6
Maintenance
Maintaining the Ion Sweep Cone and Ion Transfer Tube
Thermo Scientific TSQ Series Hardware Manual 79
Maintaining the Ion Sweep Cone and Ion Transfer Tube
To prevent corrosion and to maintain optimum performance of the API source, remove and
clean the ion sweep cone and the ion transfer tube on a regular basis.
Removing and Cleaning the Ion Transfer Tube
Buffer salts or high concentrations of sample can block the bore of the ion transfer tube. You
can easily remove the ion transfer tube for cleaning, however, as it does not require venting the
system before removal.
If the pressure in the ion transfer tube-skimmer region (as measured by the Convectron gauge)
drops considerably below 1 Torr, a blocked ion transfer tube could be the cause. Check the
Convectron gauge pressure by choosing View > Instrument Status from the EZ Tune
window. The pressure is listed under Forepump Pressure.
To remove and clean the ion transfer tube
1. Place the instrument in standby:
a. Choose Start > Programs > Thermo Instruments > TSQ > TSQ Tune to open the
EZ Tune window.
b. From the EZ Tune window, choose Control > Standby (or click the On/Standby
button) to put the mass spectrometer in Standby mode.
2. Turn off the flow of liquid from the LC (or other sample introduction device) to the
API source:
a. In the EZ Tune window, choose Setup > Inlet Direct Control. The Inlet Direct
Control dialog box appears.
b. Click the LC tab and click (Stop) to stop the LC pump.
3. Lower the temperature of the ion transfer tube (capillary):
a. In the EZ Tune window, click to open the Ion Source Devices dialog box.
See Figure 41.
CAUTION Lower the temperature of the ion transfer tube to 50 °C or less before you
remove it. Handling a hot ion transfer tube or ion sweep cone can cause burns.
Attempting to remove a hot ion transfer tube might cause it to bind and break in the
heater assembly or strip the threads of the ion source interface.
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