Isoprime User’s Guide
Version 1.02 Background Information Page 166 of 219
FAILURE OF HELIUM SUPPLY
Caution: failure of the helium flow may damage the mass spectrometer.
It is essential that the helium flow is not interrupted whenever the Nupro isolation valve is open.
If there is not a continuous flow of helium, air will enter at the open splits and flow into the
mass spectrometer. The source filament may be damaged. The user is advised to monitor the
amount of gas remaining in the helium supply bottle, particularly before leaving at night and at
weekends.
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE OF THE MASS SPECTROMETER
Many of the problems associated with poor instrument performance can be prevented with
regular and effective maintenance. The main aim of routine maintenance is to rectify potential
problems before they affect the accuracy of the instrument.
Users should spend approximately two days servicing the instrument every six months. The
following procedures should be carried out at intervals of no greater than six months, unless a
shorter time period is specified in the manufacturer’s manual.
Caution: refer to the manufacturers' guides for details of routine
maintenance of components such as rotary pumps, turbomolecular pumps
and air compressors.
CHANGING THE ROTARY PUMP OIL
A rotary pump is a mechanical pump that relies heavily upon the performance of the oil to
provide lubrication and cooling. The oil slowly breaks down during use, which reduces the
pumping efficiency. New oil is a light brown colour, whilst old oil varies in colour from dark
brown to black. Oil that has been pumping significant amounts of water is cream coloured, and
the source of the water must be identified before resuming sample analysis. Running with old
oil for extended periods of time will result in the contamination of the analyser.
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