SilcoCan Canister with RAVE
Valve
cat.# 27400, 27401, 27402, 27403, 27404, 27405, 27406, 27407,
27408, 27409, 27410, 27411, 27412, 27413, 27414, 27415
www.restek.com
Overview
A Restek SilcoCan canister offers several important features.
We Siltek treat the inner surface for maximum inertness. The
unique holder attaches the handle and base to the canister
without welds, and it protects the canister, tube stub, and
valve. The diaphragm valve has a metal-to-metal seat, and all
canisters and valves are leak checked to 1x10
-6
mL/sec. Each
canister is slightly pressurized to approximately 15 psig (1.0 bar)
with contaminant-free nitrogen prior to shipment.
Prior to Use
Restek SilcoCan canisters are shipped under pressure!
1. Unpack the SilcoCan canister from its box. Remove the
¼-inch brass cap from the top of the valve.
2. Turn the knob to the open position. Nitrogen should be
released. If not, the system is not leak tight and should be
returned. Please contact Technical Service, or your Restek
representative, for a return material authorization (RMA)
number. Please do not return the canister, or any other
Restek product, without an RMA number and a completed
health and safety declaration.
3. We recommend that you certify your canister is clean,
according to U.S. EPA Compendium Methods, such as TO-12,
TO-14A, TO-15, TO-15A, NJ Low Level TO-15, and China NEPS
HJ 759, prior to use.
Cleaning for Reuse*
To clean a SilcoCan canister and valve, we recommend a pro-
cedure such as that summarized here. We also recommend
performing a blank analysis according to your method; for ex-
ample, TO-15 after cleaning the canister to certify the canister
is clean prior to reuse.
IMPORTANT PRECAUTIONS!
• Only hand tighten knob to close valve. Overtightening will
damage the seat, causing leakage.
• Tighten compression fitting on valve inlet only ¼ turn past
finger tight. Overtightening will cause leakage.
• Always use a prefilter during sampling to prevent particulate
damage to valve.
• Do not disassemble valve—disassembly will void warranty.
• Protect valve inlet by replacing brass cap when not in use.
• Do not exceed canister maximum pressure of 40 psig
(2.75 bar).
Typical Cleaning Method
1. Connect the canisters to the cleaning system, release any pressure within any of them, and
evacuate them. Based on EPA Method TO-15, the ultimate vacuum achieved during cleaning
should always be <0.2 mm Hg.
2. After the canisters have been under vacuum for approximately 1 hour, pressurize them with
humidified nitrogen to 5 psig (0.34 bar) (if they will be heated during cleaning) or to 30 psig
(2.0 bar) (if they will not be heated). Caution: If heat is used during cleaning, use humidi-
fied nitrogen only—do not use air. Cleaning SilcoCan canisters with humidified air and heat
above 80 °C may damage the fused silica surface, resulting in reduced recoveries of sulfur and
other reactive compounds. Pressurization will dilute the contaminants and the water vapor
will hydrolyze them. When the system has equilibrated at the designated pressure, proceed
to step 3 (heating), or step 4 (no heat).
3. Heat the pressurized canisters to the appropriate temperature. A Restek SilcoCan canister
fitted with a gauge can be heated to 120 °C; a canister without a gauge can be heated to
140 °C.**
Note:
These temperature limits only apply using an inert gas like nitrogen. If using air, all
SilcoCan canisters must be cleaned at 80 °C or below.
4. Allow the canisters to equilibrate for at least 1 hour. Evacuate the canisters to remove the im-
purities, then allow them to equilibrate for 1 hour.
Repeat steps 2–4 as necessary. The number of cycles will be determined by how dirty the canisters
are and how easily they clean. Without heat, the number of cycles required to clean the canisters
may be higher.
Certifying a Cleaned Canister
We recommend certifying canisters for both cleanliness and analyte stability. To certify a canister
is clean, pressurize the cleaned canister to 30 psig (2.0 bar) with humidified, certified ultra-high
purity air or nitrogen. Analyze an aliquot of the canister content by GC-MS, GC-FID, or GC-ECD. If
a canister does not meet specification, it must be recleaned and retested.
Newest coating
technology
To ensure sample stability, SilcoCan
canisters are deactivated with
innovative Siltek surface treatment,
which chemically bonds a fused silica
layer to the metal inner surface of the canister.
This layer offers unsurpassed inertness for active
compounds, including polar and sulfur-containing
molecules. It will not crack, chip, or flake off, despite
harsh handling in the field or during transport.
Optional gauge
• Quickly confirm vacuum or
pressure inside canister.
• Monitor pressure changes.
• Fully protected by canister frame.
Serial controlled
For quick, sure identification.
Enhanced valve and
canister bracket
Canister holder and valve bracket
protect canister, tube stub, and
valve.
1
/
4
" Tube stub
Allows user to interchange valves.
*For detailed information about cleaning, certifying, and using canisters, request A Guide to Whole Air Canister Sampling (lit. cat.# EVTG1073A) or search www.restek.com for “EVTG1073A.”
**To use temperatures above 120 °C to clean a SilcoCan canister fitted with a gauge, you must remove the gauge and plug the gauge port prior to cleaning.
