Salient_Characteristics_1.pdf

Specifications:

The Ion Chromatography system must meet the following specifications.

OVERVIEW OF IC SYSTEM:

1. Must be a totally integrated and configurable ion chromatograph consisting of at least a HPIC pump with conductivity detector with the ability to be field upgradeable to include any or all of the following:

• Eluent degasser

• Electrolytic suppression

• Eluent generation

2. Must be customer upgradeable to include any or all of the following:

• Column oven

• Integrated suppressor regenerant pump

• Seal wash pump

• Digital gas regulator

• Eluent monitor

• Auxiliary 6-port or 10-port high pressure valve

• Up to two auxiliary low pressure valves

3. Must be high pressure compatible, i.e. capable of continuously operating and displaying chromatographic results at pressures of 5000 psi using the appropriate high-pressure consumables.

4. Electrolytic eluent generation must be offered as an option and integrated into the system.

5. The conductivity detector must be integrated into the system. Other detection systems such as

UV/VIS, MS, and ICP must be available as an option.

6. Must have an electrically controlled eluent on-off valve, electrically controlled injector valve, electrolytically regenerated suppressor, and the appropriate columns.

7. Must have inert, nonmetallic PEEK (polyether ether ketone) fluidic components throughout the system flow path to ensure solvent compatibility and metal contamination-free chromatography.

8. Must utilize optical leak detection for laboratory safety and management to allow fast response to system leaks.

9. Must support optional non-invasive monitoring of eluent levels.

10. Suppressor must be operated continuously. Suppressor regeneration must be carried out electrolytically in either recycled or external water mode.

11. Must allow for single-range digital output that is auto-ranging with operating range to 18000

S/cm full-scale and single-range analog signal output to 18000 S/cm.

12. Must have, as an option, a built-in vacuum degas assembly which provides in-line degassing of eluents ensuring reproducibility and protection of eluents from contamination and decomposition. Control of the degas operation must be able to be automated to sense when degassing is required.

13. Must have Viper fittings as an option to offer lower dead-volume connections and require no extra tools or training to install and use.

14. The IC system must meet the requirements of EPA Methods 300.0 and 300.1 Parts A and Part B, ISO 10304-1, or equivalent local standardized methods.

PUMPING SYSTEM

1. Must be a PEEK dual-piston pump (in series), microprocessor controlled, with variable speed and Isokinetic Eluent Precompression.

2. The heads must be compatible with aqueous eluents of pH 0 – 14 and reversed-phase solvents.

3. The pump must be fully controlled through software; alternative control via TTL or relay closures.

4. The maximum operating pressure must be at least 5000 psi (0-35 MPa), pressure ripple <1% at 1 mL/minute, flow precision of ±0.1%, and flow accuracy of ±0.1%.

5. The flow range must be 0.000–5.000 mL/min without changing pumps or pump heads in settable flow increments at 0.001 mL/min.

6. The pump must have, as an option, a piston seal wash, which can be operated when connected to a rinse solution supply.

7. Pump must be capable of running 2 mm to 5 mm i.d. columns without modification of the pump heads.

8. Must allow for user-selectable high- and low-pressure limits to automatically stop the pump in the event of leaks, flow restrictions, flow blockages, or empty eluent reservoirs. The upper limit must be at least 0-5000 psi or 0-35 MPa.

9. Pressure limits must be settable in one-unit increments.

CONDUCTIVITY DETECTOR (CD)

1. Must allow for advanced single-range digital output that is auto-ranging with operating range to 18000 µS/cm full-scale and single-range analog signal output to 18000 µS/cm.

2. Must be a microprocessor-controlled digital signal processor conductivity detector with a 128 kHz square wave cell drive, linearity of ≥99.9%, resolution of 0.002 nS/cm, electronic noise of < 0.2 nS at 23 S/cm background.

3. Must have detector electronics capable of:

• Filter rise times from 0 to 10 s, programmable.

• Sample rate of 1-100 Hz, user settable or automatic.

• Cell temperature stability of <0.001 ˚C.

• Cell temperature range of 30 ˚C to 50 ˚C (minimum 7 ˚C above ambient).

• Temperature compensation programmable 0-3% per ˚C.

4. Must have a flow cell capable of:

• Maximum cell pressure of least 10MPa (1500 psi).

• Cell volume no greater than 1 µL.

• Compatibility with MSA.

SUPPRESSION

1. Electrolytic suppression of eluent must be optionally available to reduce the operator’s exposure to hazardous chemicals by not requiring sulfuric acid as a regenerant.

2. The suppressor must be operated continuously without the need of switching motors and based on ion-exchange capillary tubing embedded in a bed of ion-exchange resin.

3. Must have a suppressor device available to suppress hydroxide and or carbonate eluents and one available to suppress methanesulfonic acid eluents as required for EPA, ASTM, ISO, or other standardized methods.

4. Must not require moving parts to operate, such as peristaltic pumps, rotors, tubing, and in-line filters.

5. Provide cost of all operating parts of suppression system and maintenance cost associated with support of said suppression system inclusive of: suppressor, peristaltic pumps, tubing, filters, rotors, and chemicals required for functional operation of suppressor for one year. Attach product maintenance manual procedures.

6. Provide product warranty statement and limitations, attach official documentation. If warranty does not cover full replacement under all circumstances during warranty period cite the exceptions to the limited warranty.

COLUMN OVEN

1. The column oven must be offered as an option with the ability to be field upgradable.

2. The oven must operate over the range of 30–60 °C (86-140 °F) with an accuracy ±0.5 °C (at 30

°C), stability of ±0.2 °C (at 30 °C), precision of ±0.2 °C, and a heat up/cool down time of 20 minutes from ambient to ambient - 20 °C.

ELUENT GENERATION

1. Eluent generation must be a field upgradable option and integrated into the system to reduce overall footprint. Eluent Generation is an electrolytic process by which eluent is generated and subsequently purified by means of electrolysis. The eluent concentration is varied by changing the applied current which allows gradients formations without the use of extra pumps, fittings, or valves. The electrolytically generated gradient must be infinitely variable throughout a single run.

2. Eluent Generation must reduce the overall maintenance of the pumping system by only exposing the pump and its wetted components to deionized water. No abrasive salts or corrosive acids or bases are present to reduce the longevity of pump seals.

3. Eluent Generation must enhance the safety of the system by reducing the operator’s exposure to hazardous chemicals as it is self-contained.

4. Eluent generation must not be dilution of an eluent concentrate with water using a burette type device. This procedure does not allow the ability to change concentration throughout a run without the use of additional mechanical devices such as valves.

5. Eluent generation must support the following eluent types: KOH, Carbonate, Carbonate/Bicarbonate, and MSA.

6. Gradient supported must be at least nine time-defined gradient steps that include one or more linear, convex, concave, or inverse gradient profiles.

7. Eluent concentration must be settable from 0.1 to 100 mM at flow rates from 0.1-3.000 mL/min.

8. Eluent concentration must be settable in steps of as little as 0.1 mM in order to optimize chromatographic peak resolution and separation time.

9. Eluent Generator must be placed in the high-pressure side of the instrument.

SEPARATION COLUMN SET

1. It may become necessary to change to a different column to improve the analysis; therefore multiple column choices, greater than 4, packed with different materials exhibiting different selectivity and capacity must be offered.

2. The column set must be comprised of a nonmetallic body and an inert packing material capable withstanding at least 5000 psi and have a pH stability of 0-14. The column set quoted must be composed of a separator and precolumn packed with either the same column packing material or a packing material that is a complementary polymeric resin. The precolumn packing material must be as described to:

• Assist with same functional separation.

• Prevent separator column contamination.

• Extend column life.

• Ratio of column resin separator column/precolumn must be a minimum of 5:1.

3. Column set required must be 4 mm internal diameter for capacity and sample concerns. The separator column dimensions should be 4 mm x 250 mm. The pre column dimensions should be 4 mm x 50 mm.

4. Capacity of separator 4 mm x 250 mm column should exceed 285 μeq/column.

5. Capacity of precolumn 4 mm x 50 mm column should exceed 6 μeq/column.

6. Provide cost of replacement of 4 mm x 50 mm column $661.00

7. Provide cost of replacement of 4 mm x 250 mm column $2,040.00

AUTOSAMPLER

1. Must utilize nonmetallic fluid path components to reduce potential sources of contamination, eliminate corrosion, and be acid and base resistant.

2. Must have displacement injection principle to allow loop and concentrator loading, high precision volume delivery, individual sample filtration, and prevent viscosity dependency.

3. Must not require an external sampling pump.

4. Must allow individual filtration of sample with at least a 20-micron filter located in the vial cap.

The filter facilitates the removal of particulates during sample loading automatically. Each sample must be filtered with its own unique filter and not through reused, recleaned, or regenerated filter.

5. Must be able to house an optional electronic 6-port or 10-port valve for sample preparation, matrix elimination, concentrator loading, or to be used as an injection valve.

6. Must be capable of providing simultaneous injections.

7. Must be capable of handling vials sizes of 0.5 mL or 5mL and the vials must be polymeric.

8. Must have sample overlap capabilities to start sample preparation while the instrument is acquiring data.

9. Must have vial trays with a capacity of at least 50 sample vials.

10. Must be capable of delivering samples against a backpressure of 690 kPa (100 psi).

SOFTWARE

1. The software must be a 64-bit application for future upgradeability.

2. The software must be able to provide fully automatic control of the process of analyzing samples. This must include acquiring data, quantitation, producing a report, and the option to upgrade to an incorporated excel-like spreadsheet for report flexibility.

3. Standard curves must be generated using a variety of curve fitting routines.

a) Must be able to select curves with up to 5-point calibration curves.

b) Must be able to select linear, quadratic, or cubic fit curves.

c) Must be able to use weighing options for the calibration calculations.

d) Must be able to calculate the confidence intervals at different confidence levels.

4. The software must be able to automate integration updates without time consuming batch reprocessing of changes to integration in a data set.

5. The Software must allow real time integration monitoring for an instrument operator to monitor real time progress.

6. The software must have the ability to customize the report format and content.

7. The instrument software must include self-diagnostic functions.

8. The software must be able to control and acquire data from third party instrumentation including but not limited to chromatography pumps, detectors, and autosamplers.

9. The software must have an option to predict column separations without additional experiments.

10. The software must provide an integrated trending option.

WARRANTY

Onsite repairs

1. All labor, parts, and travel must be covered during the 1-year warranty period.

2. All non-consumable parts must be covered for an additional 2-year period.

3. Remote trouble shooting and support must be provided during warranty period.

4. An official company warranty statement must be included with the bid and must also be stated in the operator’s manual.

5. The warranty must not have any limitations if the instrument is in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

6. Optional extended warranties must be available for the life of the instrument.