Attempts to reduce costs and save money are key issues these days. The upheaval brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has only aggravated the long-lingering question many labs have been asking: how can costs be reduced?
One expense that often goes overlooked in a GC-MS lab setting is the cost of cleaning an instrument’s ion source.
If there is fouling present on an ion source, it can lead to a whole host of issues related to results accuracy and system stability. Identifying and resolving these issues can be time-intensive and extract key resources away from a busy lab schedule.
Numerous ion sources demand complete removal and deconstruction prior to cleaning, which means they have to be reassembled, re-installed and then tested before resuming the lab’s usual schedule.
Scheduling routine preventative cleanings can prevent results contamination as a result of ion source fouling, but instrument downtime is still necessary to remove and disassemble the ion source. Establishing the frequency of how often a lab cleans its ion source is the main question.
Click here to read 'Discover LECO's StayClean® Ion Source'
Working out how much cleaning an ion source may cost a lab can be calculated by dividing the downtime by the number of samples that would usually run. On average, a source cleaning could cost a lab close to $2,600. When multiplied by four cleanings per year, that figure soon exceeds $10,000 just on the time it takes to clean your ion source.
However, not cleaning an ion source is never the answer. Unless it has been designed to self-clean.
LECO’s StayClean® ion source is fitted as standard on every Pegasus® BT GC-TOFMS and GCxGC-TOFMS system. This ion source cleans neutrals and other contaminants out of the flight path and never needs to be cleaned or removed. The only necessary maintenance is the intermittent changing of the easy-to-access filaments.
Image Credit: LECO Corporation
Learn more about the StayClean® ion source in LECO’s application note and discover how never cleaning your ion source again is more than just a dream. What could your lab do with an additional $10,000 a year?
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by LECO Corporation.
For more information on this source, please visit LECO Corporation.