Nippon MA-3 Solo User manual

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MA-3 Solo Service Manual
Document
Number NIC-704-2030-01
Date of
Issue 2020/2/19
Control
Department
Technical Service
Group Page 1/57
MA-3 Solo
Service Manual
Nippon Instruments Corporation
Technical Service Group
Date Prepared Checked Approved
First
Edition
2020/2/19 Kinoshita - Noda

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MA-3 Solo - Service Manual
Contents
1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................. 3
Safety instructions......................................................................................................... 3
Overview of the Analyzer.............................................................................................. 5
2. MAINTENANCE................................................................................................................. 10
Components and parts recommended for periodic replacement............................... 10
Preventive maintenance..............................................................................................11
Replacement of components and parts...................................................................... 22
Washing the absorption cell and joints....................................................................... 45
Applying grease to the sample inlet............................................................................ 46
Procedures for various adjustments and checks........................................................ 47
3. TROUBLESHOOTING....................................................................................................... 51
Fall of sensitivity.......................................................................................................... 51
Abnormal blank value................................................................................................. 52
Flow error....................................................................................................................53
4. ERROR MESSAGES AND THEIR CONDITIONS............................................................ 54
5. APPENDIX......................................................................................................................... 55
Flow path during atomize step (without humidification) ............................................. 55
Flow path during atomize step (with humidification)................................................... 56
Flow path during Purge/Measure/Meas Purge........................................................... 57

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1. Introduction
Ensure to refer to this service manual before conducting the inspection, repairs, or
maintenance of MercuryAnalyzer MA-3 Solo. This service manual is intended for
engineers who will have proper training and conduct the inspection, repairs, or
maintenance of the Analyzer.
Safety instructions
To safely handle this product, observe the following instructions.
Meaning of safety alert symbols
Denotes that incorrect handling may
put the user in imminent
danger of death of or a serious injury.
WARNING Denotes that incorrect handling may result in the user’s death or a
serious injury.
CAUTION Denotes that incorrect handling may result in the user’s injury or
property damage.
Cautions on installation
Do not place anything flammable or combustible around the
Analyzer. Otherwise, a fire may result.
WARNING
In the course of thermal decomposition analysis, some
measurement samples may generate gas harmful to the human
body. Therefore, we recommend connecting the Analyzer to
exhaust equipment/facilities.
CAUTION
Be sure to use the supplied power cable. Using another cable
may lead to a failure.
Observe the specified installation environment and power
specifications. Otherwise, a failure may result.
Install theAnalyzer on a flat and horizontal surface of a
workbench with adequate strength. Otherwise, the Analyzer
may tip over or fall, thus leading to a minor injury and/or a
failure.
Provide at least 150 mm space from the back of theAnalyzer
to vent heat from the upper back section of theAnalyzer
(venting to general atmosphere) as well as to secure
workspace so that the operator can turn on/off the power.
DANGER
DANGER

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Always avoid a room where halide reagents such as an
organochlorine solvent or potassium iodide are used.
In addition, avoid a room into which such a reagent gas may
flow. Failure to observe this may cause trouble such as the
drop in theAnalyzer’s sensitivity.
Cautions on operations and handling
WARNING
The area around the sample inlet becomes hot.
Wear protective equipment such as heat-resistant gloves,
and be careful not to burn yourself. Never manually release
the solenoid lock during measurement because it is very
dangerous.
Be careful not to burn yourself when touching the sample
boat, the mercury collector tube, or the like for measurement
or other work. If you need to handle them, use boat tongs
and wear protective equipment such as heat-resistant gloves.
Heat is vented (venting to general atmosphere) from the
upper back section of theAnalyzer. Be careful not to burn
yourself.
When touching the Analyzer during maintenance, be sure to
confirm that it has been sufficiently cooled. In addition, use
protective equipment such as heat-resistant gloves when
touching it. Otherwise, you may burn yourself.
When you power off theAnalyzer, the surfaces of its housing
may become hot because of remaining heat from the heater.
Ensure that the filter of the rear fan is free of dust.
A clogged filter may cause an abnormal temperature rise at
theAnalyzer, thus leading to great danger.
Use a reagent after obtaining and managing its safety data
sheet (SDS).
Be careful not to burn yourself and ensure not to place any
objects on the housing.
Before conducting any maintenance, remove the power cable
from the Analyzer.
Failure to observe this may cause an electric shock as well as
a short circuit, which leads to a failure.
Do not directly measure any samples decomposed by nitric
acid. Otherwise, heat may be generated from the activated
carbon filter on the exhaust side. Dilute nitric acid until its
concentration drops to 5 wt% or less.

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Overview of the Analyzer
The thermal decomposition mercury analyzer MA-3 Solo allows the amount of mercury
contained in liquid samples such as wastewater or crude oil or in solid samples such as coal
or soils to be quickly measured with high sensitivity and high accuracy.
Basic configuration of this system
This analyzer system consists of the following components:
the mercury analyzer,
the data analysis/analyzer control software,
the standard accessories, and
a personal computer.

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Appearance of the Analyzer
1.2.2.1.Front, back
(*) The status indicator indicates the following states.
No. Name Description
1 Top cover This cover is opened during maintenance.
2 Side cover This cover is opened during measurement.
3 Status indicator Indicates the state of the Analyzer. (*)
4 Front cover This cover is opened during the update of the firmware.
5 I/F connector Used for connection to an optional device.
6 USB port Used for connection to a PC.
7 Power switch Has a built-in ground fault interrupter.
8 AC inlet Used for the connection of the supplied power cable.
9 Rear fan Comes with a mesh cover.
10 Vent port Used for the connection of 6mm diameter tube
11 Intake port Intake port for carrier gas
State State of status indicator Description
OFFLINE Blinking at intervals of 1 second The communication is not established
between the PC and the Analyzer.
MAINTE Blinking at intervals of 1 second One of the ribbon menu items is being
executed on the Maintenance screen.
READY Steady light The system is READY (normal state).
MEAS Blinking at intervals of 0.1 seconds A sample is being measured.
ERROR Blinking at intervals of 0.3 seconds as
many times as the number of the error
code (Repeating at 3 second intervals)
An error has occurred.

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1.2.2.2.Side
No. Name Description
1 Flowrate control valve Turn the knob to adjust the flow rate.
2 Humidification bottle Feeds pure water into the bottle so that carrier gas contains
saturated water vapor.
3 Drain bottle Collects effluent produced during measurement.
4 Sample inlet knob Turn this clockwise to close the inlet.
5 Sample inlet A sample is charged into this place.
6 Solenoid lock This is locked during measurement to prevent the sample inlet
from being opened by mistake.

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1.2.2.3.Top
* The figure below shows that the top cover, the side cover, and the sample inlet are open.
No. Name Description
1 Boat handling tool Supports the boat; and seals the system when it is inserted.
2 Heater H1 Heats a sample.
A fan is fitted to its lower section to cool the heater after
measurement.
3 Heater H2 Heats an oxidation catalyst and an acid gas removal agent.
4 Heater H3 Controls the temperature of the mercury collector tube.
A fan is fitted to its lower section to cool the heater after
measurement.
5 Heater H4 Heats the absorption cell to 150°C.

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1.2.2.4.Front
* The figure below shows that the top cover, the side cover, the front cover, and the sample
inlet are open.
No. Name Description
1 Optical unit Consists of the absorption cell, the mercury lamp, and the detector.
2 Activated carbon filter An activated carbon column for removing mercury from exhaust gas
3 Valves V1 and V2 Valves for switching between the decomposition tube and the
measurement tube
4 Flow rate sensor A sensor for controlling the flow rate
5 Nafion tube Removes water vapor from exhaust gas.
6 Air pump Takes in carrier gas.
7 Filter unit This filter protects the flow rate sensor.
8 Valve V3 A valve for switching between normal gas and humidified gas
9 Activated carbon filter An activated carbon filter for removing mercury from carrier gas
10 Main board A board for controlling the Analyzer.

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2. Maintenance
Components and parts recommended for
periodic replacement
Shown below is a list of components and parts recommended for periodic replacement. The
replacement intervals are shown only as a guide; and their actual service lives depend on the
condition of use. Scheduled maintenance should be proposed based on this list.
Item Recommended replacement interval and guideline
Sample heating tube 2,000 hours, or in the event of an abnormal measurement value
* If you measure samples with a high halogen content or by an
inappropriate method, its service life becomes shorter.
Mercury collector tube When its quartz wool becomes discolored, or if abnormal
measurement is not corrected by wiping deposits off the tube.
Activated carbon filter 1 year, or the amount of adsorbed mercury reaches 1,500 mg.
O-ring at sample inlet 1 year, or in the event of leakage
* It deteriorates faster if you use a method which requires high
temperatures for a long time.
O-ring at boat handling tool 1 year, or in the event of leakage
Measurement line 1 year, or in the event of an abnormal measurement value
Air pump 1.5 years or 2,000 hours
V1 and V2 valves 3 years, or in the event of switching error
V3 valve 3 years, or in the event of switching error
Flowrate control valve 3 years, or in the event of control error
Boat handling tool When it is heavily contaminated or is damaged
Nafion tube 3 years
Filter unit 1 year, or when the flow rate becomes low
Humidification bottle, drain bottle 1 year
Mercury lamp 2 years or 5,000 hours

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Preventive maintenance
This section describes the components and parts to be replaced at minimum to achieve stable
use of the Analyzer, as well as the replacement procedures and the inspection items. This
work is fundamental to maintenance.
Parts and components to be replaced on preventive
maintenance
No. Name Part No. Q’ty Remarks
Joint set for MA-3 Solo S-W012-0100 1 O-ring for inlet
O-ring for boat handling tool
Filter unit
1 set of internal tubing
1 set of joints for internal tubing
Activated carbon filter W139-1120 1
Air pump W166-6205 1
Mercury collector tube W139-2300 1
Sample heating tube(Normal) W139-1360 1
* Confirm the state of theAnalyzer and the value of the GLP counter from your customer in
advance, and replace any components and parts other than the above depending on the
state.






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Removing the cover
Remove the two screws, and open the top cover.
Remove the four countersunk screws for holding the side cover, and remove the side cover.
Then remove the four screws from the back plate, and remove the front cover while paying
attention to the handle part and the cover holding part. Now, you can conduct maintenance
work on the internals of the Analyzer.

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Removing the sample heating tube and mercury collector
tube
Loosen the nut of the reducing joint connecting to the mercury collector tube, and remove the
reducing joint.
Loosen the screw for the sample heating tube holder, and remove the sample heating tube
holder.
Turn the sample inlet knob counterclockwise.
While pushing up the solenoid lock (which locks the boat handling tool in place) by hand, draw
out the boat handling tool.
Remove the screw for holding the boat handling tool, and remove the boat handling tool.
While pushing up the
solenoid lock by hand,
draw the tool out.

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Remove the PharMed tube connected to the sample inlet.
In addition, unscrew the three screws holding the sample inlet cover and the sample inlet, and
remove the sample inlet cover.
Pull out the sample heating tube.
While turning the assembly of the sample heating tube and the mercury collector tube, slowly
draw out the assembly from the front.
Loosen the cap nut of the Teflon joint, and remove the joint.
Remove the three screws for the sample inlet, and remove the sample inlet from the sample
heating tube.
Remove the PharMed
tube.

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Replacing tubes, joints, etc.
1
2
3
6
7
8
4
5
9
10
11
1
2
6
8
5
3
4
9
10
11
12
7
24
25
23
26
27
28

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No. Tubing/joint name Model Length (mm)/pc
1 Teflon tube 2×4 2×4 320
2 Tygon tube 1/8×1/4 ACFJ00007 20
3 Teflon tube 2×4 2×4 15
4 Teflon tube 1×2 1×2 110
5 Tygon tube 1/8×1/4 ACFJ00007 130
6 Tygon tube 1/8×1/4 ACFJ00007 70
7 Tygon tube 1/8×1/4 ACFJ00007 50
8 PharMed tube 1/16×1/8 AY242002 170
9 PharMed tube 1/16×1/8 AY242002 170
10 Nafion Tube - 1 pc
11 Tygon tube 1/8×1/4 ACFJ00007 50
12 Teflon tube 2×4 2×4 30
23 Teflon joint 6φ 41663 1 pc
24 PEEK nut N16-2A0019-00 1 pc
25 Female T joint with male connector 30-4FBT2-C 1 pc
26 Elbow joint 30-4UE-C 1 pc
27 T-connector MCT223030V 1 pc
28 Lure fitting LM31 1 pc

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No. Tubing/joint name Model Length (mm)/pc
13 Tygon tube 1/8×1/4 50
14 Tygon tube 1/8×1/4 20
15 Tygon tube 1/16×3/16 20
16 Teflon tube 0.5×2 100
17 Tygon tube 1/8×1/4 250
18 Tygon tube 1/8×1/4 90
19 Teflon tube 2×4 30
20 PharMed tube 1/16×1/8 200, 15
21 PharMed tube 1/16×1/8 50
22 PharMed tube 1/16×1/8 200, 20
23 PharMed tube 1/16×1/8 110
29 Lure fitting VRM306 1 pc
30 Membrane filter φ25 1 pc
31 Mini connector MCS2230 2 pc
14
15
13
16
18
19
20
21
22
23
17
31
30
29

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While referring to the figures above, cut the tubes of the joint set to the specified lengths, and
replace the tubes, the joints, and other parts.
* After replacing the nut attached to Part No.25 (Female T joint with male connector) with the
Part No.24 (PEEK nut), install the joint.
* The Part No.10 (Nafion Tube) is not included in the joint set. When it is time to replace the
tube, purchase a new tube separately and replace it.
* The Parts No.20 to No.22 are not included in the joint set because sample gas does not pass
through them. Unless they are degraded or damaged, there is no need to replace them in
principle.
Replacing the activated carbon filter
Refer to 2.3.1. Replacement of Activated carbon filter.
Replacing the air pump
Refer to 2.3.2. Replacement of Air pump.
Attaching the sample heating tube and mercury collector
tube
1) Get the O-ring for the sample inlet, the 6φ Teflon joint, and the mercury collector tube.
2) As shown below, slightly tighten the sample inlet, the O-ring, and the sample inlet ring with
the three screws.
Gradually retighten the three screws in turn until the O-ring can be fixed in place.
* Note that if you fully tighten them at this point, the sample heating tube will not fit into
place at a later step.
3) Place the sample inlet on a desk, and insert the sample heating tube from above.
Twist and push the tube to make it easier to insert.
* Pay attention not to damage the sample heating tube.
4) Confirm that the sample heating tube has been inserted up to the groove of the sample
inlet.

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5) Retighten the three screws at the sample inlet.
Gradually retighten the screws in turn until the gap is eliminated between the sample inlet
and the sample inlet ring.
6) Attach the Teflon joint and the mercury collector tube to the sample heating tube.
You need to attach the mercury collector tube so that its two dimples are located on the
sample heating tube side.
Do not insert the joint deeply at this point to make the subsequent adjustment easy.
The thread on the Teflon joint is easily damaged. Confirm that the joint turns smoothly. If
the cap nut is engaged with the thread at an angle, leakage may result.
7) With alcohol, wipe the outside of the sample heating tube and the mercury collector tube.
8) Insert the assembly of the sample heating tube and themercury collector tubewhile slightly
turning them rightward and leftward.
* Forcibly pushing the assembly may deform the heater.
9) Fix the sample inlet and the sample inlet cover in place by tightening the three screws.
10) Attach the PharMed tube to the sample inlet.
11) Adjust the position of the mercury collector tube.
Align the end of the heater with the dimples of the mercury collector tube. Adjust the tube
position with the insertion depth of the Teflon joint. Firmly tighten the Teflon joint.
Two dimples
Step 10)
Attach the PharMed tube.
Step 9)
Step 8)

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12) Connect the reducing joint to the mercury collector tube, and tighten the nut.
After slightlytightening the reducing joint by hand, retighten it 60-90 degrees with a wrench.
* Excessively tightening the joint may damage it.
13) Attach the sample heating tube holder.
14) Replace the O-ring located on the boat handling tool side.
15) Slightly fix the boat handling tool with the screw.
16) While lifting the solenoid lock (which locks the boat handling tool in place), gently push the
boat handling tool and at the same time turn it clockwise.Adjust its position so that the boat
handling tool is not in contact with the sample inlet and that the door knob can be smoothly
turned. Then fasten the screw.
Step 12)
Step 13)
O-ring