Genevac HT-8 & HT-12 Series II Evaporating Systems
04-4541
Issue 1-9 – June 2008
Page 11 of
64
4.2 Safe loading of rotor – General Document
Genevac are obliged to include the following information in its entirety, irrespective of the system type.
As with a centrifuge, a Genevac centrifugal evaporator must be loaded correctly to remove risk of damage.
Failure to correctly load a system can lead to loss of samples, system damage and significant downtime. This
guide is intended for new users and also as a reminder for more experienced users. The principles outlined
apply to all Genevac evaporators.
The document deals with various aspects of loading:
•
Use of correct swings and sample holders
•
Observation of weight limits
•
Safe loading of sample holders into swings
•
Balancing of swings and sample holders
•
Good procedural practice
Nomenclature
Firstly, it is important to understand what is meant by some of the terms that will be used in this document.
Most Genevac systems feature “swung” rotors.
(Some, however, feature “fixed” rotors, with many angled holes for individual tubes. But this document
however is primarily concerned with swung rotors).
A swung rotor includes a
swing
or
bucket
. Below are drawings of typical swings for HT systems.
Open (or standard)
Side-Bridge
Fast-Stack
TM
(for microtitre plates)
Each of these swing types lifts straight out of the rotor. On large Mega systems, however (not shown here) the
swings are generally fixed in place and cannot be lifted out. Which swing is ideal depends on which
sample
holder
is required.
There is a large range of
sample holders
which sit in the swings, into which tubes, vials, beakers or flasks are
loaded.
Use of Correct Accessories
Genevac supply a wide range of sample holders to cover a variety of plate, tube, vial or flask formats. Where
no holder is available, custom units can be made. In a few cases worldwide, users have developed their own
holders and have collaborated with the Genevac R&D department to ensure the holders are suitable and
approved for use.
Important properties for a sample holder include:
•
Mass within prescribed maximum limit.
•
Closely matched mass within a set of holders.
•
Correct centre of gravity.
•
Good thermal conductivity.
•
Correct hole form and size tolerance to prevent tube or vial breakage under centrifugal force.
All Genevac holders are designed with these constraints in mind. Other 3
rd
party accessories may not be.
Generally, apart from microtitre plates, users are advised not to load non-Genevac holders into a system
without first checking with Genevac.
It is important that the swings and holders used are suitable for the Genevac system in use. For example,
there are some sample holders on sale for the Series II system that might
appear
to fit in a Series I system but
which would exceed the weight limitations. (See next section). If in doubt always ask Genevac before running
the system.
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