Agilent Technologies 7820A User manual

Agilent Technologies
Agilent 7820A
Gas Chromatograph
Maintaining Your GC

Notices
© Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2016
No part of this manual may be reproduced
in any form or by any means (including
electronic storage and retrieval or transla-
tion into a foreign language) without prior
agreement and written consent from Agi-
lent Technologies, Inc. as governed by
United States and international copyright
laws.
Manual Part Number
G4350-90014
Edition
Fifth edition, August 2016
Fourth edition, June 2015
Third edition, November 2014
Second edition, May 2011
First edition, March 2009
Printed in China
Agilent Technologies (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
412 Ying Lun Road
Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone
Shanghai 200131 P.R. China
Warranty
The material contained in this docu-
ment is provided “as is,” and is sub-
ject to being changed, without notice,
in future editions. Further, to the max-
imum extent permitted by applicable
law, Agilent disclaims all warranties,
either express or implied, with regard
to this manual and any information
contained herein, including but not
limited to the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a par-
ticular purpose. Agilent shall not be
liable for errors or for incidental or
consequential damages in connection
with the furnishing, use, or perfor-
mance of this document or of any
information contained herein. Should
Agilent and the user have a separate
written agreement with warranty
terms covering the material in this
document that conflict with these
terms, the warranty terms in the sep-
arate agreement shall control.
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.

Maintaining Your GC 3
Contents
1 About Maintaining the GC
Overview of Maintenance 10
Tools and Materials Required for Maintenance 11
Maintenance Methods for the 7820A GC 13
Safety Information 15
Finding a Replacement Part Number 16
2 Removing Covers
To Remove the Detector Top Cover 18
To Remove the Pneumatics Cover 19
To Remove the Side Cover 20
To Remove the Electronics Cover 21
3 Maintaining Capillary Columns
Consumables and Parts for Columns 24
To Install a Capillary Column Hanger 26
To Install Capillary Column Clips 27
To Condition a Capillary Column 28
To Cut a Loop from a Column 31
To Reverse a Column and Bakeout Contaminants 32
4 Maintaining the Split/Splitless Inlet
Consumables and Parts for the Split/Splitless Inlet 36
Exploded Parts View of the Split/Splitless Inlet 39
To Install a Capillary Column with the Split/Splitless Inlet 40
To Change the Septum on the Split/Splitless Inlet 44
To Clean the Septum Seat in the Insert Assembly of the Split/Splitless
Inlet 46
To Change the Liner and O-Ring on the Split/Splitless Inlet 48
To Replace the Gold Seal on the Split/Splitless Inlet 50
To Replace the Filter in the Split Vent Line 52
To Clean the Split/Splitless Inlet 55
To Bakeout Contaminants from the Split/Splitless Inlet 57

4 Maintaining Your GC
5 Maintaining the Purged Packed Inlet
Consumables and Parts for the Purged Packed Inlet 60
Exploded Parts View of the Purged Packed Inlet 63
To Install a Capillary Column with the Purged Packed Inlet 64
To Change the Septum on the Purged Packed Inlet 68
To Clean the Septum Seat in the Purged Packed Inlet 70
To Install an Adapter on the Purged Packed Inlet 72
To Change the O-Ring on the Purged Packed Inlet 74
To Change the Glass Liner on the Purged Packed Inlet 75
To Install an Insulation Cup on the Purged Packed Inlet 77
To Clean the Purged Packed Inlet 78
To Bakeout Contaminants from the Purged Packed Inlet 80
To Install a Packed Metal Column 81
To Install a Packed Column Adapter on a Detector Fitting 83
To Install a Packed Glass Column 85
To Condition a Packed Column 88
To Install Ferrules on a Packed Metal Column 90
6 Maintaining the Packed Column Inlet
Consumables and Parts for the Packed Column Inlet 92
Exploded Parts View of the Packed Column Inlet 94
To Change the Septum on the Packed Column Inlet 95
To Clean the Septum Seat in the Packed Column Inlet 97
To Install an Adapter on the Packed Column Inlet 99
To Change the O-Ring on the Packed Column Inlet 101
To Change the Glass Liner on the Packed Column Inlet 102
To Install an Insulation Cup on the Packed Column Inlet 104
To Clean the Packed Column Inlet 105
To Bakeout Contaminants from the Packed Column Inlet 107
To Install a Packed Metal Column 108
To Install a Packed Column Adapter on a Detector Fitting 110
To Install a Packed Glass Column 112
To Condition a Packed Column 115
To Install Ferrules on a Packed Metal Column 117

Maintaining Your GC 5
7 Maintaining the COC Inlet
Consumables and Parts for the COC Inlet 120
Exploded Parts View of the COC Inlet 124
To Install a Capillary Column with the COC Inlet 125
To Check the Needle-to-Column Size on the COC Inlet 128
To Change a Septum on the COC Inlet 130
To Install an Insert on the COC Inlet 132
To Clean the COC Inlet 134
To Replace the 7693A Injector Needle Support Guide 136
To Replace the Needle Support Assembly in a 7683B Injector 137
To Replace a Needle in a Syringe 140
To Replace the Fused Silica Needle in a Syringe for the COC Inlet 141
To Bakeout Contaminants from the COC Inlet 143
8 Maintaining the FID
Consumables and Parts for the FID 146
Exploded Parts Views of the FID 149
Selecting an FID Jet 151
To Attach a Capillary Column Adapter on an Adaptable FID 153
To Install a Capillary Column in the FID 155
To Replace the FID Collector Assembly 158
To Replace an FID Jet 161
To Perform Maintenance on the FID Collector Assembly 165
To Check the FID Leakage Current 173
To Check the FID Baseline 174
To Install the FID Insulation Cup Assembly (Adaptable FID Only) 175
To Install the Optional FID PTFE Chimney Insert 177
To Bakeout the FID 178
9 Maintaining the TCD
Consumables and Parts for the TCD 182
To Install a Capillary Column in the TCD 184
To Install the Optional TCD Capillary Column Adapter 186
To Install a Capillary Column with the Optional TCD Capillary Column
Adapter 187

6 Maintaining Your GC
To Bakeout Contaminants from the TCD 190
10 Maintaining the µECD
Important Safety Information About the µECD 192
Consumables and Parts for the µECD 194
Exploded Parts View of the µECD 196
To Replace the µECD Fused Silica Indented Mixing Liner and Install the
Makeup Gas Adapter 197
To Install a Capillary Column in the µECD 200
To Install the Insulating Cup for the µECD 203
To Bakeout the µECD 205
11 Maintaining the NPD
Consumables and Parts for the NPD 208
Exploded Parts View of the NPD 211
Selecting an NPD Jet 212
To Attach a Capillary Column Adapter on an Adaptable NPD 214
To Install a Capillary Column in the NPD 216
To Replace the NPD Bead Assembly 219
To Maintain the NPD Collector, Ceramic Insulators, and Jet 224
To Check the NPD Leakage Current 230
To Bakeout the NPD 231
12 Maintaining the FPD+
Consumables and Parts for the FPD+234
Exploded Parts View of the FPD+236
To Install a Packed Column Adapter in the FPD+237
To Attach a Capillary Column to the FPD+239
To Change the FPD+Wavelength Filter 241
To Remove the FPD+Cover 244
To Replace the FPD+Ignitor 246
To Install the FPD+Cover 248
Cleaning the FPD+Brazement 249
13 Maintaining the G3435A/G3436A FPD
Consumables and Parts for the FPD 252

Maintaining Your GC 7
Exploded Parts View of the FPD 254
To Install a Capillary Column Adapter in the FPD 255
To Attach a Capillary Column to the FPD 257
To Change the FPD Wavelength Filter 259
To Remove the FPD Vent Tube 262
To Replace the FPD Ignitor 264
To Install the FPD Vent Tube and Cover 266
14 Maintaining the PCM
Consumables and Parts for the PCM 268
Calibrating the PCM Interface 269
Installing or Replacing Frits in the PCM 270
15 Maintaining a Valve
Consumables and Parts for Valves 274
Exploded Parts View of GC Rotary Valves 275
To Replace a Gas Sampling Valve Loop 276
To Align a Rotary Valve Rotor 278
To Replace a Rotary Valve in the Valve Box 279
To Remove the Upper Valve Box 282
To Install the Upper Valve Box 284
A Swagelok Connections
Making Swagelok Connections 288
Using a Swagelok Tee 292

8 Maintaining Your GC

9
Agilent 7820A Gas Chromatograph
Maintaining Your GC
Agilent Technologies
1
About Maintaining the GC
Overview of Maintenance 10
Tools and Materials Required for Maintenance 11
Maintenance Methods for the 7820A GC 13
Safety Information 15
Finding a Replacement Part Number 16
This section provides an overview of the maintenance
procedures included in this document. It also lists the tools
needed for routine maintenance and the safety information one
should be aware of before performing a maintenance task.

10 Maintaining Your GC
1About Maintaining the GC
Overview of Maintenance
This manual details the routine tasks needed to maintain the
7820A Gas Chromatograph (GC). The procedures assume a
basic knowledge of tool use and of GC operation. Readers are,
for example, expected to know how to:
•Safely turn devices on and off
•Load methods
•Change component temperatures, flows, and pressures
•Make typical pneumatic connections using Swagelok and
other standard fittings
•Reset GC service counters
Where to find a procedure
Included in this manual are chapters on maintaining the
following GC components:
•Capillary Columns
•Split/Splitless Inlet
•Purged Packed Inlet
•Packed Column Inlet
•COC Inlet
•FID
•TCD
•µECD
•NPD
•FPD+
•FPD
•PCM
•Valves
Each chapter includes:
•A list of the most commonly used consumables and parts for
the component
•An exploded parts view of the component
•Detailed procedures for routine maintenance tasks
associated with the component

About Maintaining the GC 1
Maintaining Your GC 11
Tools and Materials Required for Maintenance
Table 1lists the tools needed for most GC maintenance
procedures. The specific tools required to perform a
maintenance procedure are listed in step 1 of the procedure.
Table 1 Tools and materials for GC maintenance
Common tools
Wrench, angled, septum nut (19251-00100)
Wrench, open-end, 1/4-inch and 5/16-inch (8710-0510)*
Wrench, open-end, 9/16-inch and 7/16-inch (8710-0803)
Wrench, capillary inlet ( G3452-20512 )*
Flathead screwdriver
Column cutter, wafer (5181-8836, 4/pk)*
Driver, nut, 1/4-inch (8710-1561)*
T-20 Torx key (8710-1807) or screwdriver
T-10 Torx key (8710-2140) or screwdriver
3-mm hex key wrench (8710-2411)
Electronic flow meter(s) or bubble meter(s) capable of calibrated measurements
at 1, 10, and 100 mL/min flow ranges.
Electronic leak detector
Magnifying loupe, 20X (430-1020)
Metric ruler
Bench vise (for setting Swagelok fittings)
Razor or sharp knife
Tweezers (8710-0007) or thin needle-nose pliers (8710-0004)
Needle-nose pliers
ESD wrist strap (for installing new components)
Gloves, heat-resistant (for handling hot parts)
Wooden cotton swab (for removing FID filters)
Tools and materials for cleaning procedures
Cleaning brushes—The FID cleaning kit (9301-0985) contains appropriate
brushes for cleaning detectors and inlets
Cleaning brushes—(8710-1346) For cleaning split/splitless inlet split vent
fitting, FID and collectors

12 Maintaining Your GC
1About Maintaining the GC
Jet cleaning wire (.010 inch)
Clean, lint-free cloth (to protect contamination-sensitive detector parts)
Small ultrasonic cleaning bath with aqueous detergent (for cleaning detector
and inlet parts)
Gloves, clean, lint-free, nylon (large: 8650-0030, small: 8650-0029) (for handling
contamination-sensitive parts)
Steel wool, 0- or 00-grade (for cleaning an inlet’s septum seating surfaces)
* Included with the GC ship kits
Table 1 Tools and materials for GC maintenance (continued)

About Maintaining the GC 1
Maintaining Your GC 13
Maintenance Methods for the 7820A GC
Before most maintenance procedures, the GC must be made
ready. Agilent recommends that you create and store the
following maintenance methods into the GC. The methods below
will:
•Prevent damage to the instrument (electronics, columns,
etc.)
•Avoid injury to the user (burns, shocks, etc.)
•Allow you to perform maintenance on specific areas while
leaving the rest of the GC components at operating
temperature
You can use the software keyboard or your Agilent data system
to create, save, and load these methods.
General GC Maintenance Method
Create this method for instrument column maintenance,
detector maintenance, and general GC maintenance tasks.
•Set the oven temperature to 35 °C. This allows the oven fan to
assist cooling.
•Set all inlet temperatures to 35 °C and set inlet gas pressures
to 0.0.
•If performing column maintenance, remember to wait for
the oven and column to cool down before turning off
column carrier gas flow at the source. Also remember to
cap both ends of the column to keep air out once it is
removed.
•If you are not performing column maintenance, keep inert
carrier gas (helium or nitrogen) flowing to protect the
column.
•Set all detector temperatures to 35 °C.
•If performing FPD+maintenance, turn off the GC and
unplug the power cord.
•Some detectors (FID, NPD) use high voltages. For these
detectors, turn the electrometer Off to disable the high
voltage.
NOTE Inlets and detectors at operating temperature may require 12 hours or
longer to reach the maintenance method setpoints below.

14 Maintaining Your GC
1About Maintaining the GC
•The filament in the TCD will be damaged if exposed to air
while hot. To protect the filament, turn it Off.
•Set all detector flows to Off.
Once the zones reach < 70 °C, you can perform general GC
maintenance.
Inlet Maintenance Method
This method prepares the inlet for maintenance while leaving
the detector at operating temperature.
•Set the oven temperature to 35 °C. This allows the oven fan to
assist cooling.
•Set all inlet temperatures to Off and set inlet gas pressures to
0.0.
•If performing column maintenance, remember to wait for
the oven and column to cool down before turning off
column carrier gas flow at the source. Also remember to
cap both ends of the column to keep air out once it is
removed.
•If you are not performing column maintenance, keep inert
carrier gas (helium or nitrogen) flowing to protect the
column.
•Maintain all temperature setpoints for installed detectors, if
desired.
•The filament in the TCD will be damaged if exposed to air
while hot. To protect the filament, turn it Off.
Once the zones reach < 70 °C, you can perform general GC
maintenance.
WARNING Be careful! The oven, inlet, and/or detector may be hot enough to
cause burns. If the oven, inlet, or detector is hot, wear
heat-resistant gloves to protect your hands.
WARNING Be careful! The oven, inlet, and/or detector may be hot enough to
cause burns. If the oven, inlet, or detector is hot, wear
heat-resistant gloves to protect your hands.

About Maintaining the GC 1
Maintaining Your GC 15
Safety Information
Before performing a maintenance task, read the important
safety and regulatory information found in the Safety and
Regulatory Information book.

16 Maintaining Your GC
1About Maintaining the GC
Finding a Replacement Part Number
Agilent now provides the Parts Finder tool to help you locate
replacement and consumable part numbers. If using an Agilent
data system, Parts Finder will be installed. If you want to install
the tool on another computer, Parts Finder is included on the
Agilent GC and GC/MS User Manuals & Tools DVD.
To find a consumable or replacement part using Parts Finder,
navigate to the part graphically, based on the part’s location in
the GC.
Figure 1 Quickly navigate to replacement parts by clicking on images of
GC components
Part numbers are also included in this manual.

17
Agilent 7820A Gas Chromatograph
Maintaining Your GC
Agilent Technologies
2
Removing Covers
To Remove the Detector Top Cover 18
To Remove the Pneumatics Cover 19
To Remove the Side Cover 20
To Remove the Electronics Cover 21
This section describes how to remove covers as needed for
routine maintenance.
Only the covers listed in this chapter should be removed.
Removing other GC covers can compromise the safety features
of the GC, leading to personal injury or damage to the
instrument.

18 Maintaining Your GC
2Removing Covers
To Remove the Detector Top Cover
This cover protects the detectors, valve box, and valve assembly.
To remove the detector top cover:
1Raise it to a vertical position
2Lift the right side and disengage the pin on the lower left
side.
CAUTION Do not force the cover, either when installing it or closing it. This
could break the plastic parts.

Removing Covers 2
Maintaining Your GC 19
To Remove the Pneumatics Cover
The pneumatics cover protects the flow manifolds in the back
top of the GC.
1Disconnect any vent tubing connected to the split and
septum purge vents.
2Raise and remove the detector top cover.
3Remove the screw on the left side of the pneumatics cover
that secures the cover to the GC.
4Loosen the one or two screws on the back of the GC that
secure the pneumatics cover to the GC. (Depending on the
date of manufacture, the number of screws securing the
pneumatics cover to the GC varies.)
5Lift and remove the cover.

20 Maintaining Your GC
2Removing Covers
To Remove the Side Cover
The side cover protects the GC main board and detector boards.
1Remove the screw on the right side of the GC that secures the
side cover to the GC
2Remove the one or two screws on the back of the GC that
secure the side cover to the GC. (Depending on the date of
manufacture, the number of screws securing the side cover
to the GC varies.)
3Slide the side cover toward the back of the GC.
4Tilt the top of the side cover away from the GC and then lift
the side cover off of the GC.