Dear AMMRL:
I am sorry to be tardy in making a summary of responses to my question about power outages and fail-safes for Bruker cryoprobes/cryoplatforms/helium compressors. Many thanks to all who responded. The 14 responses were very informative and useful, but I will just make a brief summary here:
Number that have backup generator power: 5 (3 of these have helium compressor on the backup power)
Number that specifically agree the CCU must be on a UPS: 9
Number that have their helium compressors on a UPS: 2
Number that specifically say a UPS for the helium compressors is too expensive: 4 (one other respondent says Bruker did not allow UPS for helium compressor in 2007)
Only one respondent had no UPS or backup generator.
Considering the need for a longer cord on the CCU to plug it into the UPS, Bruker does provide an extension cord that has a locking mechanism. So, it should be possible to remove the short cord (with locking connection to CCU), plug in the extension cord to the CCU with the locking plug, then plug the short cord into the other end of the extension with its locking plug and finally connect to the UPS. The locking mechanisms are key, as they make it so that the cords cannot be casually unplugged by just pulling apart, and should eliminate any worries about electrical codes.
Margaret
Original Question:
This request goes out to those who have Bruker spectrometers with cryoprobes, particularly of recent make. How do you deal with power outages? Is it usual to avoid power outages for the entire lab by connecting a backup generator to the whole lab or whole building power supply? If that is not available, how do you avoid a disorderly shutdown of the cryoplatform in a power outage, and ensure that when a shutdown happens the probe is protected from damage?
Our configuration has a UPS covering the console, console computer, and sample changer, but the helium compressor (outdoor air cooled) is powered by hard wired 208 V 3-phase that has no battery or other backup, and the CCU is not on the UPS. I thought maybe the CCU should be powered though the UPS, but that would at least take a long extension cord, given their positions on the floor. Perhaps if the console, computer, and CCU still have power, the CCU goes into warm up mode when it discovers the compressor is no longer working? However, the UPS battery backup power would not last long enough for warmup to complete.
Does anyone have a methodology for detecting that the system has been on UPS backup power long enough to signal an outage (rather than a short power blink) and responding by stopping any acquisition, ejecting the sample into the sample changer, and signaling the CCU to warm up? That sounds rather complicated to do, so I am doubtful. Any information about fail-safes would be helpful. Thanks.
Received on Fri Jul 31 2020 - 07:06:08 MST