Practical GC Troubleshooting and Maintenance
1 Day Course
A logical approach to GC Troubleshooting and Maintenance is explored in this one-day course. Commonly encountered problems and best practices are examined for all major system components including gas handling, inlet system, oven, column and detector.
Examination of separation chemistry, interrogation of poor peak shape and retention problems are a fundamentally important part of the course, leading to increased awareness of troubleshooting principles.
Practical exercises are fundamental to this course and industry standard equipment will be used to carry out a wide range of laboratory-based tasks.
- We limit numbers to 6 per course so that each delegate gets the opportunity to ask questions and fully participate in practical exercises
- When delivered on-site we can design the course material to suit your specific training needs
- Customisable written assessments are available if required
Contact [email protected] for more information.
Course Overview | Download course details »
All components of the GC system and associated problems are systematically studied. The use of chromatograms as diagnostic tools is explored in depth, including baselines, peak shape and retention time inconsistencies, spurious peaks, etc.
Laboratory based sessions are included to make an all-encompassing and thorough one day course
Who is this course for
This course is designed for those relatively new to GC, or for those users of GC systems who want to gain a deeper insight of their instruments. Ideally will follow-on from attendance to the Fundamental GC training course.
Previous knowledge
Some previous knowledge of gas chromatography and basic experience are recommended but not essential.
What you will learn
- Instrument problems - identifying the issues
- Developing troubleshooting strategies
- Column installation
- Inlet maintenance
- Inlet and oven parameters
- Detector maintenance
- Common maintenance schedule operations
- Investigative operations
Course Outline
Approaches to Logical Troubleshooting
- Logical troubleshooting
- System overview
- Component perspective
- Symptomatic perspective
- System maintenance records
- Symptom/Causes/Diagnosis and solution
Column Installation
- Installation and conditioning of a capillary column
- Column length calculation
- Run Check Out sample
- Time, peak area and efficiency
- Column troubleshooting
Detector Maintenance
- Stripping and cleaning the FID
Inlet Maintenance
- Stripping the inlet: liner, gold seal, septum and split vent trap
- The gas flow path and hydraulic control
- Pressure test inlet
- Inlet troubleshooting
Inlet and Oven Parameters
- The effect of split ratio on peak shape and quantitative accuracy
- Investigating oven initial temperature
- Inlet troubleshooting questions
Troubleshooting Strategy
- Bringing it all together with questions and a practical challenge!