so I can't check, but the solvation ability and high viscosity of the IPA, coupled with the high pressure, means the seal is pushed hard against the plunger surface, and any superficial oily film on either surface is displaced to ensure a good seal in future.

I once didn't perform the seating procedure and the seals failed in a few days, so I take the time to perform it now. Not sure if the lack of the procedure was the cause, but I haven't had the same problem since.

I suspect systems that switch between different composition mobile phases are the most susceptible, and I regularly switch between normal phase and reverse phase with wildly-different compositions.

Please keep having fun,

Bruce Hamilton

[Consumer Products Guy]

And 1050s use the same seals and plungers...for the record, I've never done the break-in procedure, don't know if Agilent does when they do our "qualified" units.

[mbicking]

Like Bruce I am familiar with this procedure and have used it before. It has been around for many years. I think his rationale is correct regarding its purpose. It is probably worth doing just to be on the safe side.

Or, if you want to save a little time, perform the Pressure Test, which runs the pump up to 385 bar and holds it for a few minutes. It checks your system and probably sets the seals as well.

[haiedc]

Like Bruce I am familiar with this procedure and have used it before. It has been around for many years. I think his rationale is correct regarding its purpose. It is probably worth doing just to be on the safe side.

Or, if you want to save a little time, perform the Pressure Test, which runs the pump up to 385 bar and holds it for a few minutes. It checks your system and probably sets the seals as well.

Probably the high pressure helps set the seals, but I think it may need the plunger moving under high pressure as well, and that's the purpose of the wear in procedure.

[LCbob]

Hi

The procedure is basically to wear the seals onto the piston, the most important part is using solvent ( IPA ), which as far as I recall helps to soften the seals slightly thus allowing them to perfectly fit the pistons. This reduces the micro leaks prensent on all system ( agilent micro leak can be considered >2 bar drop at 390bar ). Interestingly I have found it doesn't make much difference on Agilent systems ( tested using a flowmeter ), but Waters alliance and TSP it really helps. Whether this is a consequence of the piston or the seal I dont know.

[scottythree]

As per the note in the document:

This procedure is required for standard seals only (5063-6589), but it will definitely damage the normal phase application seals (0905-1420).

I did that accidentally before!