Agilent Technologies 7890A User guide

Agilent Technologies
Agilent 7890A
Gas Chromatograph
Safety Manual

27890A GC Safety Manual
Notices
© Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2009, 2011
No part of this manual may be reproduced in
any form or by any means (including elec-
tronic storage and retrieval or translation
into a foreign language) without prior agree-
ment and written consent from Agilent
Technologies, Inc. as governed by United
States and international copyright laws.
Manual Part Number
G3430-90013
Edition
Fourth edition, June 2011
Third edition, May 2009
Second edition, December 2007
First edition, February 2007
Printed in USA and China
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Warranty
The material contained in this
document is provided “as is,” and
is subject to being changed,
without notice, in future editions.
Further, to the maximum extent
permitted by applicable law,
Agilent disclaims all warranties,
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regard to this manual and any
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Safety Notices
CAUTION
A CAUTION notice denotes a
hazard. It calls attention to an
operating procedure, practice, or
the like that, if not correctly
performed or adhered to, could
result in damage to the product or
loss of important data. Do not
proceed beyond a CAUTION notice
until the indicated conditions are
fully understood and met.
WARNING
A WARNING notice denotes a
hazard. It calls attention to an
operating procedure, practice, or
the like that, if not correctly
performed or adhered to, could
result in personal injury or death.
Do not proceed beyond a
WARNING notice until the
indicated conditions are fully
understood and met.

3
Agilent 7890A Gas Chromatograph
Safety Manual
Agilent Technologies
1
Introduction
Important Safety Warnings 4
Hydrogen Safety 7
Micro-Electron Capture Detector (µECD) 14
Fuses and Batteries 16
Safety and Regulatory Certifications 17
Intended Use 20
Cleaning 20
Recycling the Product 20

47890A GC Safety Manual
Introduction
Important Safety Warnings
Before moving on, there are several important safety notices that you
should always keep in mind when using the Agilent 7890A GC.
Many internal parts of the GC carry dangerous voltages
If the GC is connected to a power source, even if the power switch is off,
potentially dangerous voltages exist on:
•The wiring between the GC power cord and the AC power supply, the
AC power supply itself, and the wiring from the AC power supply to
the power switch.
With the power switch on, potentially dangerous voltages also exist on:
•All electronics boards in the instrument.
•The internal wires and cables connected to these boards.
•The wires for any heater (oven, detector, inlet, or valve box).
WARNING
When handling/using chemicals for preparation or use within the GC, all applicable
local and national laboratory safety practices must be followed. This would include,
but is not limited to, correct use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), correct use
of storage vials, and correct handling of chemicals, as defined in the laboratory’s
internal safety analysis and standard operating procedures. Failure to adhere to
laboratory safety practices could lead to injury or death.
WARNING
All these parts are shielded by covers. With the covers in place, it should be difficult
to accidentally make contact with dangerous voltages. Unless specifically
instructed to, never remove a cover unless the detector, inlet, or oven are turned off.
WARNING
If the power cord insulation is frayed or worn, the cord must be replaced. Contact
your Agilent service representative.

Introduction
7890A GC Safety Manual 5
Do not use an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) with a GC
If the area where the GC is located suddenly looses power, an unsafe
condition can result if the GC remains powered on. Do not use the GC
with a UPS.
Electrostatic discharge is a threat to GC electronics
The printed circuit (PC) boards in the GC can be damaged by electrostatic
discharge. Do not touch any of the boards unless it is absolutely
necessary. If you must handle them, wear a grounded wrist strap and take
other antistatic precautions. Wear a grounded wrist strap any time you
must remove the GC right side cover.
Many parts are dangerously hot
Many parts of the GC operate at temperatures high enough to cause
serious burns. These parts include but are not limited to:
•The inlets
•The oven and its contents
•The detectors
•The column nuts attaching the column to an inlet or detector
•The valve box
You should always cool these areas of the GC to room temperature before
working on them. They will cool faster if you first set the temperature of
the heated zone to room temperature. Turn the zone off after it has
reached the setpoint. If you must perform maintenance on hot parts, use a
wrench and wear thermally protective gloves. Whenever possible, cool the
part of the instrument that you will be maintaining before you begin
working on it.
WARNING
Be careful when working behind the instrument. During cool-down cycles, the GC
emits hot exhaust which can cause burns.

67890A GC Safety Manual
Introduction
Oven thermal leaks
Do not allow wiring or temperature probes to pass through the oven door
jam. Agilent recommends using one of the access holes.
WARNING
The insulation around the inlets, detectors, valve box, and the insulation cups is
made of refractory ceramic fibers. To avoid inhaling fiber particles, we recommend
the following safety procedures: ventilate your work area; wear long sleeves,
gloves, safety glasses, and a disposable dust/mist respirator; dispose of insulation
in a sealed plastic bag; wash your hands with mild soap and cold water after
handling the insulation.
WARNING
Objects passing through the oven door seal can cause thermal leaks which create
hazardous hot spots which cause burns and melt equipment.

Introduction
7890A GC Safety Manual 7
Hydrogen Safety
Hydrogen gas may be used as carrier gas, and/or as fuel for the FID, FPD,
and NPD. When mixed with air, hydrogen can form explosive mixtures.
Hydrogen is a commonly used GC carrier gas. Hydrogen is potentially
explosive and has other dangerous characteristics.
•Hydrogen is combustible over a wide range of concentrations. At
atmospheric pressure, hydrogen is combustible at concentrations from
4% to 74.2% by volume.
•Hydrogen has the highest burning velocity of any gas.
•Hydrogen has a very low ignition energy.
•Hydrogen that is allowed to expand rapidly from high pressure into the
atmosphere can self- ignite due to an electrostatic spark.
•Hydrogen burns with a nonluminous flame which can be invisible under
bright light.
GC precautions
When using hydrogen as a carrier gas, remove the large round plastic
cover for the MSD transfer line located on the GC left side panel. In the
unlikely event of an explosion, this cover may dislodge.
WARNING
When using hydrogen (H2) as the carrier gas or fuel gas, be aware that hydrogen
gas can flow into the GC oven and create an explosion hazard. Therefore, be sure
that the supply is turned off until all connections are made and ensure that the inlet
and detector column fittings are either connected to a column or capped at all times
when hydrogen gas is supplied to the instrument.
Hydrogen is flammable. Leaks, when confined in an enclosed space, may create a
fire or explosion hazard. In any application using hydrogen, leak test all
connections, lines, and valves before operating the instrument. Always turn off the
hydrogen supply at its source before working on the instrument.

87890A GC Safety Manual
Introduction
Hydrogen shutdown
Hydrogen gas may be used as a carrier or as fuel for some detectors.
When mixed with air, hydrogen can form explosive mixtures.
The GC monitors inlet and auxiliary gas streams. If a stream shuts down
because it is unable to reach its flow or pressure setpoint and if that
stream is configured to use hydrogen, the GC assumes that a leak has
occurred and declares a hydrogen safety shutdown. The effects are:
•The offending channel and any associated channels (such as septum
purge) are set off.
•The split valves in the split/splitless and PTV inlets open.
•The oven (heater and fan) turns off.
•The small heated zones are turned off.
•An alarm tone sounds.
To recover from this state, fix the cause of the shutdown (tank valve
closed, serious leak, others). Turn the instrument off, then back on.
WARNING
The GC cannot always detect leaks in inlet and/or detector gas streams. For this
reason, it is vital that column fittings should always be either connected to a
column, or have a cap or plug installed. The H2streams must be configured for
hydrogen so that the GC is aware of hydrogen use.

Introduction
7890A GC Safety Manual 9
Dangers unique to GC/MSD operation
Hydrogen presents a number of dangers. Some are general, others are
unique to GC or GC/MSD operation. Dangers include, but are not limited
to:
•Combustion of leaking hydrogen.
•Combustion due to rapid expansion of hydrogen from a high- pressure
cylinder.
•Accumulation of hydrogen in the GC oven and subsequent combustion
(see your GC documentation and the label on the top edge of the GC
oven door).
•Accumulation of hydrogen in the MSD and subsequent combustion.
Hydrogen accumulation in a GC/MSD
All users should be aware of the mechanisms by which hydrogen can
accumulate (Table 1) and know what precautions to take if they know or
suspect that hydrogen has accumulated. Note that these mechanisms apply
to all mass spectrometers, including the GC/MSD.
WARNING
The GC/MSD cannot always detect leaks in inlet and/or detector gas streams. For
this reason, it is vital that column fittings should always be either connected to a
column, or have a cap or plug installed. The H2streams must be configured for
hydrogen so that the GC is aware of hydrogen use.
Table 1 Potential hydrogen accumulation mechanisms in GC/MSD
Mechanism Results
Mass spectrometer turned off A mass spectrometer can be shut down
deliberately. It can also be shut down accidentally
by an internal or external failure. A mass
spectrometer shutdown does not shut off the flow
of carrier gas. As a result, hydrogen may slowly
accumulate in the mass spectrometer.

10 7890A GC Safety Manual
Introduction
Mass spectrometer automated isolation
valves closed
Some mass spectrometers are equipped with
automated diffusion pump isolation valves. In these
instruments, deliberate operator action or various
failures can cause the isolation valves to close.
Isolation valve closure does not shut off the flow of
carrier gas. As a result, hydrogen may slowly
accumulate in the mass spectrometer.
Mass spectrometer manual isolation
valves closed
Some mass spectrometers are equipped with
manual diffusion pump isolation valves. In these
instruments, the operator can close the isolation
valves. Closing the isolation valves does not shut
off the flow of carrier gas. As a result, hydrogen
may slowly accumulate in the mass spectrometer.
GC off A GC can be shut down deliberately. It can also be
shut down accidentally by an internal or external
failure. Different GCs react in different ways. If a
7890A GC equipped with Electronic Pressure
Control (EPC) is shut off, the EPC stops the flow of
carrier gas. If the carrier flow is not under EPC
control, the flow increases to its maximum. This
flow may be more than some mass spectrometers
can pump away, resulting in the accumulation of
hydrogen in the mass spectrometer. If the mass
spectrometer is shut off at the same time, the
accumulation can be fairly rapid.
Power failure If the power fails, both the GC and mass
spectrometer shut down. The carrier gas, however,
is not necessarily shut down. As described
previously, in some GCs a power failure may cause
the carrier gas flow to be set to maximum. As a
result, hydrogen may accumulate in the mass
spectrometer.
Table 1 Potential hydrogen accumulation mechanisms in GC/MSD (continued)
Mechanism Results