Ocean Optics LPC-500CM - Manual (Page 22)

4: Maintenance
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 Avoid introducing particulate matter into the LWCC. If they are trapped in the LWCC, particles
can scatter light and may cause unstable spectrometer readings. The LWCC contains two
potential bottlenecks at the fiber-capillary interface. For the 550 µm ID waveguide, the
bottlenecks are 75 µm-wide ring gaps. If a particle larger than 60 µm is forced into the waveguide
and trapped there, it can take a lot of effort to remove it. Due to the diverse applications of
LWCC, no in-line filter can be installed which will fit all users’ needs. It is imperative, therefore,
that a proper in-line filter be added to the LWCC if the solution contains large particles. When the
LWCC is directly connected to a chromatography column, a filter might not be necessary.
Cleaning
Before and after each usage of the LWCC, it is recommended that cleaning be performed. A Waveguide
Cleaning Kit made especially for the LWCC is available from Ocean Optics (LPC-CLEANKIT).
► Procedure
To clean your LWCC, use the following procedure:
1. Connect exit tubing (silicon or equivalent) from the OUTFLOW port of the LWCC to a waste
container.
2. Rinse the cell thoroughly using Ultra Pure water.
3. Obtain a new reference intensity and take a baseline absorbance reading.
4. Fill a 1 cc syringe with “Cleaning Solution 1” and inject it into the LWCC’s INFLOW port via
the Luer fitting adapters provided with your LWCC.
5. Fill a 1 cc glass-type syringe with “Methanol Solution 2” and inject it into the INFLOW port of
the LWCC.
6. Fill a 1 cc syringe with “HCl Solution 3” and inject it into the INFLOW port of the LWCC.
7. Flush out cleaning solutions with distilled Ultra Pure, reverse osmosis, or equivalent quality water
and take an absorbance reading.
8. Repeat these cleaning cycles until a stable absorbance signal can be obtained.