BMG LABTECH
FLUOstar / POLARstar / LUMIstar OPTIMA Operating Manual
2007-11-19 0413B0001I
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4.6 Reagent
Injectors
The FLUOstar, POLARstar as well as the LUMIstar OPTIMA can all be equipped with up to 2 reagent
injectors (figure 33).
Figure 33: Reagent injectors
When the reagent injector(s) are not in use, the needle(s) can be placed in the needle holder (figure 8).
The reagent needles are made of stainless steel, the tubings and valve housing are made of Teflon and Kel-
F, and the syringe barrel is made of glass. All materials are among the most chemical resistant materials
available.
Of course, the needle tip plays a role regarding the pumps' accuracy. You should always treat the needles
with care. That is, e.g. be carefull when positioning the needles in the measurement head or in the needle
holder.
For obtaining optimal performance of the reagent injectors, please see the following chapter.
4.6.1 Use and Maintenance of the Reagent Injectors
To remove cellular debris and viscous solutions from the syringe barrel:
Take off the syringe barrel and rinse it with distilled water. It may be useful to use the wire syringe cleaners
(can be found in the service box) to scrape particles off the walls.
In order to obtain optimal performance from the reagent injectors, it is recommended to follow these
guidelines in the use of the reagent injectors:
•
Do not use the syringes more than two cycles without liquid.
•
After each use, thoroughly flush the syringes with distilled water.
•
If the plunger is removed from the syringe barrel, it should be wiped with ethanol before
replacing.
•
Syringes should be cleaned each week using one of the following procedures:
•
Cleaning with weak detergent or 10% bleach
1. Fill the syringe with a weak detergent or 10% bleach solution
2. Leave the solution in the syringe for 30 minutes
3. Flush the syringe a minimum of 10 times with distilled water
•
Cleaning with acid / base
(best procedure if cells are used in the syringe)
1. Fill the syringe with 0.1M NaOH and leave it in the syringe for 10 minutes.
2. Flush the syringe with distilled water.
3. Fill the syringe with 0.1M HCl, and leave the solution in the syringe for 10 minutes.
4. Flush the syringe a minimum of 10 times with distilled water.
