Malvern Mastersizer 2000 User manual

INSTRUMENTS
Printed in England MRK0864-01
Malvern Instruments Limited
Enigma Business Park
Grovewood Road, Malvern
Worcs, WR14 1XZ, U.K.
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.malvern.com
user manual
user manual
MastersizerMastersizer
Mastersizer
2000
2000

Mastersizer 2000
User Manual
MAN0384 Issue 1.0 March 2007
MAN0384-1.0 Mastersizer 2000.book Page i Tuesday, March 20, 2007 8:56 AM

© Malvern Instruments Ltd. 2007
Malvern Instruments makes every effort to ensure that this document is correct. However, due to
Malvern Instruments’ policy of continual product development we are unable to guarantee the
accuracy of this, or any other document after the date of publication. We therefore disclaim all
liability for any changes, errors or omissions after the date of publication. No reproduction or
transmission of any part of this publication is allowed without the express written permission of
Malvern Instruments Ltd.
Head office:
Malvern Instruments Ltd.
Enigma Business Park,
Grovewood Road,
Malvern,
Worcestershire WR14 1XZ
United Kingdom.
Tel + [44] (0)1684-892456
Fax + [44] (0)1684-892789
Windows 2000 and XP are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation.
Printed in England
MAN0384-1.0 Mastersizer 2000.book Page ii Tuesday, March 20, 2007 8:56 AM

Addendum 0070-2.0 Page 1
Addendum to manual
Addendum number ADD0070-2.0
Date 10/03/2010
Manual number MAN0384-1.0
Manual name Mastersizer 2000 User Manual
This addendum presents new information on the Mastersizer 2000/2000E from
Malvern Instruments.
Laser specification
The following information adds to the Light Sources information given on page
A-1:
Red light
CDRH and CE compliant (Class llla laser product (CDRH) / Class 3R laser
product (IEC60825-1(1993)+A1(1997)+A2(2001))
Type: HeNe gas laser.
Max. output power: 4mW.
Beam diameter: 0.63mm (1/e²).
Beam divergence: 1.5mrad.
Beam wavelength: 633nm.
Blue Light
For the Mastersizer 2000 and Mastersizer 2000LF this is:
Beam wavelength: 466nm.
Type: LED.
Addendum 0070-2.0.fm Page 1 Wednesday, March 10, 2010 11:58 AM

Page 2 Addendum 0070-2.0
Addendum 0070-2.0.fm Page 2 Wednesday, March 10, 2010 11:58 AM

Mastersizer 2000 Page i
Part 1 - Operator’s Guide
Introduction to this manual
About this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Access to the instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Assumed information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Where to get help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Overview
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
What the Mastersizer 2000 does . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
How the Mastersizer 2000 works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Making measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Viewing the results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Saving the results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Identifying the features
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Typical systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Optical bench components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Making measurements - a tutorial
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
General measurement advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
The basics of making a measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Measurements on a Mastersizer 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Measurements on a Mastersizer 2000E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10
Measuring new samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16
Measurement options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18
Table of Contents
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Table of Contents Mastersizer 2000
Page ii MAN 0384
Viewing the results
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Displaying the information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Changing views - the Report Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Understanding the views
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Understanding the display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Report features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Fundamental concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Optical models. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14
Handling measurement files
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Records and files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Searching and sorting records. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Exporting results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Extracting an SOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Sample preparation
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Sample preparation flow chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Representative sampling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Considerations for dry samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Considerations for wet samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Symptoms of poor sample preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
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Mastersizer 2000 Table of Contents
Mastersizer 2000 Page iii
Advanced features
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
Obscuration settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Advanced result processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Editing results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Defining user size bands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Alarms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Averaging records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Importing results from older instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Result emulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
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Table of Contents Mastersizer 2000
Page iv MAN 0384
Part 2 - Supervisor’s Guide
Security
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
Security principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Setting up the Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Security guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Setting up user groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Setting up individual users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
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Mastersizer 2000 Table of Contents
Mastersizer 2000 Page v
Part 3 - Appendices
Specification
Optical bench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Chemical compatibility
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Unpacking instructions
Regulatory statements
CE Declaration of Conformity (APA2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D-2
CE Declaration of Conformity (EPA2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D-3
FCC Notice (US only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D-4
Canadian Regulatory Information (Canada Only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D-5
VCCI acceptance (Japan only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D-5
Index
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Table of Contents Mastersizer 2000
Page vi MAN 0384
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Part 1 -
Operator’s Guide
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Mastersizer 2000 Page 1-1
1
Introduction
to this manual
About this manual
This manual describes the operation of the Malvern Mastersizer 2000 and 2000E
particle size analysers. Information is also given on basic use of the Hydro 2000G
and Hydro 2000MU sample dispersion units:
For more detailed information on the operation of any sample dispersion unit, see
its individual manual.
This user manual is a companion to the Mastersizer 2000 Essentials Manual
which gives Health and Safety, maintenance and other vital information which all
users must read.
After reading this user manual, users should understand the basic measurement
technique and be able to perform a simple measurement, analyse the data and iden-
tify the main features of the system.
For users who have never operated a Malvern particle analyser before, we recom-
mend reading this manual fully before starting the first measurement.
Users who are more familiar with particle size analysers may wish to proceed
straight to Chapter 4 which gives details on making measurements. However, the
importance of sample preparation before measurement cannot be overstated. We
therefore recommend that these users read the chapter on sample preparation
(Chapter 8) soon.
Instrument Model number
Mastersizer 2000 APA2000
Mastersizer 2000E EPA2000
Hydro 2000G AWA2000
Hydro 2000MU AWM2001
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Chapter 1 Introduction to this manual
Page 1-2 MAN 0384
1
Warning!
The instrument and the samples to be measured may be hazardous if mis-
used. Users must read the Health and Safety information in the Essen-
tials Manual before operating the system.
Access to the instrument
Within this manual, reference is made to the various people who will have access to
the instrument. Below is a list of these people and their responsibility:
Malvern personnel
Malvern personnel (service engineers, representatives, etc.) have full access to the
instrument and are authorised to perform all service procedures that may require
the removal of the covers.
Supervisor
The supervisor is the person responsible for the management/safety of the instru-
ment and of its operation. The supervisor is responsible for the training of the
operators. The supervisor can perform all user maintenance routines identified in
the Essentials Manual, including changing the fuses.
Warning!
Under no circumstances must the supervisor or operator remove the
covers of the instrument.
Operator
An operator is a person trained to use the instrument. The operator can perform all
user maintenance routines in the Essentials Manual except for changing the
fuses.
Warning!
Failure to follow these guidelines could result in the emission of laser radi-
ation. Laser radiation can be harmful to the body and can cause permanent
eye damage.
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Introduction to this manual Chapter 1
Mastersizer 2000 Page 1-3
Assumed information
General
The Mastersizer 2000/2000E can be used with a variety of sample dispersion units
that allow it to measure wet and dry samples. The function of these is identical: to
prepare and deliver the sample to the optical bench for measurement. For clarity,
this manual assumes that the primary dispersion unit for each system is as follows:
For the Mastersizer 2000 the Hydro 2000G.
For the Mastersizer 2000E the Hydro 2000MU.
For more details of any sample dispersion unit, refer to its manual.
Naming convention
Within this manual:
The Mastersizer 2000/2000E optical bench is referred to as “the optical bench”
or “the instrument”. For simplicity, in general text the term “Mastersizer 2000”
refers to both the Mastersizer 2000 and 2000E. Where the Mastersizer 2000E is
different, this is always explained.
The sample dispersion units are referred to in full (“the Hydro 2000G” or “the
Hydro 2000MU”), or as “the dispersion unit”.
The combination of the optical bench, one or more dispersion units and the
computer is referred to as “the system”.
Menu commands
Menu commands from the Malvern software are referred to in the form main
menu-menu item. As an example, the command Configure-New SOP refers to
selecting the New SOP item in the Configure menu. The same rules apply for
sub-menus of sub-menus, so that Tools-Options-Instrument Port refers to the
Instrument Port item in the Options sub-menu, which itself is a sub-menu of
the Tools menu. Menu commands are always shown in bold text.
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Chapter 1 Introduction to this manual
Page 1-4 MAN 0384
Where to get help
Other manuals
Several manuals are supplied with the system, each giving information on a differ-
ent aspect of it. Below is a list of the typical manuals supplied with the system,
detailing the type of information in each one.
Quickstart Manual
This gives a simple introduction to the system and explains how to make a meas-
urement.
Essentials Manual
This manual covers:
Site requirements – all the physical requirements for positioning the system.
Information is given on service requirements (air, water, number of power
sockets, etc.), environmental requirements (temperature, humidity, etc.) and
physical requirements (space needed, etc.).
Note
The system must be initially commissioned by a Malvern-trained repre-
sentative.
Health and Safety – this must be read by all users of the system. It details all
safety issues for the optical bench and all dispersion units.
Maintenance – for both the optical bench and dispersion units.
Installation – this gives enough information to allow the user, for example, to
move the system from one laboratory to another. Instructions are also given on
how to install the Malvern software if the user upgrades the computer system.
Caution!
If the system is covered by a Qspec validation contract, we strongly recom-
mend that it is only moved by Malvern representatives.
Autosampler 2000 manual
The Autosampler 2000 has its own manual giving details on its use.
Dispersion Unit manuals
Each dispersion unit has its own manual giving details on its use.
i
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Introduction to this manual Chapter 1
Mastersizer 2000 Page 1-5
Online help
The primary function of the online help is to give detailed information on the soft-
ware. Each dialogue has a Help button that, when pressed, gives help specific to
that dialogue. Many dialogues also have Advice buttons, giving more general
advice.
All help topics can be accessed through the standard help screen by selecting Help-
Help topics. From within this screen all help topics can be searched or accessed
through the contents list or index.
Help desk
All queries regarding the system should initially be directed to the local Malvern
representative. Be ready to quote:
Model number of the optical bench and dispersion unit(s).
Serial number of the optical bench and dispersion unit(s).
Version of the Malvern software – this can be found by starting the software
and selecting Help-About.
The serial number of the optical bench can be found inside the sample area
(remove the cell first). The serial number of a dispersion unit is found on its rear
panel.
Contact the United Kingdom help desk if the local Malvern representative is not
available. Its direct line is [phone].
Note
This help line is primarily English speaking.
Remote support
Malvern Instruments offers a remote support service, delivered by an Internet con-
nection. Benefits include fast and efficient fault diagnosis, reducing downtime and
costs.
Online user training is also available, plus software updates. A high speed Internet
connection is recommended for making use of this facility.
i
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Chapter 1 Introduction to this manual
Page 1-6 MAN 0384
Malvern website - www.malvern.com
The Malvern Instruments website offers a comprehensive range of material charac-
terisation resources for use by customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Resources include Frequently Asked Questions, a knowledge base and application
notes, plus information on other material characterisation solutions that Malvern
can provide.
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