Agilent Technologies 5977B Series

26 5977B Series MSD Troubleshooting and Maintenance Manual
1 Introduction
General laboratory precautions
• Avoid leaks in the carrier gas lines. Use leak-checking equipment to
periodically check for hydrogen leaks.
• Eliminate from your laboratory as many ignition sources as possible (open
flames, devices that can spark, sources of static electricity, etc.).
• Do not allow hydrogen from a high pressure cylinder to vent directly to
atmosphere (danger of self-ignition).
• Use a hydrogen generator instead of bottled hydrogen.
Operating precautions
• Turn off the hydrogen at its source every time you shut down the GC or
MSD.
• Turn off the hydrogen at its source every time you vent the MSD (do not
heat the capillary column without carrier gas flow).
• Turn off the hydrogen at its source every time shutoff valves in an MSD are
closed (do not heat the capillary column without carrier gas flow).
• Turn off the hydrogen at its source if a power failure occurs.
• If a power failure occurs while the GC/MSD system is unattended, even if
the system has restarted by itself:
1 Immediately turn off the hydrogen at its source.
2 Turn off the GC.
3 Turn off the MSD, and allow it to cool for 1 hour.
4 Eliminate all potential sources of ignition in the room.
5 Open the vacuum manifold of the MSD to atmosphere.
6 Wait at least 10 minutes to allow any hydrogen to dissipate.
7 Start up the GC and MSD as normal.
When using hydrogencheck the system for leaks to prevent possible fire and
explosion hazards based on local Environmental Health and Safety (EHS)
requirements. Always check for leaks after changing a tank or servicing the
gas lines. Always make sure the vent line is vented into a fume hood.