Hi everyone,
Ending this week with a head scratcher. A power outage broke one of my
non-electrical components...somehow.
My lab uses house supplied nitrogen and compressed air. A Parker Balston UHP
Dry Air Generator upstream of the consoles rids the air of any water and
particulate. It has two vertical in-line air filters. Following a substantial
power outage two nights ago the 2nd filter is continually releasing pressure.
Thankfully, the pressure loss isn't enough to affect any of the magnet systems.
The noise however is an unwelcome addition to the lab. After finding a manual
and tinkering a bit I surmise the float-drain valve is stuck in the open position.
Its internal part(s) can still move, though apparently not the way they ought.
It doesn't look likely to disassemble any further without breaking so I hope to
replace it, filters too while I'm at it.
1. Any strong cautions against sealing/plugging the drain outlet for the time
being? Routine has essentially zero fluid build up, so I imagine the need will
only appear in acute disaster circumstances.
2. Any guesses for what might have caused this? The float-drain is mechanical
not electrical. Perhaps a negative pressure gradient, but I couldn't explain
how the house compressor turning off/on would lead to anything beneath 0 psi.
As dictated by Murphy's Law the building manager is on vacation this week.
I doubt anyone knows yet what else might have happened to the supply system.
Kind regards,
Luke
Luke Fulton, PhD
CHEM BLDG R003
NMR Core Facility Director
Unit 3060
COR2E & Department of Chemistry
55 N Eagleville Road
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06279
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Received on Fri Mar 07 2025 - 12:05:57 MST