Dionex ICS-3000 User manual

ICS-3000 Ion Chromatography System
Operator's Manual
Document No. 065031
Revision 04
January 2008

© 2008 by Dionex Corporation
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without the express written permission of Dionex Corporation, 1228 Titan Way,
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REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE USE, OR THE RESULTS OF THE
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TRADEMARKS
AES, Atlas, Chromeleon, EluGen, IonPac, OnGuard, and SRS are registered
trademarks of Dionex Corporation. CarboPac, MicroMembrane, MMS, Reagent-
Free, and RFIC are trademarks of Dionex Corporation.
Adobe, Adobe Reader, and Acrobat are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems,
Incorporated.
Kel-F is a registered trademark of 3M Corporation.
FastLock and MSQ Plus are trademarks of Thermo Electron Corporation.
PEEK is a trademark of Victrex PLC.
PharMed and Tygon are registered trademarks of Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics.
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TitanHP is a trademark of Rheodyne LLC
Ultem is a registered trademark of General Electric Company
PRINTING HISTORY
Revision 01, May 2005
Revision 02, July 2006
Revision 03, September 2006
Revision 04, January 2008

Doc. 065031-04 1/08 i
Contents
1 • Introduction
1.1 ICS-3000 System Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1.1 ICS-3000 System Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.1.2 ICS-3000 System Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.2 ICS-3000 System Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.3 The ICS-3000 System Operator’s Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.3.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.3.2 Safety Messages and Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.4 Safety and Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.4.1 Safety Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2•Description
DP/SP Description
2.1 DP/SP Front Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.2 DP/SP Interior Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.2.1 Pump Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.2.2 Pressure Transducer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.2.3 Proportioning Valves (Gradient pump only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.2.4 Vacuum Degassing Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.2.5 Piston Seal Wash System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2.2.6 Static Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

ICS-3000 Ion Chromatography System
ii Doc. 065031-04 1/08
2.3 DP/SP Flow Schematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
2.3.1 Isocratic Pump Flow Schematic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
2.3.2 Gradient Pump Flow Schematic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
2.4 DP/SP Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
2.5 Eluent Reservoirs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
2.6 EO (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
EG Description
2.7 EG Front Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
2.8 EG Interior Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
2.9 EG Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
2.10 EG Flow Schematic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
DC Description
2.11 DC Front Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
2.12 DC Interior Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
2.13 DC Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
2.14 Injection Valves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
2.14.1 Injection Valve Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
2.14.2 Injection Valve Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
2.15 CD Conductivity Detector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
2.15.1 Heated Conductivity Cell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
2.15.2 Suppressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
2.15.3 System Flow Schematic for Conductivity Detection . . . . . . . .56
2.16 ED Electrochemical Detector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
2.16.1 Amperometry Cell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Contents
Doc. 065031-04 1/08 iii
2.16.2 Combination pH–Ag/AgCl Reference Electrode . . . . . . . . . . . 58
2.16.3 DC Amperometric Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
2.16.4 Integrated and Pulsed Amperometric Detection . . . . . . . . . . . 61
2.16.5 Cyclic Voltammetry Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
2.16.6 Waveforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
2.16.7 Storing and Reprocessing Amperometry Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
2.17 Automation Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
2.17.1 High-Pressure Switching Valves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
2.17.2 Low-Pressure Valves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
2.17.3 High- and Low-Pressure Valve Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
2.17.4 RCH-1 Reaction Coil Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
2.18 I/O Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
2.18.1 I/O Option Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
2.18.2 Analog Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
2.18.3 Power, Relay, and TTL Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
2.18.4 TTL Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
TC Description
2.19 TC Front Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
2.20 TC Interior Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
2.21 TC Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
2.22 Injection Valves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
2.22.1 Injection Valve Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
2.22.2 Injection Valve Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
2.23 Column Identification (ID) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

ICS-3000 Ion Chromatography System
iv Doc. 065031-04 1/08
2.24 Gas and Humidity Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
2.25 Theory of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
2.25.1 Predictive Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
3 • Configurations
3.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
4•Startup
4.1 Operating Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
4.1.1 EG Operating Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
4.1.2 ED Amperometry Cell Operating Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . .115
4.2 System Startup Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
4.3 Preparing Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
4.3.1 Collecting and Storing Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
4.3.2 Pretreating Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
4.3.3 Diluting Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
4.3.4 Fill the Autosampler Vials and Load the Sample Tray . . . . . .120
DP/SP Startup
4.4 Set Up the Eluent Reservoirs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
4.5 Set Up the Piston Seal Wash System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
4.6 Start the Pump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
EG Startup
4.7 Setting the Eluent Concentration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131

Contents
Doc. 065031-04 1/08 v
DC Startup
4.8 Start the DC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
4.9 Equilibrate the System and Verify Operational Readiness . . . . . . . . . 136
TC Startup
4.10 Start the TC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
4.11 Equilibrate the System and Verify Operational Readiness . . . . . . . . . 138
5 • Operation
5.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
5.2 Loading Samples with an Autosampler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
5.3 Loading Samples with a Syringe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
5.3.1 Loading Samples with a Syringe (Push Method) . . . . . . . . . . 141
5.3.2 Loading Samples with a Vacuum Syringe (Pull Method) . . . 143
5.4 Example Commands for Loading and Injecting Samples . . . . . . . . . . 144
5.4.1 Commands for an AS Autosampler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
5.4.2 Commands for an AS40 Autosampler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
5.4.3 Commands for a Remote Inject Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
5.5 Manual Sample Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
5.5.1 Saving Manual Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
5.6 Automatic (Batch) Sample Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
5.6.1 Creating a New Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
5.6.2 Starting Batch Sample Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

ICS-3000 Ion Chromatography System
vi Doc. 065031-04 1/08
6 • Shutdown
DP/SP Shutdown
EG Shutdown
6.1 Short-term Shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
6.2 Long-term Shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
DC Shutdown
6.3 Consumables Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
6.4 Amperometry Cell Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
6.4.1 Short-term Storage of the Amperometry Cell . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
6.4.2 Long-term Storage of the Amperometry Cell . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
TC Shutdown
6.5 Consumables Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
6.6 Short-term Shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
6.7 Long-term Shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
7 • Maintenance
7.1 System Maintenance Checklists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
7.1.1 Daily Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
7.1.2 Weekly Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
7.1.3 Periodic Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
7.1.4 Annual Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
DP/SP Routine Maintenance
7.2 DP/SP Daily Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161

Contents
Doc. 065031-04 1/08 vii
7.3 DP/SP Weekly Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
7.4 DP/SP Periodic Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
7.5 DP/SP Annual Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
EG Routine Maintenance
7.6 EG Daily Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
7.7 EG Weekly Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
7.8 EG Annual Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
DC Routine Maintenance
7.9 DC Daily Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
7.10 DC Weekly Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
7.11 DC Periodic Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
7.12 DC Annual Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
TC Routine Maintenance
7.13 TC Daily Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
7.14 TC Weekly Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
7.15 TC Periodic Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
7.16 TC Annual Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
8 • Troubleshooting
8.1 Audit Trail Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
8.1.1 DP/SP Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
8.1.2 EG Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
8.1.3 DC Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

ICS-3000 Ion Chromatography System
viii Doc. 065031-04 1/08
8.1.4 TC Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
8.2 Noisy Baseline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178
8.3 Poor Retention Time Reproducibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
8.4 Peak Retention Times Are Too Early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
8.5 Peak Retention Times Are Too Late . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
8.6 No Peaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
8.7 Tailing Peaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
8.8 Low System Backpressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
8.9 High System Backpressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
8.10 Low Detector Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
8.11 High Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
DP/SP Troubleshooting
8.12 Troubleshooting DP/SP Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189
8.13 DP/SP Does Not Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
8.14 DP/SP Stops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198
8.15 DP/SP Liquid Leaks/Leak Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
8.16 Vacuum Degassing Module Low Vacuum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201
8.17 Vacuum Degassing Module Does Not Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201
8.18 DP/SP Digital I/O Port Inoperative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201
EG Troubleshooting
8.19 Troubleshooting EG Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203
8.20 EG ALARM LED Is Lighted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
8.21 EG POWER LED Fails to Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208
8.22 Liquid Leaks in the EG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208

Contents
Doc. 065031-04 1/08 ix
8.23 No Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
8.24 EG Stops Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
DC Troubleshooting
8.25 Troubleshooting DC Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
8.26 Liquid Leaks from DC Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
8.27 VALVE Button Not Working . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
8.28 Amperometry Cell Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
8.28.1 Amperometry Cell pH Readout Always 7.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
8.28.2 Cannot Set Amperometry Cell pH Readout to 7.0 . . . . . . . . . 224
8.28.3 Shift in Amperometry Cell pH Readout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
8.28.4 No Amperometry Cell pH Readout or Intermittent Readout . 225
8.28.5 Leak in pH Reference Electrode Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . 225
8.28.6 Shift in Ag/AgCl Reference Potential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
TC Troubleshooting
8.29 Troubleshooting TC Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
8.30 TC ALARM LED Is Lighted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
8.31 Liquid Leaks from TC Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
8.32 TC Temperature Does Not Increase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
8.33 TC Temperature Stabilizer Not Operating Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
9•Service
DP/SP Service
9.1 Replacing Tubing and Fittings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
9.2 Cleaning Eluent Reservoirs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258

ICS-3000 Ion Chromatography System
x Doc. 065031-04 1/08
9.3 Priming the DP/SP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259
9.3.1 Priming with the PUMP PRIME Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259
9.3.2 Priming from the Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261
9.4 Replacing the Check Valves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262
9.5 Replacing a Piston Seal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265
9.5.1 Removing the Pump Head and Piston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265
9.5.2 Cleaning the Piston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268
9.5.3 Removing the Main Piston Seal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268
9.5.4 Removing the Piston Seal Wash Seal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269
9.5.5 Installing the Piston Seals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269
9.5.6 Reinstalling the Piston and Pump Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270
9.6 Replacing the Piston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271
9.6.1 Removing the Pump Head and Piston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271
9.6.2 Installing the New Piston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273
9.6.3 Reinstalling the Pump Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273
9.7 Replacing the Piston Seal Wash Tubing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274
9.8 Replacing the DP/SP Priming Valve Knob Seal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276
9.9 Changing the DP/SP Main Power Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278
EG Service
9.10 Replacing Tubing and Fittings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281
9.11 Isolating a Restriction in the Liquid Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282
9.12 Replacing the EluGen Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282
9.12.1 EG Flow Schematic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .283
9.12.2 Removing the Old EluGen Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .284

Contents
Doc. 065031-04 1/08 xi
9.12.3 Disposing of the Old EluGen Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
9.12.4 Installing the New EluGen Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
9.12.5 Conditioning the New EluGen Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
9.12.6 Completing the EluGen Cartridge Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
9.13 Replacing the CR-TC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
9.13.1 Removing the Old CR-TC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
9.13.2 Installing and Hydrating the New CR-TC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
9.13.3 Completing the New CR-TC Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
9.14 Replacing the RFIC Eluent Degasser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
9.15 Installing a Backpressure Coil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
9.16 Changing the EG Main Power Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
DC Service
9.17 Replacing Tubing and Fittings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
9.18 Replacing the Leak Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
9.19 Rebuilding a High-Pressure (Injection) Valve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
9.20 Replacing a High-Pressure (Injection) Valve Pod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
9.21 Installing or Replacing an I/O Option Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
9.22 Changing the DC Main Power Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
9.23 CD Service Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
9.23.1 Calibrating the CD Cell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
9.23.2 Replacing a Suppressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
9.23.3 Replacing a CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
9.23.4 Removing Trapped Air from the Conductivity Cell . . . . . . . 312
9.24 ED Service Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

ICS-3000 Ion Chromatography System
xii Doc. 065031-04 1/08
9.24.1 Disconnecting the Amperometry Cell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313
9.24.2 Replacing an Amperometry Cell Gasket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314
9.24.3 Polishing an Amperometry Cell Working Electrode . . . . . . . .317
9.24.4 Replacing an Amperometry Cell Reference Electrode . . . . . .320
9.24.5 Calibrating the Reference Electrode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322
9.24.6 Replacing the Reference Electrode O-Ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . .324
9.24.7 Replacing an ED Detector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326
TC Service
9.25 Replacing Tubing and Fittings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327
9.26 Setting Up the Column ID System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328
9.27 Rebuilding an Injection Valve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330
9.28 Replacing an Injection Valve Pod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331
9.29 Changing the Main Power Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .334
A • Specifications
DP/SP Specifications
A.1 Electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335
A.2 Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335
A.3 Physical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335
A.4 Hydraulics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .336
A.5 Computer Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337
A.6 I/O Interfaces and Inputs/Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337
EG Specifications
A.7 Electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .339

Contents
Doc. 065031-04 1/08 xiii
A.8 Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
A.9 Physical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
A.10 EluGen Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
DC Specifications
A.11 Electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
A.12 Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
A.13 Physical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
A.14 Lower Compartment Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
A.15 Temperature Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
A.15.1 Upper Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
A.15.2 Lower Compartment (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
A.16 ICS-3000 Automation Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
A.16.1 RCH-1 Reaction Coil Heater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
A.16.2 Valves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
A.17 ICS-3000 Conductivity Detector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
A.18 ICS-3000 Electrochemical Detector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
TC Specifications
A.19 Electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
A.20 Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
A.21 Physical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
A.22 Thermal Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
B • Reordering Information
DP/SP Reordering Information

ICS-3000 Ion Chromatography System
xiv Doc. 065031-04 1/08
EG Reordering Information
DC Reordering Information
TC Reordering Information

Doc. 065031-04 1/08 1
1 • Introduction
1.1 ICS-3000 System Overview
The Dionex ICS-3000 Ion Chromatography System offers a full range of Reagent-
Free™ IC (RFIC™) components. RFIC combines automated eluent generation
and self-regenerating suppression to make IC easier and more powerful than ever
Figure 1-1. ICS-3000 System for Dual-Analysis RFIC
ICS-3000
Detector/Chromatography
Module
ICS-3000 Dual
Pump
Chromeleon®/Chromeleon
Xpress Monitor
ICS-3000 Eluent
Generator
ICS-3000 Eluent
Organizer
AS Autosampler

ICS-3000 Ion Chromatography System
2 Doc. 065031-04 1/08
before. It is no longer necessary to spend time preparing eluents and regenerants.
All you need is deionized water—the IC system automatically generates eluent in
the exact amount and concentration needed for your application, ensuring superior
analytical results.
The dual-analysis capabilities (both simultaneous and sequential) of the ICS-3000
system let you maximize efficiency and throughput and minimize downtime. The
modular system design lets you quickly configure and customize hardware.
1.1.1 ICS-3000 System Components
The table below identifies modules in the ICS-3000 product line, as well
as additional products that can be added to an ICS-3000 system. Refer to
the page number indicated here for a brief product overview.
Product Type Product Name
Pump ICS-3000 Dual Pump (see page 3)
ICS-3000 Single Pump (see page 3)
Detector/Chromatography
Compartment
ICS-3000 Detector/Chromatography
Module (see page 3)
Detector (inside DC) ICS-3000 Conductivity Detector (see
page 4)
ICS-3000 Electrochemical Detector (see
page 4)
Accessory (inside DC) ICS-3000 Automation Manager (see
page 4)
Detector (outside DC) ICS-Series Photodiode Array Detector (see
page 7)
ICS-Series Variable Wavelength Detector
(see page 7)
Thermal Compartment ICS-3000 Thermal Compartment (see
page 4)
Eluent Generator ICS-3000 Eluent Generator (see page 5)
Eluent Organizer ICS-3000 Eluent Organizer (see page 5)

1 • Introduction
Doc. 065031-04 1/08 3
ICS-3000 Dual Pump (DP) and ICS-3000 Single Pump (SP)
With flow rates ranging from 0.001 to 10.0 mL/min and operating
pressures up to 35 MPa (5000 psi), the DP/SP is designed for both
standard bore and microbore applications. The pump’s patented isokinetic
pre-compression phase allows a precise, almost pulse-free flow.
The SP contains one isocratic pump or one gradient pump. The DP
contains two gradient pumps, two isocratic pumps, or one isocratic pump
and one gradient pump.
The isocratic pump delivers one eluent, while the gradient pump can
deliver gradient mixtures of up to four eluent components. The selected
eluent composition can be delivered as isocratic, isocratic proportioned,
linear ramp, step, curved, or any combination of these.
With a DP, the second pump can be operated as a second-channel
chromatography pump, an auxiliary dependent pump, or an auxiliary
independent pump.
ICS-3000 Detector/Chromatography Module (DC)
The DC provides a temperature-controlled environment for ICS-3000
chromatography components. The DC can accommodate components for
two channels, plumbed either serially or in parallel.
The following components may be installed in the DC:
•Conductivity detector
•Electrochemical detector
•Injection valves
•Switching valves
•Guard and separator columns
•Suppressors
•ICS-3000 Automation Manager
Autosampler AS Autosampler (see page 6)
AS40 Automated Sampler (see page 7)
Mass Spectrometer MSQ Plus™ (see page 8)

ICS-3000 Ion Chromatography System
4 Doc. 065031-04 1/08
ICS-3000 Conductivity Detector (CD)
The CD is a modular detector with integrated cell providing dual
detection capabilities (series or parallel). The CD has a signal range up to
15,000 μS and supports high background, nonsuppressed applications.
The CD is installed in the upper compartment of the DC.
ICS-3000 Electrochemical Detector (ED)
The ED is a modular detector and cell with dual-detection capabilities
(series or parallel). The ED supports multiple waveforms, multiple
integration times, and post-analysis data manipulation. The ED is also
capable of providing 3D amperometry data. The ED cell can be
configured with gold, silver, platinum, or glassy carbon working
electrodes. The ED is installed in the upper compartment of the DC.
ICS-3000 Automation Manager (AM)
The AM consists of a component mounting panel on a base tray. The AM
provides mounting sites for sample preparation and post-column
application components: high-pressure (switching) valves, low-pressure
(solenoid) valves, reaction coils, etc. The AM is installed in the upper
compartment of the DC, above the detector.
ICS-3000 Thermal Compartment (TC)
The TC provides a temperature-controlled environment for ICS-3000
chromatography components. The TC is intended for applications that do
not require conductivity or electrochemical detection.
The TC is available in four configurations:
•With one 2-position, 6-port high-pressure injection valve
•With two 2-position, 6-port high-pressure injection valves
•With one 2-position, 6-port high-pressure injection valve and one 2-
position, 10-port high-pressure injection valve
•With no injection valves
An optional temperature stabilizer (standard bore, P/N 064548;
microbore, P/N 064650) can be installed inside the TC, if necessary. The
temperature stabilizer brings the eluent to the column temperature before
it enters the column.