Thermo Scientific FOCUS GC, Instruction Manual

Page: 156 / 356

Chapter 7
Column
Column Conditioning
156 Instruction Manual
Column Conditioning
To ensure optimum analytical performance, a new column must be conditioned to
remove contaminants and unwanted volatile compounds.
Column conditioning is required to remove volatile contaminants adsorbed from
the air.
Column conditioning consists of passing a carrier gas flow through the column
and heating the column to a temperature 20–50 °C above the maximum
temperature that will be used for running analyses, provided that temperature is
within the operating range of the column.
For detailed information on column conditioning of your specific column, refer to
the column manufacturer’s instructions.
CAUTION With the column already installed, before starting column conditioning, disconnect
the column outlet from the detector. With the column not already installed, connect
only the column inlet to the injector.
WARNING! Do not use hydrogen as carrier gas because it could vent into the oven and present
an explosion hazard. Make sure that the system is leak tight before heating the
column oven. The column might be irreversibly damaged by the presence of
molecular oxygen at high temperature.