Waters Acquity Binary Solvent Manager

The binary solvent manager is a high-pressure pump that moves solvent through the system. It provides steady (pulse-free) solvent flow at analytical flow rates. The binary solvent manager delivers solvent at flow rates of 1 mL/min at 103,421 kPa (1034 bar, 15,000 psi) and up to 2 mL/min at reduced pressures to 62,053 kPa (621 bar, 9000 psi). The binary solvent manager can pump two solvents simultaneously.

Each of the binary solvent manager’s two independent pump systems, A (on the left-hand side) and B (on the right-hand side), contains two linear-drive actuators (left-hand and right-hand). Each left-hand and right-hand actuator pair comprises a single reciprocating “serial” pump that delivers precise flow of a single solvent. The two pump systems combine their two solvents at a filter/tee mixer. From there, the solvent mixture flows to the sample manager.

The chromatography software controls the two solvents’ mixing ratio by varying the flow of pump A relative to that of pump B. A pressure transducer in each pump head relays pressure data to the binary solvent manager, whose firmware measures pump head pressures during the pumping cycle. Thus the binary solvent manager independently pre-compresses the solvents in both the A and B portions to ensure consistent solvent delivery and minimize pump-induced detector baseline disturbances.