Two techs from Technical House continued work on the GC-ECD today. Specifically, they investigated the health of the detectors. After about 3 hours of work, they concluded that the back detector needed to be replaced and that the front detector was almost at the point of needing to be replaced. They also continued to emphasize the importance of supplying the instrument with gases low in oxygen and moisture. This work will not be carried out until CERES has developed a strategy for ensuring high purity gases will be delivered to the instruments at all times. I think that this is a wise decision.
Opened up instrument and a Technical House tech
Exposed electron capture detectors
I spent the remainder of the day looking through product catalogs for purifiers that could meet CERES' needs. I also consulted with Glenn Wilson and Kim Anderson of OSU for their opinions on the matter. Additionally, I took this opportunity to talk with Anna and Marie and teach them about how to properly instal in-line gas purifiers so that they worked effectively and reproducibly. Topics covered included: how to use an indicating purifier, proper sequence of purifiers, the purity of gases that the instrument requires, strategies for ensuring that purifiers are operating correctly. We will not be able to process anymore passive sampling device samples due to the limited amount of time remaining for my stay at CERES, . However, I will review how to use and fill out chromatography bench sheets with Anna tomorrow so that she can analyze the samples once the instrument has been set up correctly.
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