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Thermo Fisher Scientific

Hydrating a Dionex ACES 300 or CCES 300 Capillary Suppressor

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Issue

Capillary suppressors are shipped with a hydration loop to ensure the capillary tubing stay hydrated. During long term storage or shipment, the suppressor can dry out which significantly impacts its performance. To avoid damage to the suppressor it is critical that it is hydrated before use, ensuring the ion exchange materials are expanded for proper operation. This document details how to properly hydrate the suppressor.

Note: This the most recent procedure for hydrating a capillary suppressor and will supersede the operator’s manual.

Environment

  • Capillary Suppressor
  • ACES 300
  • CCES 300

Procedure

The hydration of the suppressor is broken down into two separate parts. Part A dictates how to hydrate the regenerant chamber of the suppressor while Part B dictates how to hydrate the eluent chamber.

Part A: Hydration of the Regenerant Chamber

  1. When installing a new suppressorsuppressor, it should always be hydrated before use to ensure proper function. The hydration loop that the suppressor comes with should be kept on for the hydration of the regenerant chamber. An example of the hydration loop can be seen in Figure 1 outlined in red.

Hydration Loop.PNG

Figure 1. Hydration loop for capillary suppressors.

Note: The hydration loop will stay on for the hydration of the regenerant chamber.

  1. Remove the plug from the "Regen In" line (shown in the red box within Figure 2).

Capillary Suppressor Regen In Coupling.PNG

Figure 2. "Regen In" line of the CES 300 capillary suppressor, outlined in red.

  1. Disconnect the tubing going to the "EGC In" and connect it the "Regen In" coupler of the capillary suppressor.
  2. Hydrate the regenerant channel by pumping ultrapure water (Type 1 water, 18.2 MΩ resistance or higher) at 0.05 mL/min through the suppressor using the Prime/Flush function to allow the flow rate to be adjusted this low.

Note: The flow rate must be set via the “Prime/Flush” function as it cannot normally be set to 0.1 mL/min.

  1. Allow the system to flush ultrapure water through the suppressor for at least 30 minutes. Monitor the “Regen Out” of the suppressor to make ensure there is a constant outgoing flow of water as seen in Figure 3.

Regen Out Flow.PNG

Figure 3. Steady flow coming out of the "Regen Out" of the capillary suppressor.

  1. After steady flow has been observed for at least 30 minutes, turn off the pump.
Part B: Hydration of the Eluent Chamber
  1. Disconnect the hydration loop from the “Eluent In” and “Eluent Out” of the suppressor.
  2. Disconnect the “EGC In” from the capillary suppressor “Regen In” and connect it to the “Eluent In” of the suppressor.
  3. Hydrate the eluent channel by pumping ultrapure water (Type 1 water, 18.2 MΩ or resistance or higher) at 0.01 mL/min through the suppressor using the Prime/Flush function to allow the flow rate to be adjusted this low.
  4. Allow the system to flush ultrapure water through the suppressor for at least 15 minutes. Monitor the “Eluent Out” of the suppressor to make ensure there is a constant outgoing flow of water.
  5. Allow the suppressor to sit, undisturbed for at least 20 minutes.
  6. Install the suppressor in the IC Cube.
  7. Reconnect the pump back to the “EGC In” port and set the pump flow rate back to previous conditions.
  8. Turn on the pump and prior to connecting the “Eluent Out” of the suppressor to the CD cell, ensure there is steady flow coming out of the “Eluent Out.”
  9. If there is steady flow, reconnect the “Eluent Out” of the suppressor back to the CD cell. Startup the system and monitor the backpressure and baseline. The suppressor should be ready for use, if the hydration is unsuccessful, please repeat the procedure.

Note: Some symptoms of unsuccessful hydration are: high backpressure, high baseline, and high baseline noise.

Additional Information