Labconco FreeZone and FreeZone Plus 6, 12 and 18 Liter Freeze Dry Systems 79600 Series - Manual (Page 37)

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Chapter 4: Using Your Freeze Dryer
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3. Press the switch marked Shell Freezer/Vacuum Chamber to
actuate the heater.
4. Freeze the sample. Before the freeze dry process can occur,
the product to be freeze dried must be in a frozen state. This
can be done in a separate freezer or in the Freeze Dryer
collector chamber.
5. Load the samples. The Freeze Dryer collector temperature
must be –40°C or colder. Replace the chamber lid.
6. Start primary drying. Turn the vacuum control valve on the top
of the Freeze Dryer to VACUUM. Start the vacuum pump if
the Freeze Dryer was started in the MAN mode.
7. Start secondary drying. After all the free moisture is removed
in the primary drying phase, the temperature of the chamber
may be increased. Do this according to the instructions in the
Set Up section of this manual.
8. Shut Down. After completion of the freeze dry procedure:
a. Press the Shell Freezer / Vacuum Chamber Switch to
turn off the chamber heater.
b. Release vacuum in the chamber by turning the valve on
the top of the Freeze Dryer to VENT.
c. Remove the sample.
d. Release vacuum from the Freeze Dryer by either
opening the Vacuum Chamber valve when the chamber
lid is off or by removing the drain plug or by opening a
valve on chamber or manifold mounted on top of the
Freeze Dryer. Turn off the vacuum pump.
e. Turn off the Freeze Dryer, defrost and drain the
chamber per instructions in this manual.
Alarms
A number of unusual events may occur during a lyophilization procedure
that can adversely effect the operation of the Freeze Dryer. If an event
occurs, the alarm indicator will flash and the beeper will sound.
The beeper will automatically mute itself after one minute. The
specific alarm can be identified by pressing MENU. Pressing MENU
multiple times will display multiple alarms if they have occurred. The
following “out of specification” conditions will initiate an alarm:
Power Failure
If a power failure occurs during a Freeze Dry process, the vacuum
control valve will allow air to bleed into the Freeze Dryer System.