Preventive Maintenance of Equipment Used for Analytical Operations

A constituent part of any direction in science is devoted to the quality of analytical operations that depends on the operability of equipment used.

The beginning of new calendar year marked the start of budgetary and contractual program activities and hence the need appeared for properly preparation of the equipment prior to analytical operations.

In January 2023, IRSE specialists executed a preventive maintenance and adjustment work for analytical equipment accompanied with training of junior research assistants from the branch laboratories. The practical part of training was devoted to the typical causes of malfunctions, their features and ways of independent elimination available to end-users.  

The list of such activity performed by the branch IRSE RSE NNC RK is rather wide and includes different methods of environmental objects analysis. That is determination of elemental composition by the following methods: x-ray fluorescence analysis (XFA), atomic emission (ICP-AES) and mass-spectrometric method with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS), different methods of ionization radiation recording, which includes alpha- and gamma-spectrometry by semiconductor detectors, as well as liquid-scintillation beta-spectrometry.

Analyses types listed above require the use of high-tech equipment, for adjustment and scheduled maintenance of which are subject for special skills and knowledge. Today, totally 100 units are available in hardware stock of the branch Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology.