CIRAS-3 Operation Manual V. 1.09
52
CO
2
/H
2
O Control Columns and H
2
O Equilibrator
The CO
2
/H
2
O control columns contain 2 clearly marked desiccants labeled CO2 Absorber (soda lime) and
H2O Absorber (Drierite) which are used to control CO
2
and H
2
O. See
Desiccants and Absorber Columns
on page 184 for more information related to this column and management of desiccants.
TIP
Always change the Molecular Sieve weekly during use. See
Desiccants and Absorber Columns
184. We also strongly recommend performing a leak test every time you change the desiccants. To do
so insert a fresh CO
2
cartridge, connect the PLC3 Leaf Cuvette electronically and pneumatically and
close the cuvette head. Go to
Settings (F2)
and set the CO2 reference to 0. The CO2r and CO2a
values should drop close to 0 (± 2 ppm) after a few minutes with a 0 CO2d (± 0.5 ppm).
