Safety Practices and Hazards
Agilent Microwave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometers User’s Guide 9
Plasma
The plasma is extremely hot (about 6,000 °C, 11,000 °F) and operates
using high levels of microwave energy. The plasma emits high
intensity light. Always wear appropriate eye protection if viewing the
plasma. Close contact with the operating plasma can result in severe
heat burns to the skin, and exposure to microwave radiation can
cause sub-surface skin burns.
Do not operate the plasma if:
the microwave excitation assembly appears to be damaged
foreign material is present in the viewing port (left end of the
microwave excitation assembly) or the torch aperture (vertical
space for the torch)
the space above the chimney is not clear of objects
the MP-AES instrument exhaust system is not connected or
turned on
The microwave excitation assembly is designed to reduce microwave
radiation to safe levels while still permitting easy installation of the
torch and viewing of the plasma. The MP-AES instrument has an
interlock system that is designed to extinguish the plasma if either
the pre-optics window holder is opened or the torch is unloaded
before the plasma has been extinguished. Do not attempt to bypass
the interlock system.
Before opening the pre-optics window holder or unloading the torch,
extinguish the plasma by:
pressing SHIFT and F5 on the keyboard
selecting the ‘Plasma off’ option from the ‘Plasma’ drop-down
arrow on the MP Expert software toolbar
pressing the Plasma Enable switch on the front of the MP-AES
instrument
The torch remains hot for up to five minutes after the plasma is
extinguished. Touching the torch before it has cooled sufficiently may
result in burns. Allow the torch to cool before removing it from the
loader.
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