Varian Analytical Instruments
350 Columbia Street
Wakefield, RI 02880-0352/USA
PrepStar 530
FLUIDICS MODULE
Service Manual
Table of Contents
Servicing the 530 Fluidics Module............................................................. 4
Fixing Fluid Leaks around the Inlet/Fraction Valve Assembly ............... 4
Equipment Required ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Procedure ............................................................................................................................................................ 4
Fixing Air Leaks around the Inlet/Fraction Valve Assembly ................... 5
Equipment Required ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Procedure ............................................................................................................................................................ 5
Removing/Replacing Fraction Collection Manifold ................................. 6
Equipment Required ........................................................................................................................................... 6
Procedure ............................................................................................................................................................ 6
Removing/Replacing Inlet Manifolds......................................................... 9
Equipment Required ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Procedure ............................................................................................................................................................ 9
Servicing the Low Pressure Gradient Valve ........................................... 11
Equipment Required ......................................................................................................................................... 11
Proportioning Test for the LPG Valve.............................................................................................................. 11
Frequently Asked Questions.................................................................... 12
Specifications ............................................................................................ 15
Part Numbers for Critical Components................................................... 15
2
Table of Figures
Figure 1: Removing the Leaking Valve Assembly................................................................................................ 4
Figure 2: Tightening a Leaking Delrin Nut ........................................................................................................... 4
Figure 3: Properly Seated Ferrule .......................................................................................................................... 5
Figure 4: Collect Valves (Mounted) ...................................................................................................................... 6
Figure 5: Removing the fluid lines ........................................................................................................................ 6
Figure 6: Proper Procedure to Remove Air Lines ................................................................................................. 7
Figure 7: Location of the Recycle Valve on the Collection Manifold................................................................... 7
Figure 8: Purge Holes on Fraction Valve Assembly vs. Recycle Valve Assembly .............................................. 8
Figure 9: Removing the Fluid Connections on the Inlet Manifolds ...................................................................... 9
Figure 10: Removing the Air Lines on the Inlet Manifolds................................................................................. 10
Figure 11: LCReSponder LPG Proportioning Test Method ................................................................................ 11
Figure 12: The Solenoid Test Button................................................................................................................... 12
Figure 13: Continuous and Pulse Purge Air Lines............................................................................................... 13
Figure 14: Continuous Purge Adjustment Screws ............................................................................................... 13
Figure 15: Evenly Trim the Inlet Lines to Prevent Loss of Prime....................................................................... 14
3
Servicing the 530 Fluidics Module
The standard 530 Fluidics Module comes equipped with 10 fraction collection valves, 1 recycle valve, and 1 waste valve.
Fixing Fluid Leaks around the Inlet/Fraction Valve Assembly
Equipment Required
1. 7/64” Allen Wrench
2. Delrin Nut Driver
Procedure
1. Begin by locating the source of the leak. If fluid is found leaking from the seal between the actuator and the
Teflon manifold, remove the entire valve assembly by unscrewing the two mounting bolts that hold the
assembly to the manifold. Visually inspect the valve assembly; check for debris, faulty O-rings, bad spring
seals, or any deformations to the manifold itself.
Figure 1: Removing the Leaking Valve Assembly
2. If there is nothing visually wrong with the valve or the manifold, re-attach the valve by EVENLY tightening
up the mounting screws. Do not over tighten. The Heli-Coil threads of the manifold will easily fail if the
valve is tightened too much. It is better to loosely tighten the two screws, then check for leaks, then retighten.
3. If no amount of retightening will stop the leak, it will be necessary to replace the entire valve manifold. See
Removing/Replacing Fraction Collection Manifold or the Removing/Replacing Inlet Manifold for this
procedure.
4. If fluid is found leaking around the fittings that connect the collection package to the PEEK bulkheads on the
530 Fluidics, try carefully tightening the Delrin nut. Since the collection lines are group in such a tight space
on the manifold, use the tool shown in figure 2 to tighten down the nut easier. See Part Numbers for Critical
Components for the Delrin Nut Driver info.
Figure 2: Tightening a Leaking Delrin Nut
4
5. If this does not work, remove the nut and collect line from the manifold and check to see if the ferrule is
present and is properly seating on the tube. If the bottom of the ferrule is not flush with the end of the tube,
the ferrule can get crushed and will cause the fitting to leak.
Figure 3: Properly Seated Ferrule
Fixing Air Leaks around the Inlet/Fraction Valve Assembly
Equipment Required
1. 7/64” Allen Wrench
2. Snoop or a soapy water mixture
3. 1/4 “ wrench
Procedure
1. Begin by locating which valve actuator is leaking. Squirt the soapy-water mixture into the suspected area and
look for the formation of bubbles. This will be the source of the leak.
2. If air is leaking out or around a brass barb, use a ¼” wrench to tighten down the barb. If air is leaking from a
crack in the air line, remove the air line and trim off the split in the line..
3. If air is leaking around the actuator, remove the entire valve assembly by unscrewing the two mounting bolts
that hold the assembly to the manifold. Visually inspect the valve assembly; check for debris, faulty O-rings,
bad spring seals, or any deformations to the manifold itself.
4. If there is nothing visually wrong with the valve or the manifold, re-attach the valve by EVENLY tightening
up the mounting screws. Do not over tighten. The Heli-Coil threads of the manifold will easily fail if the
valve is tightened too much. It is better to loosely tighten the two screws, then check for leaks, then retighten.
5. If no amount of retightening will stop the leak, it will be necessary to replace the entire valve
manifold. See Removing/Replacing Fraction Collection Manifold or the Removing/Replacing Inlet
Manifold for this procedure.
5
Removing/Replacing Fraction Collection Manifold
Equipment Required
1. Needle-Nose Pliers
2. Tubing Cutter
3. Delrin Nut Driver
Procedure
1. Occasionally a fraction collection manifold may need to be replaced due to fluid and/or air leaks. Before you
replace these packages, please refer to the Fixing Fluid Leaks around the Inlet/Fraction Valve Assembly
and/or Fixing Air Leaks around the Inlet/Fraction Valve Assembly to see if there are other solutions to fix the
faulty package, rather than replacing the unit.
2. Depending on the system, the fraction valves are located either in the 530 Fluidics Module, or if the system is
equipped with remote fraction collection, in the 530 Remote Fraction Collection Module. Identify what type
of valve package needs to be replaced. The two types of valve types contain either: Fractions 1-6 or Fractions
7-10+Waste+Recycle. See Part Numbers for Critical Components for the valve package info.
Figure 4: Collect Valves (Mounted)
3. Begin by removing the cover to the Module, which exposes the collect valves inside the unit. The fraction
valves are mounted on a “spine” that runs the length of the fluidics.
4. Carefully remove the seven 1/8th Teflon lines from the collect manifold, making sure not to twist or bend any
of the lines. Use the Delrin Nut Driver to perform this procedure (see Figure 2)
Figure 5: Removing the fluid lines
5. With the fluid lines removed, unscrew the two bolts that mount the manifold to the spine. With the air lines
still attached, slide the manifold away from the spine. Turn the air supply to the unit off.
6
6. Using needle-nosed pliers, carefully pull the air lines from the barbed connectors on each valve actuator. Pull
on the air line only, do not crush or scratch the brass barb with the pliers. It is critical that each air line is
marked so the lines do not get crossed during the installation of the new package. It is best to use a black
magic marker to mark the outside air line for each valve. During installation of the new manifold, trace each
colored pair of air lines back to the air pilots and re-attached accordingly.
Figure 6: Proper Procedure to Remove Air Lines
7.
Before you mount the new manifold, it is best to double check the location of the recycle valve (if
applicable). The recycle valve is the only valve that is different from Fractions 1-10 + Waste. When looking
at the top of the manifold (with the stainless steel cover plate facing up), locate the air fitting on the side of the
unit. The valve to the right of this air fitting should be the recycle valve.
Figure 7: Location of the Recycle Valve on the Collection Manifold
7
8. Verify this by removing the two screws on the back of the recycle valve and sliding the valve out of the
manifold. The white, Teflon collar that surrounds the valve plunger should not have any holes in it (these
holes allow for purging of the fractions; recycle does not get purged).
Figure 8: Purge Holes on Fraction Valve Assembly vs. Recycle Valve Assembly
9. Mount the new valve manifold to the spine of the 530 Fluidics Module. It is best to trim off a ¼” of each
colored air line before re-attaching them to the brass barb because they often tear in the removal process,
causing air leaks. Properly re-attach the air lines to the new manifold.
10. Turn the air supply to the unit back on, and check for any air leaks in the new manifold. If there are leaks,
please refer to Fixing Air Leaks around the Inlet/Fraction Valve Assembly on the possible causes and
solutions for this problem.
11. Carefully re-attach the Teflon fluid lines to the manifold, making sure not to kink the tubing. With all of the
connections made, run the system at 50% of maximum flow in the “Prime” condition. Let the system run for
5-10 minutes while you check for any new fluid leaks. If there are fluid leaks, see Fixing Fluid Leaks around
the Inlet/Fraction Valve Assembly.
12. This completes the Removing/Replacing Collect Valve Process.
8
Removing/Replacing Inlet Manifolds
All standard 530 Fluidics come with a total of 8 inlets: 4 A inlets and 4 B inlets. For a two-pump system this translates to
4 inlets per pump. However for a one-pump system this means that one of the four A inlets can be proportioned with one
of the four B inlets via a Low Pressure Gradient Valve (LPG).
Equipment Required
1.
2.
3.
4.
Needle-Nose Pliers
Tubing Cutter
Phillips Screwdriver
Adjustable Wrench
Procedure
1. Occasionally inlet manifolds may need to be replaced due to fluid and/or air leaks. Before you replace these
packages, please refer to Fixing Fluid Leaks around the Inlet/Fraction Valve Assembly and/or Fixing Air
Leaks around the Inlet/Fraction Valve Assembly to see if there are other solutions to fix the faulty package,
rather than replacing the unit.
2. The inlet manifolds connect to the ¼” Teflon inlet lines via a push-pull connection. Remove all eight inlet
lines in this manner.
3. The fluid outlet of the inlet valve manifold also has this type of connection. Remove the lines that attach to
the outlet of both the A inlet manifold and B inlet manifold.
Figure 9: Removing the Fluid Connections on the Inlet Manifolds
4. Remove the two 8-32 Phillips head screws on the inlet/sample cover plate. Remove the Sample line from the
inside of the ¼” bulkhead on the cover plate. Then slide the cover plate, with the inlet manifolds and air lines
still attached, up and out of the fluidics box.
5. Once both manifolds are out of the fluidics, it is best to unscrew the two 6-32 Phillips head screws that mount
each manifold to the inlet/sample cover plate.
6. Using needle-nosed pliers, carefully pull the air lines from the barbed connectors on each valve actuator. Pull
on the air line only, do not use the pliers to crush or scratch the brass barb. It is critical that each air line is
marked so the lines do not get crossed during the installation of the new package. Use a black magic marker
to mark the outside air line for each valve. During installation of the new manifold, trace each colored pair of
air lines back to the air pilots and re-attached accordingly.
9
Figure 10: Removing the Air Lines on the Inlet Manifolds
7. Re-attach the new manifold to the inlet/sample cover plate. Slide the entire assembly back inside the 530
fluidics box and re-attach both the A and B solvent lines before mounting the assembly with the two 8-30
Phillips head screws.
8. Check to see if the manifold is working correctly by using the LCReSponder software and cycling through
each inlet. Make sure that each inlet is drawing solvent. Check to see if both inlet blocks can hold prime,
meaning that the solvents do not drain back into their reservoir once the pumps have stopped.
10
Servicing the Low Pressure Gradient Valve
NOTE: The LPG valve for the 530 Fluidics box has a two-wire connection, +24V (taken from the +24V jumped signals
inside the fluidics) and a COMM signal (found on pin 17 on the 50P Valve Control Connector).
Equipment Required
1. Approximately 20L of 1% Acetic Acid/Water Solution
2. Approximately 20L Dionized Water
Proportioning Test for the LPG Valve
1. Although there are no adjustments that can be made to the LPG valve, you can perform a test to evaluate how
well the valve is proportioning.
2. Open LCReSponder and create the following method. This method will show the absorbance at different
amounts of the B solvent. The flow rate in this method should be changed if need be, to accommodate the
normal customer usage of the system.
Figure 11: LCReSponder LPG Proportioning Test Method
3. Run the method and record the UV absorbance at the 0%, 10%, 50%, 100% B. If the LPG valve is working
correctly, the recorded absorbance at 10% should be actually 10% of the recorded absorbance at 100%B.
4. Since there are no adjustments that can be made on the LPG valve, the valve will need to be replaced if the
valve proportioning is out of spec.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. When I select fraction collection valve # using LCReSponder, the valve does not open, what do
I do?
-The first thing to check to is to make sure that there is 80-100psi of air supplied to the 530 Fluidics box.
Without air, none of the valves in the unit can be actuated. Additionally, make sure that the line supplying air
to the valve is not bent or kinked, which would prevent air getting to the valve.
-Press the test button on the solenoid valve in question. The valve will audibly actuate when the button is
pressed. If no noise is heard, the solenoid may be faulty.
Figure 12: The Solenoid Test Button
a. First, if no noise is heard, check the OPTO module that controls the valve. Find the OPTO module
identification by view the screen under “Help”... “About LCReSponder”...”More”. This screen shows the
OPTO Module configuration for this system. For example, Collect Valve 9 will be displayed as 3:0 on
this screen, which means board 3 module 0.
-Power down the system and remove the power cord to the 530 OPTO control module. This is
extremely important, as there is always live voltage inside the unit when the power cord is attached.
Remove the cover to the 530 OPTO Control Module, and plug the power cord back in to the unit.
-Run the LCReSponder software and select the valve in question. Once the software selects the
valve, the OPTO module controlling this valve should light up. For example, if you selected collect
valve 9, board 3 module 0 should be illuminated. If the module does not turn on, either the module or
the board could be faulty. Please contact Varian Technical Support for further information.
b. If the OPTO module is lit when the valve is selected but the valve does not turn on, then the solenoid
valve is most likely faulty and should be replaced. Please contact Varian Technical Support for further
information.
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2. When I try to manually purge the valves or use the pulse purge when changing a valve in the
software, the valves don’t purge (or only purge out of some of the valves).
-The first thing to check to is to make sure that there is 80-100psi of air supplied to the 530 Fluidics box.
Additionally, make sure that the lines supplying purge air to the valve manifold is not bent or kinked, which
would prevent air getting to the valve.
Figure 13: Continuous and Pulse Purge Air Lines
-Make sure the purge adjustment screws on the back of the 530 Fluidic Module are sufficiently open. Turn
the screws counter-clockwise to allow more air to purge the valve manifolds.
Figure 14: Continuous Purge Adjustment Screws
-If the pulse purge works correctly but the continuous purge switch does not purge the valves, the wiring for
the switch is faulty. Check the wiring for loose or broken connections. Call Varian Technical Support for
more information.
-If purge works for some valves but not for others, it is possible that the cover to the valve manifold is overly
tightened. Loosen the five (5) Allen screws on the top of the cover plate and evenly retighten the five (5)
screws. Do not over tighten. The Heli-Coil threads of the manifold will easily fail if the cover is tightened
too much. It is better to loosely tighten the five (5) screws, then check for the correct purge and air leaks, then
retighten as needed. If retightening the cover plate does not fix the problem, the valve manifold is faulty and
should be replaced. See Removing/Replacing Fraction Collection Manifold.
13
3. Every time I run LCReSponder and then stop the pumps, the inlet valves do not hold
prime(the solvent level in the inlet lines falls back to the solvent tanks, what do I do?
-If the problem is just one inlet line, the easiest solution is to evenly trim the end of ¼” Teflon line that goes
into the inlet block with a tube cutter. If the tube is cut unevenly or is jagged, the line will not seat properly
against the o-ring that is inside the inlet manifold.
Figure 15: Evenly Trim the Inlet Lines to Prevent Loss of Prime
-If the problem is seen in all of the A or B inlets, examine the outlet ¼” Teflon line from each block. Since
this line is cut to length, install a new length of tubing, making sure that each end of the tube is as even as
possible.
-If neither of these solutions fix the problem, check to see if the two mounting screws holding each inlet valve
actuator to the manifold are properly tightened down. Do not over tighten. The Heli-Coil threads of the
manifold will easily fail if the actuator is tightened down too much. It is better to loosely tighten the two
screws, then check to see if the lines hold prime, then retighten as needed.
-The last option is to replace the faulty inlet manifold. Please refer to Removing/Replacing Inlet Manifold
for more information on this procedure.
14
Specifications
Dimensions and Weight
Width
Height
Length
11.5”
8”
21”
Weight
20lbs.
Power Requirements
DC Voltage from 530 OPTO Control Module
Air Requirements
80-100psi clean, dry air
Part Numbers for Critical Components
Part Number
530 Fluidics Module Testing & Service Devices
PCG52100BPR
PCG523403014
PCG02H00007
(1) 0-5000psi Back Pressure Regulator
(1) 0-5000psi Digital Pressure Gauge
(1) Fraction Collection Nut Driver
Part Number
530 Fluidics Fraction Collection Manifolds
0393414002
0393414003
(1) Fraction Collection Package (Fractions 1-6)
(1) Fraction Collection Package (Fractions 7-10+W+R)
Part Number
530 Fluidics Inlet Manifold
03934141001
(1) Inlet Manifold
Part Number
530 Fluidics LPG Valve
2717902600
(1) LPG Valve
Part Number
530 Fluidics Solenoid Assembly
0393414201
(1) 3 Bank Solenoid Assembly
15