The Impact of Power Disruptions on Mass Spectrometry Testing: A Detailed Examination
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Job #1 for any laboratory is to protect valuable research and maintain the reliability of analytical results. Power disruptions, surges, and brownouts pose significant challenges to sensitive mass spectrometry testing, impacting data integrity, instrument performance, and sample stability.
Six Risks
Data Corruption and Loss: Interrupted data acquisition leading to incomplete sets of data, wasted samples and repeat experiments.
Example - Power goes out mid-run during a proteomic analysis. The resulting data may be unusable because the peptide sequences might not be fully captured.Instrument Calibration Drift: Power surges or brownouts can cause calibration drifts.
Example - A minor drift in calibration can lead to incorrect mass-to-charge ratio readings resulting in misidentification of compounds or inaccurate quantification in analyzing pharmaceutical compounds, leading to false conclusions in drug efficacy or toxicity studies.Instrument Damage: Components like the ion source, detectors, and vacuum pumps are particularly vulnerable to repeated power surges or outages.
Example - A power surge could cause an overload that damages the detector, leading to noisy or absent signals in subsequent analyses. Damage often requires expensive repairs and significant downtime for the instrument, further delaying research projects.Temperature Fluctuations: Power disruptions can cause fluctuations in climate dependent mass spec lab environments.
Example - In metabolomic studies, where the stability of metabolites can be temperature-sensitive, such fluctuations can alter the sample composition, leading to inaccurate results.
Vacuum System Failures: Restoring shut down high vacuum systems can be time-consuming and might require venting the system, which exposes sensitive internal components to the atmosphere. Example - In a scenario where volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are being analyzed, this exposure can lead to contamination or loss of analytes, compromising the integrity of the sample.
Interruption in Continuous Flow Analysis: Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) involves continuous flow systems. A power disruption can halt the flow, leading to blockages or irregularities in the system.
Example: During analysis of complex biological samples, an interruption can cause uneven sample distribution or precipitate formation, resulting in blockages that require system cleaning and re-equilibration.
An NXT Power Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Unit from GGS will make your lab stronger
An NXT Power USP unit from GGS provides constant, uninterrupted power for sophisticated lab equipment and computer loads in all types of laboratory settings. We sell them because uninterrupted power is an essential piece of keeping your lab running flawlessly 24/7.
Ask us how NXT Power’s industry-leading power quality technology can ensure your business- and life-critical mass spec systems are fully protected.