General Pre-Installation Information
Operating Environment
Thermo Scientific
iCAP RQ Pre-Installation Requirements Guide (P/N BRE0009927, Revision A)
6-5
Operating Environment
These general specifications for the operating environment help
ensuring continued high performance of the system.
Lighting
Good lighting makes any work area more enjoyable. Because a lot of
work is done on the computer terminal, it may be convenient to have a
dimmer switch on the lights to reduce eyestrain. A small, high-intensity
lamp is recommended for cleaning instrument components, source
inspection, and manipulation of small components. Contact your local
safety officer for advice and regulations on adequate working place
conditions.
Particulate Matter
Particulate matter might contaminate the samples and the ion source
and may limit the background level of the instrument.
The air in your laboratory must not contain excessive dust, smoke, or
other particulate matter. For reference, the air should contain fewer than
35 × 10
6
particles per cubic meter (1 × 10
6
particles per cubic foot) in
excess of 5 μm.
Dust can clog the air filters, causing a reduction in air flow around
electronic components. Dust will also form a layer on electronic
components that will act as an insulating blanket and thus reduce the
heat transfer from the components to the surrounding air.
Quality of Power
The quality of power supplied to your system is very important for its
performance.
Below are definitions for the most common voltage disturbances:
•
Harmonic distortion
is a high-frequency disturbance that might
affect operation of your system. This disturbance appears as
distortion of the fundamental sine wave.
•
Slow average
is a gradual, long-term change in average root mean
square (RMS) voltage level, with typical durations greater than 2 s.
•
Sags and surges
are sudden changes in average RMS voltage level,
with typical durations between 50 μs and 2 s.
•
Transients
(or impulses) are brief voltage excursions of up to several
thousand volts with durations of less than 50 μs.
