Mercury Freedom System

Whether your CEMS has been in climate controlled storage, powered down and in the shelter, or maintained in some monitoring capacity, having a recommissioning project plan is critical. Time and the environment have an impact on your instruments so we recommend a complete checkup and annual maintenance service before restarting your system. A few annual service-related items are basic o-rings, capillaries and pump rebuilds although individual sites will vary. If you are looking to achieve greater performance, consider upgrading to the 80i Mercury Analyzer with the HP-56 Mercury Lamp. Starting your monitoring program off right can make all the difference in getting your system up and running without a glitch.

Ensuring your instrumentation hardware, software and firmware is up-to-date is critical to ensuring monitoring criteria in 2014. Software and firmware updates can be found in The Online Library. Registration is quick, easy and free and once registered, you have access to all Technical Notes and Application Notes. Take advantage of this resource to ensure maximum uptime and data accuracy for your monitoring program.

Many users only interact with their probe when data indicates probe maintenance is needed or when their probe exhibits a leak. To ensure interruption-free operation and low technician troubleshooting time, proper maintenance is recommended. An annual maintenance schedule was included with your probe manual, but it can also be found in The Online Library. If you need help creating a maintenance regimen for taking your probe offline for servicing, we can help! We are happy to work with you to develop a process that meets your needs. Also, we can provide a list of recommended spare parts for your analyzers and for your complete Mercury Freedom System.

Part of system maintenance includes cleaning your umbilical which can get contaminated over time and lead to elevated background readings, slow response or calibration issues. Depending on your application, this is typically performed quarterly. After extensive testing, we are lowering the recommended umbilical temperature from 120°C to 70°C. Lower umbilical operating temperatures can result in longer umbilical life, increase the reliability of your CEMS, reduce your total operating cost, as well as increase your safety. Results will vary from plant to plant but check out our research and test results in Technical Bulletin Umbilical Line Temperature on the Thermo Scientific Mercury Freedom System. Additional information regarding probe cleaning is located in the Mercury Freedom System Manual.

Since the release of the Mercury Freedom System, we’ve continued to upgrade and enhance the system to meet user requirements. Upgrades include the addition of the Nitrogen Generator, a shorter and redesigned Converter Core, the addition of the Hydrator to the system, the addition of the Oxidizer to the Mercury Probes, a new lamp heater assembly and the new and improved HP 56 Hg Lamp. These advancements improve the overall performance of your Mercury Freedom System. Depending on the date of purchase, your Mercury Freedom System may require additional upgrades to optimize its performance. Our technical support and field service teams can help you identify and plan for the appropriate next steps.

Next Month's Topic: Probe Monitoring Options and Support