A loss of sensitivity is a common indicator that the nebulizer requires cleaning. Flushing can remove blockages. Therefore it is recommended to initially flush the instrument with a suitable solvent (for example water).
The most common cause of nebulizer blockage is precipitation of mobile phase buffer. This blockage occurs either at the nebulizer tip or within the inlet tube leading to the nebulizer.
To clean the nebulizer, the following procedure is recommended.
Put the ELSD into RUN mode.
Set the evaporator and nebulizer temperature to 40 °C and the gas flow to 1.6 SLM.
Set pump flow rate to 5 mL/min.
Remove the column, select a suitable solvent (for example water if using aqueous buffers) and pump for 3 h or set pump flow rate to 1 mL/min and run overnight.
NOTE
Pump the highest flow-rate possible if backpressure of ELSD is too high at 5 mL/min.
NOTE
If the nebulizer becomes completely blocked, it is not possible to pump solvent into the ELSD.
It is recommended to regularly flush the ELSD with water to keep the nebulizer clear of obstruction.
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