Ocean Optics LPC-500CM User Manual

Liquid Waveguide Capillary Cell

LPC-100CM, LPC-250CM and LPC-500CM

Installation and Operation Manual

Document Number 041-00000-000-02-201106

Offices:

E-mail: [e-mail] (General sales inquiries)

Ocean Optics, Inc.

830 Douglas Ave., Dunedin, FL, USA 34698

Phone [phone]

Fax [phone]

8:30 a.m.–6 p.m. EST

[e-mail] (Questions about orders)
[e-mail] (Technical support)

000-00000-000-02-A

Additional
Offices:

Regional Headquarters

Maybachstrasse 11
73760 Ostfildern

Phone [phone]
Fax [phone]
E-Mail [e-mail]

Ocean Optics Asia

666 Gubei Road, Kirin Tower, Suite 601B, Changning District, Shanghai,
PRC. 200336

Phone [phone]

Fax [phone]
E-Mail [e-mail]

Ocean Optics EMEA

Sales and Support Center
Geograaf 24, 6921 EW DUIVEN, The Netherlands

Phone [phone]

Fax [phone]
E-Mail

[e-mail]

Copyright © 2004 Ocean Optics, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from Ocean Optics, Inc.
This manual is sold as part of an order and subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated
without the prior consent of Ocean Optics, Inc. in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published.

Trademarks

Microsoft, Windows, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Excel are either registered trademarks or trademarks
of Microsoft Corporation.

Limit of Liability

Every effort has been made to make this manual as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied. The information provided is on an “as is”
basis. Ocean Optics, Inc. shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained
in this manual.

Important Safety Notices

1. Do NOT use perfluorinated solvents with the LWCC because the amorphous fluoropolymer
tubing is soluble in these chemicals.

2. Do NOT exceed a fluid pressure of 45 PSI.

3. LWCC will function with most liquids (one exception: perfluorinated solvents) having a
refractive index >1.30.

4. Ensure that the plumbing fittings through the front panel are tight and free of leaks.

5. Minimize the injection of bubbles into the LWCC since they will cause erratic results.
Continuous pumping will typically flush the bubbles through the system.

6. At the end of each experimental session, flush the system with solvent and then pump dry. Avoid
leaving fluid in the LWCC for extended periods of time. Ocean Optics’ Waveguide Cleaning Kit
(LPC-CLEANKIT) is recommended for cleaning the LWCC between uses and sample runs.

7. Opening the chassis invalidates the warranty. Components inside are very fragile and are not
user-serviceable. Contact Ocean Optics immediately if you have trouble with the instrument.

WARNING: THIS EQUIPMENT IS NOT DESIGNED OR INTENDED FOR USE ON

8.

HUMANS.

Warranty

WPI (World Precision Instruments, Inc.) warrants to the original purchaser that this equipment, including its components and parts, shall be free
from defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year* from the date of receipt. WPI’s obligation under this warranty shall be
limited to repair or replacement, at WPI’s option, of the equipment or defective components or parts upon receipt thereof f.o.b. WPI, Sarasota,
Florida U.S.A. Return of a repaired instrument shall be f.o.b. Sarasota.

The above warranty is contingent upon normal usage and does not cover products which have been modified without WPI’s approval or which
have been subjected to unusual physical or electrical stress or on which the original identification marks have been removed or altered. The above
warranty will not apply if adjustment, repair or parts replacement is required because of accident, neglect, misuse, failure of electric power, air
conditioning, humidity control, or causes other than n ormal and ordinary usage.

To the extent that any of its equipment is furnished by a manufacturer other than WPI, the foregoing warranty shall be applicable only to the
extent of the warranty furnished by such other manufacturer. This warranty will not apply to appearance terms, such as knobs, handles, dials or
the like.

WPI makes no warranty of any kind, express or implied or statutory, including without limitation any warranties of merchant ability and/or
fitness for a particular purpose. WPI shall not be liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special or consequential arising from a failure of
this product to operate in the manner desired by the user. WPI shall not be liable for any damage to data or property that may be caused directly
or indirectly by use of this product.

Electrodes, batteries and other consumable parts are warranted for 30 days only from the date on which the customer receives these items.

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Important Safety Notices

Claims and Returns

Inspect all shipments upon receipt. Missing cartons or obvious damage to cartons should be noted on the delivery receipt before signing.
Concealed loss or damage should be reported at once to the carrier and an inspection requested. All claims for shortage or damage must be made
within 10 days after receipt of shipment. Claims for lost shipments must be made within 30 days of invoice or other notification of shipment.
Please save damaged or pilfered cartons until claim settles. In some instances, photographic documentation may be required. Some items are time
sensitive; WPI assumes no extended warranty or any liability for use beyond the date specified on the container.

 WPI cannot be held responsible for items damaged in shipment en route to us. Please enclose merchandise in its original shipping container

to avoid damage from handling. We recommend that you insure merchandise when shipping. The customer is responsible for paying
shipping expenses including adequate insurance on all items returned.

 Do not return any goods to WPI without obtaining prior approval and instructions (RMA#) from our returns department. Goods returned

unauthorized or by collect freight may be refused. The RMA# must be clearly displayed on the outside of the box, or the package will not
be accepted. Please contact the RMA department for a request form.

 Goods returned for repair must be reasonably clean and free of hazardous materials.

 A handling fee is charged for goods returned for exchange or credit. This fee may add up to 25% of the sale price depending on the

condition of the item. Goods ordered in error are also subject to the handling fee.

 Equipment built as a special order cannot be returned.

 Always refer to the RMA# when contacting WPI to obtain a status of your returned item.

 For any other issues regarding a claim or return, please contact the RMA department:

World Precision Instruments, Inc.

International Trade Center
175 Sarasota Center Boulevard
Sarasota FL 34240-9258 USA
Tel: [phone] • Fax: [phone] • E-mail: [e-mail] • Internet: http://www.wpiinc.com

B 041-10000-000-02-201106

Table of Contents

Important Safety Notices....................................................................................................A

Warranty .................................................................................................................................... A

Claims and Returns ................................................................................................................... B

About This Manual .............................................................................................................iii

Document Purpose and Intended Audience..............................................................................iii

Document Summary..................................................................................................................iii

Product-Related Documentation ............................................................................................... iii

Upgrades ............................................................................................................................iii

Chapter 1: Introduction .......................................................................1

Overview.............................................................................................................................1

LWCC Properties ...............................................................................................................2

Effective Pathlength and Linearity ............................................................................................. 2

Pressure and Flow Rate ............................................................................................................ 3

Mechanical Properties ............................................................................................................... 3

Light Throughput of Fiber Optic Cables .................................................................................... 3

Chapter 2: Setup...................................................................................5

Overview.............................................................................................................................5

Unpacking the LWCC.........................................................................................................5

Contents ....................................................................................................................................5

Other Accessories Not Provided ............................................................................................... 5

Connections........................................................................................................................6

Plumbing Connections............................................................................................................... 6

Tightening the Plumbing Connections .................................................................................. 7

Fiber Connections ..................................................................................................................... 7

Assessing if the LWCC is Free of Particles .......................................................................8

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Table of Contents

Chapter 3: Operation ...........................................................................11

Overview.............................................................................................................................11

Measuring in a Continuous Flow........................................................................................11

Measuring Discrete Samples .............................................................................................12

Chapter 4: Maintenance.......................................................................13

Overview.............................................................................................................................13

Tips to Avoid Contamination ..............................................................................................13

Cleaning .............................................................................................................................14

Instrument Storage .............................................................................................................15

Troubleshooting..................................................................................................................15

Appendix A: Specifications.................................................................17

Index ......................................................................................................19

ii 041-00000-000-02-201106

About This Manual

Document Purpose and Intended Audience

This document provides the LWCC user with instructions for setting up, running and maintaining the
LWCC device.

Document Summary

Chapter Description

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Setup

Chapter 3: Operation

Chapter 4: Maintenance

Appendix A: Specifications

Contains descriptive information about the LWCC and its
properties.

Contains a list of package contents and unpacking instructions.
Also provides instructions for making fiber and plumbing
connections.

Contains instructions for measuring a continuous flow and
discrete samples with the LWCC.

Provides tips for avoiding contamination, as well as cleaning
instructions and storage recommendations. Also contains a
troubleshooting table.

Provides technical specifications for the LWCC.

Product-Related Documentation

You can access documentation for Ocean Optics products by visiting our website at

http://www.oceanoptics.com. Select Technical → Operating Instructions, then choose the appropriate

document from the available drop-down lists. Or, use the
of the web page.

Engineering-level documentation is located on our website at

Search by Model Number field at the bottom

Technical → Engineering Docs.

Upgrades

Occasionally, you may find that you need Ocean Optics to make a change or an upgrade to your system.
To facilitate these changes, you must first contact Customer Support and obtain a Return Merchandise
Authorization (RMA) number. Please contact Ocean Optics for specific instructions when returning a
product.

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About This Manual

iv 041-00000-010-02-201106

Chapter 1

Introduction

Overview

The Liquid Waveguide Capillary Cell (LWCC) from Ocean Optics features optical sample cells that
combine an increased optical pathlength (50–500 cm) with small sample volumes (125–1250 µL) with
fiber optic capabilities. The LWCC connects with optical fibers to Ocean Optics’ high-sensitivity fiber
optic spectrometers and compact light sources via SMA terminations for simple, efficient measurement of
low-volume or low-concentration (ppb-ppt) aqueous samples. The LWCC functions with most liquids
(with the exception of perfluorinated solvents) having a refractive index >

Similar to optical fibers, light is confined within the (liquid) core of an LWCC by total internal reflection
at the core/wall interface. Ultra-sensitive absorbance measurements can be performed in the ultraviolet
(UV), visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) ranges to detect low sample concentrations in a laboratory or
process control environment. According to Beer’s Law, the absorbance signal is proportional to chemical
concentration and light path length. Compared with a standard 1-cm cell, a 1-mAU signal is enhanced
fifty-fold with a 50-cm cell to 50 mAU using the LWCC’s patented aqueous waveguide technology.

1.30.

The LWCC is available in 1-meter (LPC-100CM), 2-meter (LPC-250CM) and 5-meter (LPC-500CM)
pathlengths for absorbance measurements.

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