Agilent Technologies 8890 User manual

Agilent 8890 Gas Chromatograph
Operation Manual

Operation Manual
Notices
© Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2019
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
agreement and written consent from Agilent
Technolo-gies, Inc. as governed by United
States and international copyright laws.
Manual Part Number
G3540-90014
Edition
First edition, January 2019
Printed in USA or China
Agilent Technologies, Inc.
2850 Centerville Road 
Wilmington, DE 19808-1610 USA
Agilent Technologies, Inc.
412 Ying Lun Road
Waigoaqiao Freed Trade Zone 
Shanghai 200131 P.R.China
Warranty
The material contained in this doc-
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subject to being changed, without
notice, in future editions. Further, to
the maximum extent permitted by
applicable law, Agilent disclaims all
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and any information contained
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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.


Operation Manual 3
Contents
1GettingStarted
The 8890 Gas Chromatograph 12
Before Operating Your GC 13
Chromatography Using a GC 14
Inlets 15
Automatic injectors 15
Automatic sampling valves 15
GC Columns and Oven 16
Detectors 17
Touchscreen 18
System Operation 20
Touchscreen 20
Browser Interface 21
Data System 21
Browser Interface 23
Status Indicator 27
GC Status 28
Alert tones 28
Error conditions 28
Clearing a shutdown condition 28
Overview of Running a Sample 29
Instrument Control 30
Correcting Problems 31
2 Help and Information
Where to Find Information 34
Help from the Touchscreen 35
Touchscreen Help 36
Help from a Browser 39
Context-Sensitive Help 43
Agilent GC and GC/MS User Manuals & Tools DVD 45


4Operation Manual
3 Startup and Shutdown
To Start Up the GC 48
To Shut Down the GC for Less Than a Week 49
To Shut Down the GC for More Than a Week 50
4 Touchscreen Operation
Navigation 52
Run controls 53
Status/control tray 54
Entering Data 55
Home View 56
Flow path page 57
Status page 58
Plot page 59
Methods View 61
Diagnostics View 62
Maintenance View 63
Logs View 64
Settings View 65
Help Menu 66
Touchscreen Functionality When the GC Is Controlled by an Agilent Data System 67
5Methods
What is a Method? 70
What Is Saved in a Method? 71
What Happens When You Load a Method? 72
Editing the Active Method 73
To edit the active method 73
GC hardware changes 73
Create a Method 74
Load a Method 75
Running Methods 76
Pre Run and Prep Run 76
Manually prepare for the run 76
To manually inject a sample with a syringe and start a run 76


Operation Manual 5
To run a method to process a single ALS sample 77
To abort a method 77
Events 78
Using run time events 78
Programming run time events 79
The run table 79
Editing events in the run table 79
Deleting run time events 79
Inlets 80
Carrier gas flow rates 80
About gas saver 81
To set the PTV or COC coolant parameters 82
To set MMI coolant parameters 82
About Oven Temperature Programming 84
Oven ramp rates 84
Oven cryogenic cooling parameters 85
Columns 87
Nickel Catalyst Tube 88
About the nickel catalyst tube 88
Detectors 89
FID 89
FPD+ 90
NPD 91
TCD 93
ECD 94
Valves 96
The valve box 96
Valve control 96
Valve types 98
Controlling a valve 98
GC Output Signals 102
Analog signals 102
Digital signals 104
Column compensation 107
Test plot 108
6 Sequences
What is a Sequence? 110


6Operation Manual
Recoverable Errors 111
7 Diagnostics
About Diagnostics 114
The system health report 114
Automated testing 115
Self-guided diagnostics 115
Using the Diagnostics View 117
Performing Diagnostic Tests 118
8 Maintenance
Early Maintenance Feedback (EMF) 122
Counter types 122
Thresholds 123
Default Thresholds 123
Perform Maintenance 124
Available Counters 125
Viewing Maintenance Counters 128
To Enable, Reset, or Change a Limit for an EMF Counter 129
EMF Counters for Autosamplers 130
Counters for 7693A and 7650 ALS with EMF-enabled firmware 130
Counters for ALS with earlier firmware 130
EMF Counters for MS Instruments 131
9Logs
Logs View 134
Maintenance logs 135
Run log 135
System log 135
10 Settings
About Settings 138
Service Mode 139
About 141
Calibration 142
Maintaining EPC calibration—inlets, detectors, PCM, PSD, and AUX 143
To zero a specific flow or pressure sensor 144


Operation Manual 7
System Settings 145
Configuring the IP address for the GC 146
To set system date and time 147
To change the system locale 148
To set system power saving features 149
To access stored run data 150
To control Browser Interface access 150
To change the Remote Advisor settings 151
To change the miscellaneous settings 154
To run the system setup routine 155
Tools 156
Performing a column compensation run 157
Power 158
11 Configuration
About Configuration 160
Configuration Changes 161
Configure a new device 161
Configure an existing device 161
Valve Configuration 163
To configure valves 163
Inlet Configuration 165
Columns 167
To configure a single column 168
To configure a packed column 169
To configure a composite column 169
Additional notes on column configuration 171
To configure multiple columns 171
Inlets and outlets 172
A simple example 172
Slightly more complex example 173
Oven 174
To configure the oven 174
Detector Configuration 176
Analog Output Settings 177
MSD Configuration 178
System-level communications 178
MSD configuration 178

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8Operation Manual
GC/MS systems 179
To enable or disable MS communications 181
To use the GC when the MS is shut down 181
Headspace Sampler 182
Headspace sampler configuration 182
System-Level communications 182
To enable or disable HS communications 183
Miscellaneous Settings 184
Readiness 185
Valve Box 186
PCMs 187
Aux EPCs 188
12 Resource Conservation
Resource Conservation 190
Sleep methods 191
Wake and condition methods 192
To Set the GC to Conserve Resources 194
13 Programming
Clock Time Programming 198
Using clock time events 198
Adding events to the clock table 198
Deleting clock time events 198
14 Flow and Pressure Modules
About Flow and Pressure Control 200
Maximum Operating Pressure 201
Auxiliary Pressure Controllers 202
Restrictors 203
Example: Using the PCM Channels 205
PIDs 206
15 Inlets
Inlet Overview 208
About the Split/Splitless Inlet 209
Selecting the correct S/SL inlet liner 209


Operation Manual 9
About the Multimode Inlet 211
MMI split mode minimum operating pressures 211
Selecting the correct MMI liner 212
About the Purged Packed Column Inlet 214
About the Cool On-Column Inlet 215
Setup modes of the COC inlet 215
Retention gaps 215
About the PTV Inlet 216
PTV sampling heads 216
About the Volatiles Interface 217
VI operating modes 217
About the VI split mode 218
About the VI splitless mode 220
About the VI direct mode 223
Preparing the Interface for Direct Sample Introduction 226
VI direct mode setpoint dependencies 228
VI direct mode initial values 228
Direct mode parameters 228
16 Columns and Oven
About the Oven Insert 232
Hydrogen Sensor 233
Instrument logs 233
Calibration 233
Status information 233
Operation with an Agilent data system 233
17 Chromatographic Checkout
About Chromatographic Checkout 236
To Prepare for Chromatographic Checkout 237
To Check FID Performance 239
To Check TCD Performance 244
To Check NPD Performance 248
To Check ECD Performance 252
To Check FPD+ Performance (Sample 5188-5953) 256
Preparation 256
Phosphorus performance 256
Sulfur performance 260


10 Operation Manual
To Check FPD+ Performance (Sample 5188-5245, Japan) 262
Preparation 262
Phosphorus performance 262
Sulfur performance 266
18 Chinese Metrology Testing
FPD+ and ECD Unit Conversion Factors 270
Conversion factors for the FPD+ 270
Conversion factor for the ECD 270
Using the Conversion Factors 272
References 273
19 Glossary

Operation Manual 11
1Getting Started
The 8890 Gas Chromatograph 12
Before Operating Your GC 13
Chromatography Using a GC 14
Inlets 15
Automatic injectors 15
Automatic sampling valves 15
GC Columns and Oven 16
Detectors 17
Touchscreen 18
System Operation 20
Browser Interface 23
Status Indicator 27
GC Status 28
Overview of Running a Sample 29
Instrument Control 30
Correcting Problems 31
This document provides an overview of the Agilent 8890 Gas Chromatograph (GC) along with
detailed operating instructions.

1 Getting Started
12 Operation Manual
The 8890 Gas Chromatograph
Figure 1. The 8890 GC
Detectors
Oven
Touchscreen
Power switch
ALS
Status
Indicator
Smart ID
Keys

1 Getting Started
Operation Manual 13
Before Operating Your GC
Before operating your GC, be sure to read the safety and regulatory information included on
the Agilent GC and GC/MS User Manuals & Tools DVD, the Browser Interface or a connected
web browser. The most common safety hazards when working on the GC are:
•Burns caused by touching heated areas on or in the GC.
•Release of pressurized gas containing hazardous chemical compounds caused by
opening inlets.
•Glass cuts or puncture wounds caused by sharp capillary column ends.
•Use of hydrogen as a GC carrier gas.

1 Getting Started
14 Operation Manual
Chromatography Using a GC
Chromatography is the separation of a mixture of compounds into individual components.
There are three major steps involved with separating and identifying components of a mixture
using a GC. They are:
1Injectinga sample into the GC. (This takes place at the inlet.)
2Separatingthe sample into individual components. (This takes place inside the column in
the oven.)
3 Detecting what compounds were in the sample. (This is done in the detector.)
During this process, status messages from the GC are displayed, and user changes to
parameter settings can be made through the GC touchscreen, Browser Interface, or data
system.

1 Getting Started
Operation Manual 15
Inlets
Inlets are where samples are injected into the GC. The Agilent 8890 GC can have a maximum
of two inlets, identified as Front Inlet and Back Inlet.
The following inlet types are available:
•Split/splitless inlet (SSL)
•Purged packed inlet (PP)
•Multi-Mode Inlet (MMI)
•Cool on column inlet (COC)
•Programmed Temperature Vaporization Inlet (PTV)
•Volatiles Interface (VI)
The type of inlet chosen is based on the type of analysis being done, the type of sample being
analyzed, and the column being used.
Samples can be injected into the inlets by hand using a syringe, or an automatic sampling
device (such as an Agilent Automatic Liquid Sampler or Agilent Headspace Sampler).
Automatic injectors
The Agilent 8890 GC can accommodate up to two autoinjectors, identified as Front Injector
and Back Injector.
Automatic sampling valves
The optional sampling valves are simple mechanical devices that introduce a sample of fixed
size into the carrier gas stream. Valves are most frequently used to sample gases in constantly
flowing streams.
The Agilent 8890 GC can accommodate up to two gas or liquid sampling valves, identified as
Valve #1 and Valve #2.
The valves are located inside the sampling valve box.

1 Getting Started
16 Operation Manual
GC Columns and Oven
GC columns are located inside a temperature-controlled oven. Generally, one end of the
column is attached to the inlet, while the other end is attached to the detector.
Columns vary in length, diameter, and internal coating. Each column is designed for use with
different compounds.
The purpose of the column and the oven is to separate the injected sample into individual
compounds as it travels through the column. To aid this process, the GC oven can be
programmed to speed the sample flow through the column.
The Agilent 8890 GC can accommodate up to six columns, identified as Column #1 through
Column #6.
The 8890 will have six Smart ID Key slots on the front of the instrument. These keys hold
configuration information about the columns on the system. The Column Smart ID Keys will
define column information that could be transferred between GCs. After inserting a Smart ID
Key, you will be prompted to input which number column (1-6) the key corresponds to. After
setting the column number, set the inlet and outlet connections. The GC will then lock this
column’s configuration as long as the Smart ID Key remains installed.
After removing a Smart ID Key, the GC will provide a confirmation message to confirm that the
key was removed intentionally. If confirmed, the corresponding column can be either
deconfigured, or left configured and unlocked.

1 Getting Started
Operation Manual 17
Detectors
Detectors identify the presence of compounds as they exit the column.
As each compound enters the detector, an electrical signal proportional to the amount of
compound detected is generated. This signal is generally sent to a data analysis system—such
as Agilent OpenLAB CDS ChemStation edition—where it shows up as a peak on a
chromatogram.
The GC can accommodate up to four detectors (three mounted on top of the GC, and one
mounted in a side carrier), identified as Front Detector, Back Detector, Aux 1 Detector, and Aux
2 Detector.
A complete selection of detectors (FID, TCD, NPD, NCD, FPD+, ECD, SCD, and MSD) are
available. The type of detector chosen is based on the type of analysis required.
Figure 2. Detector locations
NOTE
An Aux 1 Detector may only be a TCD or FPD+. Other detector types are not supported in this
position.
An Aux 2 Detector may only be a TCD, ECD, or FID. Other detector types are not supported in
this location.
Back
Detector
(not shown) Front
Detector
Aux 1
Detector
(not shown)
Aux 2 Detector
(side mounted,
not shown)

1 Getting Started
18 Operation Manual
Touchscreen
The touchscreen shows GC status and activity information, and allows you to start, stop, and
prepare the GC to run a sample. The touchscreen also provides access to GC setpoints,
real-time signals, diagnostics, maintenance information, logs, and instrument configuration
settings. More information about the touchscreen can be found in the Touchscreen Help. For
more information on accessing the Touchscreen Help, see “Help from the Touchscreen”.
To save energy and increase display life, the touchscreen darkens after an operator specified
period of inactivity. Touching the screen brightens it again.
Figure 3. View status, status listing, and live plots.

1 Getting Started
Operation Manual 19
Figure 4. Navigate between home, setpoints, automated maintenance, and help.
Figure 5. Closable run control and status tray.
See “Touchscreen Operation” for a detailed description of the touchscreen functions and
capabilities.

1 Getting Started
20 Operation Manual
System Operation
The GC can be controlled using the touchscreen, the Browser Interface, and an Agilent data
system.
Touchscreen
The touchscreen provides direct control of configuration settings, access to diagnostic and
maintenance functions, logs, and access to help, as well as the ability to make temporary
changes in setpoints. Use the touch display to:
The touchscreen provides controls for:
•Setting the GC IP address
•Selecting the touchscreen language
•Viewing status data and real-time plots.
•Monitor GC and run status
•Editing the current method setpoints (current oven temperature, flows, and so forth)
•Monitor system health
•Perform maintenance tasks
•Perform diagnostic tasks and tests and resolve diagnostic conditions
•Track consumables usage and usable life remaining
•Make system settings, for example system locale, IP address setup, and so forth
•View system logs
•Set GC clock table and resource conservation events
The tray at the bottom of the touchscreen provides run control:
Some tasks, such as setting the IP address, can only be performed using the touchscreen.
Prep Run: Typically required before manual injections to
exit any gas saver mode and to prepare the inlet flows for
injection.
Start
Stop: Stops the current run.