Agilent Technologies Flow Tracker 1000 Series Operation manual

Agilent Technologies
Agilent
Flow Tracker Series
1000/2000
User Information

2 Flow Tracker 1000/2000 User Information
Notices
© Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2000, 2002
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
5183-4773
Edition
Second edition, May 2002
First edition, August 2000
Printed in USA
Agilent Technologies, Inc.
2850 Centerville Road
Wilmington, DE 19808-1610 USA
Safety Notices
CAUTION
A CAUTION notice denotes a haz-
ard. It calls attention to an operat-
ing 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 per-
formed or adhered to, could result
in personal injury or death. Do not
proceed beyond a WARNING
notice until the indicated condi-
tions are fully understood and
met.

3
Agilent Flow Tracker Series 1000/2000
User Information
Agilent Technologies
Flow Tracker Series 1000/2000
The Agilent Flow Tracker 1000 and 2000 Series Gas
Chromatography flowmeters are designed to provide useful
flow information in one simple, reliable, and portable
instrument. The Flow Tracker 1000 has two operating modes:
Flow Mode and Gas Chromatography (GC) Mode. The Flow
Tracker 2000 has an additional Leak Detector Mode and
incorporates a separate, built in sampling pump and probe.
For indoor use only. This product should not be used in
hazardous locations. This product is rated as Safety Class III,
Installation category II, and Pollution Degree 2. If this
equipment is used in a manner not specified, the protection
of the equipment may be impaired. Agilent Technologies
assumes no liability for the customer’s failure to comply with
these requirements.
• Operating temperature range: 10—50°C.
• Operating humidity range: 0—90% RH (non-condensing).
• Maximum recommended altitude: 15,000 ft.
Electromagnetic compatibility
This device was tested and found to comply with the limits of
CISPR 11. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference in an installation. This
equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio or
television reception, which can be determined by turning the
equipment off and on. The user is encouraged to try to correct
the interference by one or more of the following measures:
•Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
•Increase the separation between the equipment and the
receiver.

4 Flow Tracker 1000/2000 User Information
Flow Tracker Series 1000/2000
•Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different
from that to which the receiver is connected.
•Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for
help.
Unauthorized modification or installation of this equipment
may invalidate the user’s ability to operate this equipment. This
ISM device complies with Canadian ICES-001. Cet appareil ISM
est conforme a la norme NMB-001 du Canada. This device is CE
marked for ISM Group 1, Class A equipment.

Flow Tracker Series 1000/2000
Flow Tracker 1000/2000 User Information 5
Installation
The Agilent Flow Trackers have standard 1/8-inch NPT (female)
inlet and outlet fittings as shown in Figure 1. To prevent
possible clogging of the internal structure, it is recommended
that a 20-micron filter be installed upstream of the flowmeter.
The unit is packaged with simple plastic hose barbs for your
convenience, however any fitting that is appropriate for the
application can be substituted.
Figure 1 Connections
RS-232 plug
Leak sampling probe
(Flow Tracker 2000 only)
AC adapter plug
Exhaust
Flow
Sample exhaust
(Flow Tracker 2000 only)
Probe receptacle
RS-232 jack
P1 100 psi
≤

6 Flow Tracker 1000/2000 User Information
Flow Tracker Series 1000/2000
Maximum operating line pressure is 100 PSIG (690 kPa). If
the line pressure is higher than 100 PSIG (690 kPa), a pressure
regulator must be used upstream from the flowmeter to reduce
the pressure to 100 PSIG (690 kPa) or less. Although the
flowmeter’s operation is uni-directional, reversing the flow
direction will inflict no damage as long as the maximum
specified limits are not exceeded. The differential pressure
sensor used in the Flow Tracker is a very sensitive device
capable of detecting minute differences in pressure.
Power/batteries
Power is supplied by six (6) standard AA size batteries or by an
optional AC/DC adapter (Part number 5183-4781). New
batteries can provide power for several days of continuous
operation depending on the quality of the batteries and whether
the leak-sampling pump in model 2000 is used. The power
adapter jack is located as shown in Figure 1. A P-5 style,
positive center, 6-15 VDC adapter rated for at least 100 mA is
required.
CAUTION When installing fittings into the NPT ports, do not exceed 12 ft-lbs of
torque.
NOTE Use of pipe dope and sealants on the NPT ports can permanently damage
the flowmeter if they get into the flow stream. If a thread sealing tape is
required, avoid wrapping the first thread or two to minimize the possibility
of getting a piece of shredded tape into the flow stream. Always clean any
tape out of the threads that may come loose and enter the flow stream
before changing fittings.
CAUTION Exceeding the maximum specified line pressure may cause permanent
damage to the solid-state differential pressure transducer. Avoid
installations, such as snap acting solenoid valves upstream that apply
instantaneous high pressure to the flowmeter as permanent damage
to the differential pressure sensor could result.

Flow Tracker Series 1000/2000
Flow Tracker 1000/2000 User Information 7
Operation
Each operating mode displays all of the parameters and each
parameter has a button associated with it. The buttons for the
parameters that are common to all modes, GAS and MODE, are
labeled directly. The “dynamic parameters”, which are specific
to certain modes, are labeled on the display.
Dynamic parameters are either active or passive. Active
parameters are directly affected by the flow and are constantly
changing. Active parameters can be moved to the primary
display by pushing the button associated it. Passive parameters
are generally variables that require input from the user. The
passive parameters buttons are generally used to select the
value of the variable.
Basic operation
1ON—To turn the unit on, press and hold the ON button for
approximately a ½-second.
2ZERO—Pushing ZERO tares the flowmeter and provides it
with a reference point for zero flow. This is a very important
step in obtaining accurate measurements. It is good
practice to “zero” the flowmeter each time it is turned on. If
the flow reading varies significantly from zero after an initial
tare, give the unit a minute or so to warm up and re-zero it.
NOTE Should the unit fail to come on as expected, push the OFF button then
press and hold ON.
NOTE If possible, zero the unit near the expected operating pressure by
positively blocking the flow downstream of the flowmeter prior to pushing
the ZERO button. Zeroing the unit while there is any flow will directly
affect the accuracy by providing a false zero point. If in doubt about
whether the flow is positively blocked, remove it from the line and
positively block both ports before pressing the ZERO button.

8 Flow Tracker 1000/2000 User Information
Flow Tracker Series 1000/2000
3GAS—Pushing GAS scrolls through the gas list. The default
gas is air. The selected gas appears on the display under the
GAS button.
4MODE—Push MODE to switch between operating modes.
There are two operating modes (Flow and GC) in the
1000 Series flowmeters and three operating modes (Flow,
GC, and Leak) in the 2000 Series flowmeters. The default
operating mode is Flow.
5OFF—Push OFF to turn the unit power off from any operating
mode.
Low battery indicator The low battery (LO BAT) indicator
appears in the lower right corner of the display window (just
above the mode indicator) if the batteries run below a certain
voltage level.
RS-232 Output The Flow Tracker Series flowmeters are
equipped with a serial RS-232 output that toggles with the
selected operating mode. All parameters in the selected mode
are output in space-delimited format for data collection and
analysis. No special software is required; any terminal program,
such as HyperTerminal®, which comes packaged with all
NOTE It is very important that the gas being measured is selected to get an
accurate flow rate measurement.
CAUTION To avoid inaccurate readings, change the batteries when the LO BAT
indicator is displayed. Low power can result in inflated temperature
sensor readings, which affect the expected gas viscosity and mass
flow calculations.
NOTE The auto-off feature automatically shuts the flowmeter off after
approximately 5 minutes of continuous no flow (less than 4 mL/min)
condition. This applies only under battery power. The auto-off feature is
disabled when power is supplied via an AC to DC adapter.

Flow Tracker Series 1000/2000
Flow Tracker 1000/2000 User Information 9
Microsoft®Windows®operating systems will suffice. The 8-pin
Mini-DIN data output jack for RS-232 output is located as shown
in Figure 1. The included data cable plugs into this jack with the
flat on the cable plug towards the back of the flowmeter. If the
serial port on your computer is female, the flowmeter can
simply be plugged into your serial port via the 8-pin Mini-DIN to
DB-9 serial adapter cable included with the Flow Tracker. If the
serial port on your computer is male, a common double ended
female adapter cable is needed. For details on data collection
using the RS-232 output, go to the gas management section at
www.agilent.com/chem/supplies.

10 Flow Tracker 1000/2000 User Information
Flow Tracker Series 1000/2000
Flow mode
Figure 2 shows the parameters associated with flow mode.
Parameters
Gas absolute pressure The Agilent Flow Trackers use a sensor
to measure the line pressure of the gas flow being monitored.
This sensor references hard vacuum and accurately reads line
pressure both above and below local atmospheric pressure. The
Figure 2 Flow mode parameter buttons
Low-battery
indicator
Gas select
Mode
Power off
Zero (tare)
Gas temperature
Gas absolute pressure
Primary display
(default is
mass flow rate)
Volumetric flow rate
Mass flow rate
Power on
(press and hold)