What is the "low pressure limit" in an ACQUITY instrument method? - WKB30741

ENVIRONMENT

• ACQUITY systems

ANSWER

The low pressure limit allows a user to input a number that will trigger the pump to shut down if the system pressure drops below the set number.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Users should consider setting a "minimum" pressure in their instrument methods to ensure they receive "low system pressure warnings".

By default, the value is set at "0", so it is good practice to set this parameter (value depends on typical operating pressure ranges for a specific method) to keep the pump from running dry, which would damage the pump seals and result in poor pump performance (e.g., retention time shifts).

Note: The ACQUITY console applies the last instrument method parameters run, so any manual flow rates started in the console will have this minimum pressure limit applied.

The low pressure limit can cause the system to shut down the flow in the event of a leak in the system or if the user tries to run the system with no column.