Hardware Manual

AB SCIEX API 4000 LC/MS/MS System

Part Number: 5005565 A
April 2010
Hardware Overview API 4000 LC/MS/MS System Hardware Manual

placed under a fume hood, or the gas output hose from the lid of the vessel can be loosely
coupled to an exhaust vent system, to remove the exhaust gases from the laboratory.

WARNING! Take all necessary precautions to ensure the safe disposal of the
source exhaust gas.

The TurboIonSpray probe and the APCI probe ion sources produce a large volume of
exhaust products because both use heat and additional volumes of gas to produce ions. As
a result, the use of the source exhaust system is an essential component of the two ion
sources. When either the TurboIonSpray probe or the APCI probes are installed, the
firmware will not enable the instrument electronics unless the source exhaust system is
operating.

WARNING! You must ensure that the source exhaust system is properly
connected, particularly if samples containing toxic or highly volatile chemicals or
solvents are being analyzed. A minimum 20% positive oxygen flow into the
laboratory is also recommended.

A pressure switch mounted on the source exhaust pump measures the pressure in the
source exhaust line. If the pressure in the line rises above the set point while a probe is
installed, the instruments high-voltage power supply is disabled.

Gas and Vacuum Panel

The gas and vacuum panel is located at the back left side of the instrument (closest to the
ion source). Gas inputs to the instrument and exhaust outputs from the instrument are
connected through this panel.

Gas and vacuum panel

The gas and vacuum panel has the following connections:

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API 4000 LC/MS/MS System Hardware Manual Hardware Overview

Curtain Gas Supply and CAD Gas Supply

The Curtain Gas supply and CAD gas supply require an input of UHP nitrogen (99.999%)
(or approved nitrogen gas generators with impurities that are known not to negatively
impact performances) with a maximum input pressure of 60 psig and flows up to 5 L/min.

Gas 1/Gas 2
Gas 1 and Gas 2 require an input of zero air with an input pressure of 100 psig (105 psig
maximum) and flows up to 17 L/min. Nebulizer and sheath gas are derived from this
input. These gases are used for TurboIonSpray probe nebulizer gas and heater gas, or
APCI probe nebulizer gas.

Source Exhaust Supply

The source exhaust supply requires a regulated input of clean, dry, hydrocarbon-free air at
50 psig (60 psig maximum) and flows up to 6 L/min for the source exhaust pump.

Backing Pump
The backing pump must be connected to a roughing pump for pumping down both the
turbo pumps and the interface region.

Interface Pump
Some instruments will have an interface pump manifold that must be connected to a
second roughing pump.

Exhaust Waste Out

The effluent line must be connected to a drain vessel. The drain vessel can be placed under
a fume hood, or a positive-flow vent can be loosely coupled to the short vent hose on the
vessel. For loose coupling, the small-diameter vent hose on the vessel can be inserted into
a large-diameter house exhaust pipe so that air is drawn along with the exhaust waste.

CAUTION! Do not connect the vent fitting on the drain vessel directly to a
positive-flow vent. The additional vacuum could trip the source exhaust pump
pressure switch, which indicates that the source exhaust pump is working when it
is not, and enable the instrument electronics.

Vacuum System
The vacuum system consists of the vacuum interface, vacuum control system, and vacuum
chamber. The vacuum interface includes the Curtain Gas plate, orifice plate, and skimmer
cone. The vacuum control system includes the turbo pumps, vacuum gauge, solenoid gas
controller, and analog gas controllers. The vacuum chamber or ion path chamber includes
quadrupoles, the collision cell, and the channel electron multiplier (CEM) detector system.

Vacuum Interface
The vacuum interface separates the low-pressure vacuum chamber from the atmospheric
pressure in the ion source. The purpose of the vacuum interface is to allow the transfer of

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