Thermo Scientific Dionex ICS-2000, Operator'S Manual

Page: 63 / 390

2 • Features
Doc. 031857-03 4/06
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2.4.8 DS6 Heated Conductivity Cell
The ICS-2000 flow-through conductivity cell measures the electrical
conductance of analyte ions as they pass through the cell. Two passivated
316 stainless steel electrodes are permanently sealed into the PEEK cell
body. The cell design provides efficient sweep-out, low volume (1
µ
L),
and low dispersion. Temperature control and compensation help ensure
good peak reproducibility and baseline stability.
Temperature Control
Temperature directly affects the conductivity of a solution. For example,
laboratory heating and air conditioning systems can cause a regular slow
cycling in the baseline. This, in turn, can affect the reproducibility of an
analysis. The higher the conductivity, the more pronounced the effect.
In ion analysis, the effect of temperature variation is minimized by
suppressing eluent conductivity. To further reduce the effect of
temperature variation, a heater inside the cell regulates the ttemperature.
The cell heater can be set to between 30 °C and 55 °C. The set
temperature must be at least 7 °C above the ambient temperature. Setting
the cell temperature to 0 °C turns off the cell heater.
Temperature Compensation
Built-in preset temperature compensation of 1.7% per °C helps minimize
changes in the baseline or in peak heights when the operating temperature
is different from the temperature at which the cell was calibrated.
DS6 Heated Conductivity Cell Components
The cell front cover provides
CELL IN
and
CELL OUT
fittings for
connecting the cell to the suppressor (see Figure 2-8 ). The remaining cell
components are mounted behind the component panel. To replace, the cell
remove the screws on the cell front cover and pull the entire cell assembly
out through the component panel. See
Section 5.9 for cell replacement
instructions.