OMA Softwar

Softwar e User Guide

are
 Chapter 4
OMA Softw ar
Softwar
aree User Guide
Overview

The OMA Software consists of two programs. OMA Offline is used mainly for calibrating the ana-
lyzer and configuring various settings to fit the specific application. OMA Online is used for online,
continuous analysis of the sample stream. Some features overlap between the two programs for
convenience. This manual is designed to guide the user through a startup in approximately chrono-
logical order, so the early articles are dense and introductory. If you find something unclear in a later
section, we recommend reviewing the beginning of the manual, where many key concepts and
terms are defined.

PART I: ANALYZER STARTUP

1.1 Analysis & Calibration Methods (ACM)

A. ACM -- Definition

An ACM is, essentially, a method of calculation, or a set of information and variables that both cali-
brate the instrument and determine the parameters of analysis. Using several ACM’s simultaneously
can provide extensive data on the condition of the process. In configuring an ACM, the user defines
two things: wavelength range and calibration standards.

B. ACM Wavelength Range -- Introduction

Using the same wavelength range to monitor component absorbance for all concentration ranges is
not optimal. For a given component, certain wavelengths will give more accurate measurements for
specific concentration ranges. In a way, different ACM’s are like different gears in a car: one ACM will
be best when the concentration hovers in a lower range, and another will be more useful when the
concentration increases.

Creating multiple methods with different assigned wavelength ranges allows the user to monitor
component concentration as calculated from the absorbance at different areas of the spectrum. The
example below clarifies the utility of this feature and demonstrates its importance.

Example 4.01 -- Using ACM’s with Different Wavelength Ranges (Single Component)

When monitoring H2S as a single component, AAI often uses a system of two ACM’s (this can vary
depending on the application). For the 0-100 ppm range, we configure an ACM to monitor at a
wavelength range of 220-230 nm. For the 0-1000 ppm range, we configure a second ACM to monitor
at 228-240 nm.

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The reasoning behind this is simple. As a general rule, light levels increase as you move away from
the short-wavelength UV range towards longer wavelengths. H2S shows a higher absorbance in the
220-230 nm range than in the longer-wavelength 228-240 nm range; this means that the absorbance
signal will be stronger in the 220-230 nm range. If the component concentration is high, it will still
have a strong absorbance signal in longer-wavelength UV, where the light levels are higher. There-
fore, we measure higher concentration (100-1000 ppm) H2S in the 228-240 nm range, where the
light intensity is higher. If H2S concentration is low (0-100 ppm), we have to measure where the
absorbance signal will be higher (220-230 nm), even though the light intensity is lower.

This tradeoff between absorbance signal strength and light intensity is inherent to monitoring in the
UV. Using multiple ACM’s in the OMA Software allows the user to easily and elegantly obtain concen-
tration values from different spectral ranges simultaneously, ensuring that the most accurate data is
displayed without interruption. In this example, the user would see two concentration values on the
display -- one from each ACM.

NOTE: This principle does not fully apply to multi-component applications. In these applications,
each ACM has to be configured with a wavelength range in which all components absorb light. See
section 1.5-B for more information on multi-component wavelengths.

C. ACM Calibration Standards -- Introduction

A calibration standard is a spectrum obtained using a sample of known concentration. These stan-
dards are used to calculate the calibration coefficient (or extinction coefficient); this value is unique
for each given substance and varies with wavelength, solvent, temperature, and other parameters.
The calibration coefficient, written as “ε(λ),” (where λ represents a given wavelength), is the correla-
tion factor between absorbance and concentration. (See section ## for more about the calibration
coefficient.)

The software calculates a calibration coefficient for each integer wavelength within the specified
wavelength range of the ACM. For example, if the ACM is configured to monitor at 220-230 nm, the
analyzer will calculate 11 calibration coefficients (1 for each wavelength using a 1 nm resolution).
Although an individual, single-component ACM requires only one calibration standard from one
sample, AAI strongly recommends obtaining at least 3 calibration standards from each sample to
optimize calibration.

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1.2 Defining Components to be Measured and Configuring Data Outputs

Configuring the components and data outputs is the first step in startup. This will tell the analyzer the
quantity and identities of the components to be measured. It will also determine which values are
seen by the user on the display, ensuring that that the user is only presented with the values he/she
needs.

Exit OMA Online if open. Run OMA Offline from the desktop shortcut. The Offline Main Menu will
appear:

Fig. 4.001

From this menu, choose the “Setup par” option:

Fig. 4.002

This will bring you to the “SETUP Parameters” scrolldown menu. Click inside the field labeled “Setup
Parameters” to drop down the menu:

Fig. 4.003

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Select “Setup Components names and method to display.” This will open the “Edit components
names, display, and output options” menu:

Fig. 4.004

A. Configuring the Components

Use the menu above to set up the number of components to be measured in the sample. You can
add or remove components by changing the value in the “# of components” field. Increasing this
number adds an unlabeled component to the table:

Fig. 4.005

To name a new component or rename an existing component, simply select the text field of the
component name and make the desired changes. For example, if you were adding carbon disulfide
as a component:

Fig. 4.006

B. Configuring the Outputs

The circles below the component names indicate whether or not the output signal is activated for a
given component within a given ACM. If a component’s output signal is deactivated, the concentra-
tion values for that component will not be displayed or sent to the output signal (see section 1.8). To
clarify, the concentration for the deactivated component will still be calculated and written to the
concentration file, but will not be reported to the user via the main display; a secondary summary
view shows all values for all components and methods regardless of activation.

A bright green circle indicates that the output signal is activated, while a dark green circle indicates
that the output signal is deactivated. By default, new components are added as deactivated. To
activate/deactivate a component’s output signal, simply click within the appropriate circle.

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IMPORTANT: The “# of outputs” should always equal the total number of activated circles; otherwise,
one or more of the activated components may not produce an output signal.

Example 4.02 -- Configuring the Outputs (Single Component)

In your sample, the only component you want to monitor is H2S. You want to use multiple ACM’s so
that you can monitor H2S at various concentration ranges.

1. In the “Edit components names, display, and output options” menu (Fig. 4.004), set the “# of
components” to 1 and label the single component as H2S:

Fig. 4.007

2. Set the “# of methods” equal to however many methods you intend to use (in this case 4 different
methods) and activate each output:

Fig. 4.008

3. Set the “# of outputs” equal to the total number of activated circles:

Fig. 4.009

4. Press the “STOP” button to save this configuration:

Fig. 4.010

5. The program will ask you if it should replace some existing .txt files. Select “replace” for all
prompts:

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 Fig. 4.011

Fig. 4.012

This will bring you back to the “SETUP Parameters” menu.

Example 4.03 -- Configuring the Outputs (Multiple Components)

There are 4 components in your sample which you want to monitor: H2S, SO2, COS, and CS2. You
have one ACM (ACM 1) with which you want to calculate the concentrations of H2S and SO2, and
you have another ACM (ACM 2) to calculate the concentrations of COS and CS2. You want to
activate the appropriate output signals for this situation so that the concentration values displayed
are only the values you are interested in.

1. In the “Edit components names, display, and output options” menu (Fig. 4.004), activate only H2S
and SO2 in the Method 1 row:

Fig. 4.013

2. Activate only COS and CS2 in the Method 2 row:

Fig. 4.014

3. Set the “# of outputs” equal to the total number of activated components per ACM (4):

Fig. 4.015

4. Repeat steps 4 and 5 from Example 4.01.

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1.3 Configuring the Light Levels

This section describes how to adjust the light levels in the spectrometer for optimal performance.
These adjustments should be made with respect to the wavelength ranges defined in your ACM’s.

Before adjusting the light levels, place zero gas or zero liquid in the flow cell. This will ensure that
there are no absorbing components in the flow cell while making important adjustments.

Exit OMA Offline if open. Run OMA Online from the desktop shortcut. The Online Settings splash
screen will appear temporarily as the program loads:

Fig. 4.016

When the program is finished loading, the Runtime Concentration Display will appear:

Fig. 4.017

Click on the “Display Options” tab at the top of the screen. The “Display Options Menu” will appear:

Fig. 4.018

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Choose “Appl. Info.” from this menu. The program may take a moment to respond as it initiates
communication with the spectrometer. After a moment, the “Appl. Info. Menu” will appear:

Fig. 4.019

Choose “SETUP” from the options at the bottom of the screen. The program will then ask for a
password:

Fig. 4.020

The password is required so that key setup parameters are not changed unintentionally. AAI config-
ures this password as “300” by default. Type “300” into the field below the animated gauge and click
the “ENTER” button. The “Setup Menu” will appear:

Fig. 4.021

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Choose “SPECT.” from this menu. The “Scan & Adjust Light” Utility will appear:

Fig.
4.022

The graph displays light throughput as a function of wavelength. The y-axis represents light intensity
in A/D, and the x-axis represents wavelength in nm. The spectrum seen in Fig. 4.022 is the emission
structure of the xenon light source.

When adjusting the light levels, the user only needs to consider the wavelength ranges being used
by the ACM’s. To check which wavelength ranges are being used, click the “Method’s info” tab at the
top of the screen. The ACM Information page will appear:

Fig.
4.023

You can check the wavelength and reference ranges for each ACM using the “Get Method info for
method no.” field. After noting which ranges are in use, return to the “Adjust light and spectra to
average” tab.

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To increase ease of use while adjusting light, set the “Spectra to average” to 2:

Fig. 4.024

This option determines how many spectra the spectrometer obtains before averaging them to show
a more accurate, averaged spectrum in the display. The more “Spectra to average,” the longer the
spectrometer takes to provide an averaged spectrum. Setting this number temporarily to 2 makes
adjusting the light levels a quick task.

The goal of adjusting the levels is to optimize light throughput over the critical wavelength ranges of
measurement. Ideally, the light levels over the given wavelength range will be as high as possible
without exceeding 60,000 A/D at any wavelengths (though 1 or 2 points of saturation can be man-
ageable). At no point in the range should the light throughput be lower than 5,000 A/D.

The user can control light throughput by manipulating the “Integration” value. Integration is analagous
to the exposure time on a camera; the higher the Integration value, the longer the amount of time for
which the sample is exposed to light. Therefore, increasing the Integration will increase the light
throughput.

Fig. 4.025

Play with the Integration value until you have light levels approaching 60,000 A/D within the relevant
wavelength ranges. You can change the ranges on the graph axes by clicking directly on the mini-
mum and maximum values and typing in new values.

Fig. 4.026

The “Snap to point” tool is useful for checking the light level at an individual wavelength. To use this
tool, click the lock icon in the graph tools palette (bottom right of the screen) and select “Snap to
point:”

Fig. 4.027

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A white, crosshair-style cursor will now appear on the graph. You can move this cursor by dragging it
to different locations on the spectrum:

Fig. 4.028

The coordinates display next to the tool palette will tell you the exact light throughput at whichever
wavelength the cursor rests on:

Fig. 4.029

The number on the left reads the wavelength (249 nm); the number on the right is the light through-
put (about 14,000 A/D). This tool is useful if you are checking for individual saturated wavelengths
(60,000 A/D or higher) or individual opaque wavelengths (5,000 A/D or lower).

When you are finished adjusting the light levels, you need to set the “Spectra to average” according
to the Integration. These are the general rules for configuring the “Spectra to average:”

2 < Integration < 50 Use 16 Spectra to average

50 < Integration < 100 Use 8 Spectra to average
100 < Integration < 300 Use 4 Spectra to average
300 < Integration Use 2 Spectra to average

When you have finished adjusting the light levels and setting the “Spectra to average,” press the
“STOP” button at the bottom of the screen. Choose “Save” when prompted to save new param-
eters, and choose “Replace” when prompted to replace a .txt file.

Example 4.04 -- Adjusting the Light Levels

You are monitoring 2 components (H2S and SO2) with 2 ACM’s. You have already configured the
ACM’s and you want to adjust the light levels.

1. Put zero gas or zero liquid in the flow cell (see section ##).

2. Exit OMA Offline if open. Run OMA Online from the desktop shortcut. The Online Settings splash
screen will appear as the program loads. After a moment, the “Runtime Concentration Display”
appears.
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 Fig. 4.030

3. Click the “Display Options” tab at the top of the screen. Choose “Appl. Info.” from this menu. The
Appl. Info Menu will appear.

4. Choose “SETUP” from the options at the bottom of the screen. Type “300” as the password and
press enter. The “SETUP Menu” will appear.

5. Choose “SPECT.” from the options in this menu. The “Scan & Adjust Light Utility” will appear:

Fig. 4.031

6. Click the “Method’s info” tab at the top of the screen. The “ACM Information” page will appear. On
the right panel, there will be a summary of your components and ACM’s:

Fig. 4.032

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The wavelength and reference ranges are displayed in the left panel:

Fig. 4.033

To see the wavelength ranges for the second ACM, set “Get Method info for method no” to 2.

Fig. 4.034

Note that the wavelenth ranges being used are 250-300 nm (ACM 1) and 224-240 nm (ACM 2), and
the reference ranges are 320-330 nm and 300-320 nm.

7. Click the “Adjust light and spectra to average” tab.

8. Set “Spectra to average” to 2.

9. Change the x-axis minimum to 220 and the maximum to 330:

Fig. 4.035

10. Try raising the Integration to increase the light throughput. In Fig. 4.036, the Integration was
raised to a value of 55:

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 Fig. 4.036

Notice that there are several regions of saturation within our wavelength ranges. This means you
have to lower the Integration (this is a guess-and-check process).

11. Play with the Integration value until you have an acceptable spectrum:

Fig. 4.037

The spectrum in Fig. 4.037 was obtained using an Integration of 31. As you can see, there is a sharp
peak around 230 nm, which is inside your 224-240 nm range. However, the highest values in the
peak are not above 60,000 A/D, so you have no saturation in this range. You can check this using the
“Snap to point” tool. The two saturated regions in between 240 nm and 250 nm are not relevant
because they are not within the wavelength ranges specified by the ACM’s.

None of the values in our 224-240 nm range or 250-300 range are below 5,000 A/D, so we do not
have to worry about opaquity. It is also important to check the reference range wavelengths for
saturation and opaquity--if the analyzer can not read the actual absorbance in these areas, it cannot
compensate for measurement drift. In the image above, the reference ranges (320-330 nm, 300-320
nm) are safely within 5,000 A/D and 60,000 A/D.

12. Set the “Spectra to average” according to the Integration. Since the final Integration was 31, use

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16 spectra to average (see guidelines for spectra to average on p. 12).

13. When you have finished adjusting the light levels and the spectra to average, press the “STOP”
button at the bottom of the screen. The program will ask if you want to save these new parameters:

Fig. 4.038

Click “Save.” The program will then ask if you want to replace a .txt file:

Fig. 4.039

Choose “Replace.” This will bring you back to the “SETUP Menu.”

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1.4 Zeroing the Analyzer

This process allows the analyzer to measure the incident light intensity when no sample is present in
the flow cell. The analyzer subsequently uses this baseline intensity as a means of computing
absorbance when a sample is present. Normalizing the data in this manner is called “zeroing” the
instrument. The OMA Software provides three different utitlites with which to zero the analyzer:
Manual Zero, Auto Zero, and Scheduled Auto Zero. The details of the application and the prefer-
ences of the user should dictate which utility is used. [NOTE: While zeroing, the analyzer freezes the
4-20 mA signal.]

Exit OMA Offline if open. Run OMA Online from the desktop shortcut. The Online Settings splash
screen will appear temporarily as the program loads:

Fig. 4.040

When the program is finished loading, the Runtime Concentration Display will appear:

Fig. 4.041

Click on the “Display Options” tab at the top of the screen. The “Display Options Menu” will appear:

Fig. 4.042

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Choose “Appl. Info.” from the menu. The program may take a moment to respond as it initiates
communication with the spectrometer. After a moment, the “Appl. Info. Menu” will appear:

Fig. 4.043

Select “ZERO” from the options at the bottom of the screen. The “Zero Menu” will appear:

Fig. 4.044

A. Using the Manual Zero

When using the Manual Zero utility, the user is responsible for inserting zero gas (nitrogen) or zero
liquid (water); this task must be performed prior to accepting a zero in the software utility. If handling
a liquid application, a back pressure regulator is needed to prevent bubbles in the flow cell (see
section ##); bubbles can block the incident light or cause scattering.

Choose “Manual Zero” from the options in the “Zero Menu.” The “Manual Zero” utility will appear:

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 Fig. 4.045

Once you have opened this utility, please wait while the software acquires data from the spectrom-
eter. After a brief moment, the graphs will display the data, as seen in the image above (Fig. 4.045).

The upper graph displays information about the light levels in the spectrometer. The Y-axis repre-
sents the A/D count (a unitless value that correlates directly with light intensity), while the X-axis
represents wavelength (nm).

The lower graph displays information about absorbance. The Y-axis represents absorbance in AU,
while the X-axis represents wavelength (nm). This graph indicates the level of noise in the system. If
most of the values read between -0.004 AU and 0.005 AU, the zero is acceptable.

Fig. 4.046

The image above (Fig. 4.046) demonstrates acceptable values. To store the new zero, click the
“Accept” button at the top of the screen. This will take you back to the “Zero Menu.”

IMPORTANT: The absorbance values may take some time to stabilize, especially on the first time
running the analyzer. If the values are not immediately within the acceptable range (-0.004 AU < X <
0.005 AU), we suggest waiting a short while (15-20 minutes max.) for the absorbance to stabilize.
Once the graph reports acceptable values, click the “Accept” button at the top of the screen.

If the absorbance values do not stabilize over time, several corrective measures are available.
These options include increasing the integration time (see section 1.3), cleaning the optics (see
section ##), verifying fiber transmittance (see section ##), and/or purging the flow cell for residual
gas (see section ##). If, after following these procedures, you are still unable to zero the analyzer,
please contact the AAI Service Department for assistance.

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B. Using the Auto Zero

The Auto Zero utility can only be used in conjunction with a sampling system. Additionally, the user
must configure the relay sequence for the sampling system valves before auto zeroing the analyzer
for the first time (see section 2.1). In contrast with the Manual Zero, this utility automatically intro-
duces zero gas or zero liquid into the flow cell by controlling the valves through the software.

Choose “Auto Zero” from the options in the “Zero Menu” (Fig. 4.044). The following screen will
appear as the software switches the valves in the sampling system:

Fig. 4.047

Once the valves are switched, the software sets a delay so the zero gas/liquid can enter the flow
cell. The length of the delay is defined by the user (see section 1.4-D). The progress of the delay will
appear as an animation at the bottom of the screen:

Fig. 4.048

When the delay has expired, the “Auto Zero” utility will appear:

Fig. 4.049

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At this point, the “Auto Zero” utility is essentially identical to the “Manual Zero.” Follow the same
steps outlined in “Using the Manual Zero” (see p. 18) to stabilize the absorbance values (if neces-
sary) and accept the zero.

Once you click the “Accept” button, there will be a short delay as the spectrometer completes its
operation. The following screen will then appear as the software switches the valves back to the
sample:

Fig. 4.050

Once this is complete, there will be another user-defined delay (as in Fig. 4.048). This allows for the
sample to enter the flow cell before measurement is resumed. When the delay has expired, the
“Appl. Info Menu” will appear.

C. Using the Scheduled Auto Zero

The Scheduled Auto Zero utility is a modification of the normal Auto Zero. It can only be used in
conjunction with a sampling system. Additionally, the user must configure the relay sequence for the
sampling system valves before auto zeroing the analyzer for the first time (see section 2.1). This
utility schedules an Auto Zero to occur periodically in user-defined time intervals. When activated,
the Scheduled Auto Zero utility runs independently and is configured to automatically accept the
zero on each execution.

Run OMA Offline from the desktop shortcut. From the Offline Main Menu, select “Setup par.” From
the “SETUP Parameters” dropdown menu, select “Setup zero and span:”

Fig. 4.051

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The “Configure zero and span” Menu will appear, and the “Zero” tab should be open:

Fig. 4.052

There are two ways to schedule the Auto Zero. The first is “Time Interval,” which sets the software to
Auto Zero every given amount of time. If you set “Time Interval” to 120 (as in Fig. 4.053, below), the
software will Auto Zero the analyzer every 120 minutes.

Fig. 4.053

The other option is “Blanking Time,” which sets the software to Auto Zero every day at the same
time. The hour is given in military time (i.e. 24 hour clock notation) so that inputting a number from 1-
24 will determine what time of day the Auto Zero occurs. In the example below (Fig. 4.054), the
“Blanking Time” is set to 15, meaning that the Auto Zero will occur daily at 15:00, or 3:00 PM.

Fig. 4.054

NOTE: Only one of these scheduling options can be used at a time. If both are activated, their
schedules can conflict and cause errors. Configure which scheduling option is active by using the
On/Off buttons next to the time input fields. In the example below (Fig. 4.055), “Time Interval” is the
active scheduling mode:

Fig. 4.055

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If both scheduling modes are activated, you will receive an error message.

When you have finished scheduling the Auto Zero, click the “STOP” button at the bottom of the
screen. The program will ask if you want to replace some files. Answer “replace” to all prompts.

Fig. 4.056

Fig. 4.057

This will bring you back to the “SETUP Parameters” menu.

D. Configuring the Delay for Auto Zero and Scheduled Auto Zero

As explained above, the delay allows for the zero gas/liquid to fill the flow cell before zeroing. Differ-
ent applications may require different delay lengths.

Exit OMA Online if open. Run OMA Offline from the desktop shortcut. The Offline Main Menu will
appear.

Select “Setup par.” The “SETUP Parameters” dropdown menu will appear.

Select “Setup zero and span.” The “Configure zero and span” menu will appear with the “Zero” tab
open.

The “Delay” option allows you to enter the length of the delay in minutes. In the example below, the
delay is set to 2 minutes.

Fig. 4.058

Once you have configured the delay, click the “STOP” button at the bottom of the screen. Answer
“Replace” to all prompts (See Fig. 4.056 and 4.057). This will bring you back to the “SETUP Param-
eters” menu.

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1.5 Configuring the Wavelength Range for an ACM

Exit OMA Online if open. Run OMA Offline from the desktop shortcut. The Offline Main Menu will
appear. Select “Create/Edit Methods” from this menu:

Fig. 4.059

The program will prompt you to enter an “Analysis method no.”

Fig. 4.060

If this is the first ACM you are creating, enter 1 and click “OK.” The “Measure, Load, Edit STD” Menu
will appear:

Fig. 4.061

Select “Change wl” from this menu.

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The “Wavelength Range” Utility will appear:

Fig. 4.062

A. Setting Wavelength and Internal Reference Ranges

Under “Use wavelengths,” you can assign a startpoint and endpoint for the wavelength range. In the
image below, the range is configured as 220-230 nm:

Fig. 4.063

Some components require non-continuous wavelength ranges (i.e., a wavelength range that is
separated into non-adjacent sections). Wavelengths which show light levels higher than 64,000 A/D
or lower than 500 A/D will not produce accurate data (due to saturation and opaquity, respectively).
Check for saturated or opaque wavelengths using the Light Level Utility (see section 1.3). Non-
continous ranges allow the user to avoid these pitfalls while still encapsulating the entire desired
wavelength range. If the application calls for a wavelength range of 220-250 nm and there is satura-
tion at 228-232 nm, the user can create “two” wavelength ranges: one at 220-227 nm, another at
233-250 nm.

To configure the number of distinct sections for a non-continuous wavelength range, specify a value
in the “# of wl ranges” field.” In the image below, there are 3 non-adjacent regions that together
comprise the wavelength range:

Fig. 4.064

Under “Reference,” you can configure an internal reference for the ACM. An internal reference is a
wavelength range at which the component should show zero absorbance. Over time, absorbance
can gradually drift upward due to slight coating; any absorbance seen in this reference region prob-
ably indicates this effect. Setting an internal reference allows the software to calculate how much

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absorbance has drifted and correct for the effect throughout the spectrum. By averaging the absor-
bance at each wavelength in the internal reference region and subtracting this value from the absor-
bance at every wavelength in the spectrum, the analyzer compensates for any drift between zeroing.

To activate an internal reference, make sure that the “Subtract Reference” switch is set to “on.”
Toggle between on and off by clicking on the animated switch:

Fig. 4.065

In the image below, the internal reference range is configured as 320-330 nm:

Fig. 4.066

Under “Spectral Processing,” you can select the mode of spectral interpretation. The options are
“Absorbance” or “1st Derivative:”

Fig. 4.067

This will usually be set to “Absorbance.” For an explanation of the “1st Derivative” feature, see
section ##.

When finished configuring the wavelength range(s) and internal reference range for the ACM, click
the “STOP” button to save the configuration.

Example 4.05 -- Configuring a Non-Continuous Wavelength Range with an Internal Refer-

ence Range

You are setting up an ACM for an SO2 application. You want to monitor at a wavelength range of
240-300 nm, but you see that there are very low light levels around 280 nm. You also see that your
component shows no absorbance at 330-340 nm and decide to use this as an internal reference
range.

1. In the “Wavelength Range” utility, set “# of wl ranges” to 2.

2. For the first wavelength range, set the startpoint as 240 and the endpoint as 275.

3. For the second wavelength range, set the startpoint as 285 and the endpoint as 300. [Steps 2
and 3 allow the software to avoid the data-less sector around 280 nm.]

4. Make sure that “Subtract Reference” is set to “on.” Under “Reference,” set the startpoint as 330
and the endpoint as 340. At this point, the window should look like:

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 Fig.
4.068

5. Click the “STOP” button to save the configuration. This will return you to the “Measure, Edit, Load
STD” Menu.

B. Configuring Wavelength Range for Multi-Component Applications

When setting up an ACM for a multi-component application, the wavelength range must encapsulate
areas of strong absorbance for both components. For example, if you were configuring an ACM for
monitoring H2S and SO2, you would need to set a range large enough to include high-absorbance
regions for each; since H2S absorbs strongly at 220-230 nm and SO2 absorbs strongly at 240-300
nm, you could use an inclusive range of 220-300 nm. In multi-component ACM’s, large wavelength
ranges are advantageous because they provide more information for data analysis and, specifically,
spectral deconvolution, a mathematical routine that is not required for single-component monitoring.

Non-continuous wavelength ranges can also be used with multi-component ACM’s. In a large range
like 220-300 nm, there is a larger probability that the range will include areas of saturation or opaquity
[you can check for these using the Light Level Utility (see section 1.3)]. You would use a non-con-
tinuous range to bypass these pitfalls just as you would in the single-component example above.
Additionally, if the high-absorbance regions are relatively far apart, with little absorbance in between,
you would want to create a non-continuous range that included the two high-absorbance regions and
excluded the wavelengths in between. For example, if Component 1 absorbs at 210-220 nm and
Component 2 absorbs at 410-420 nm, you would want to make a non-continous range that specified
only those regions rather than an inclusive range of 210-420 nm (which would probably show con-
siderable noise).

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1.6 Calibration Standards for the ACM

Calibration standards can be obtained and stored both in OMA Offline and OMA Online. The Offline
utility allows the user to obtain new standard spectra, load existing spectra to ACM’s, and delete
standards. While the Online utility only allows storing of spectra (for future loading in the Offline
utility), it enables the user to create calibration standards without interrupting the analyzer from
continuous monitoring. This section explains how to use both utilities and how to manage calibration
standards.

A. Obtaining and Storing Calibration Standards -- Using OMA Offline

NOTE: This section assumes you have already adjusted the light levels (see section 1.3) and
zeroed the analyzer (see section 1.4).

Exit OMA Online if open. Run OMA Offline from the desktop shortcut. The Offline Main Menu will
appear. Select “Create/Edit Methods” from this menu.

The program will prompt you to enter an “Analysis method no.”

Fig. 4.069

If this is the first Method you are configuring, enter 1 and click “OK.” The “Measure, Load, Edit STD”
Menu will appear:

Fig. 4.070

Choose “New STD” from this menu. The “Offline Calibration Standard Utility” will appear:

Applied Analytics, Inc. 28

 Fig.
4.071

Just like in the zeroing utilities (see section 1.4), the upper graph shows light intensity (as A/D, on y-
axis) vs. wavelength (in nm, on x-axis). The lower graph shows absorbance (in AU, on y-axis) vs.
wavelength (in nm, on x-axis). Fig. 4.071 shows the absorbance spectrum and light levels for a
caffeine sample.

A good calibration standard will show structure (i.e. activity--no flatlining) in the ACM-specified wave-
length range and, ideally, absorbance higher than .01 AU. Check that the absorbance is relatively
stable (i.e. repeatable values) and that the spectrum shows little noise; if the same structure ap-
pears repeatedly, it is not noise.

When you have an acceptable standard spectrum, press the “ACCEPT” button at the top of the
screen. The software will write the new stored spectrum to a custom calibration file (explained
further in section 1.6-C) and will return you to the “Measure, Load, Edit STD” Menu.

IMPORTANT: If you are running a gas application and intend to do pressure and/or temperature
compensation, you should record the pressure/temperature values provided in this utility at the time
of storing the calibration standard. These values are displayed in red fields on the right panel of the
“Calibration Standard Utility.” The pressure is displayed under “P Cal. (Bara)” in psia:

Fig. 4.072

The temperature is displayed under “T Cal” in degrees Celsius:

Fig. 4.073

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B. Obtaining and Storing Calibration Standards -- Using OMA Online

NOTE: This section assumes you have already adjusted the light levels (see section 1.3) and
zeroed the analyzer (see section 1.4).

Exit OMA Offline if open. Run OMA Online from the desktop shortcut. The Online Settings splash
screen will appear temporarily as the program loads.

When finished loading, the “Concentration Display” will appear. Click the “Display Options” tab at the
top of the menu.

From the “Display Options” Menu, choose “Spectrum.” The “Online Calibration Standard Utility” will
appear:

Fig.
4.074

This utility works very similarly to the Offline Calibration Standard Utility. Like in the Offline version,
the upper graph shows light intensity and the lower graph shows absorbance. Use the same guide-
lines for accepting standards as outlined above for the Offline utility (see p. 29).

When you have an acceptable calibration standard, click the “STORE SPCT.” button at the top of the
screen. The software will write the new spectrum to a custom calibration file.

C. Managing Calibration Standards -- Saving Standards, Loading Existing Standards, Delet-

ing Standards, Etc.

Exit OMA Online if open. Run OMA Offline from the desktop shortcut. The Offline Main Menu will
appear. Choose “Create/Edit Methods” from this menu. The program will ask you which number
ACM you are creating or editing (you can have up to 4 ACM’s total). Enter the number of the ACM you
want to modify and press “OK.” This will bring up the “Measure, Load, Edit STD” Menu:

Fig. 4.075

Applied Analytics, Inc. 30

Before making any modifications, check that the “Method no.” box in the upper right panel shows the
number of the ACM that you want to edit:

Fig. 4.076

The upper panel of this menu provides various ACM management tools. The lower panel shows all
loaded methods for the ACM being edited.

OMA Online and OMA Offline save calibration standards in different locations. When you press
“STORE SPCT.” for a spectrum in the Online Calibration Standard Utility, the software automatically
writes the spectrum to a new .DAT file. Assuming that the OMA-MP folder is located directly on the
C:\ Drive, this new .DAT file will be saved in the “std” folder [“C:\OMA-MP\std”]. The file is named
with the time and date of storing. For example, if you pressed “STORE SPCT.” at 2:11 PM and 53
seconds on August 12th, 2008, the name of the new file would be:

“2008_8_12_14_11_53.dat”

Fig. 4.077

[The software uses military time format, so “14_11” stands for 2:11 PM.]

The Offline Calibration Standard Utility saves spectra in a slightly different manner. When using this
utility, the user has already inputted an ACM number to which the new calibration standard is as-
signed (unlike the Online utility, which is not ACM-specific). When you press “ACCEPT” for a spec-
trum in the Offline utility, the software automatically writes the spectrum to a new .DAT file and loads
the new standard directly into the ACM. Assuming that you were storing calibration standards for
ACM 1 (and, as above, that the OMA-MP folder is on the C:\ Drive), the new .DAT file is saved in a
folder named “std” inside of the “method_1” folder [“C:\OMA-MP\method_1\std”]. If you were using a
different ACM #, the .DAT file will be in OMA-MP\method_x\std, where “x” is the number of the ACM
you used (1,2,3, or 4). The file naming convention is the same is that for the Online utility; if you
pressed “ACCEPT” at 9:55 AM and 43 seconds on August 14th, 2008, the name of the new file
would be:

“2008_8_14_9_55_43.dat”

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 Fig. 4.078

The new calibration standard is automatically loaded into the ACM. In the “Measure, Load, Edit STD”
Menu, the new standard will appear in the lower panel, where all the standards for that ACM are
listed. Continuing the example from above:

Fig. 4.079

In the image above, the new standard has been automatically loaded as “STD # 2.” The “std file
name” is displayed for each standard so that you can easily identify which is which. The calibration
standards load in order, so that if you were to load another standard at this time, it would load as
“STD # 3.”

If you have existing calibration standard files which you obtained using OMA Online or were sent to
you by an AAI technician, you can load them into an ACM using OMA Offline. In the “Measure, Load,
Edit STD” Menu, choose “Load STD” from the options at the top of the screen. Select “LOAD STD”
from the “Load STD” Menu. A browser will appear prompting the user to locate the .DAT file to be
loaded:

Fig. 4.080

Locate the calibration standard file you would like to load and press “OK.” This standard will now
appear in the lower panel of the “Measure, Load, Edit STD” Menu.

After you load a new standard, you have to input the concentration for that sample. The purpose of a
standard is to act as a spectrum from a sample with known concentration so that other variables
can be determined. AAI recommends always using a sample that contains 75-100% of the maxi-
mum in the ACM concentration range. For example, if you were configuring an ACM for 0-100 ppm
Applied Analytics, Inc. 32
H2S, you would obtain a calibration standard using a sample that contains between 75 ppm and 100
ppm H2S.

To input the sample concentration for a calibration standard:

1. After loading a new standard, find it in the lower panel of the “Measure, Load, Edit STD” Menu.

2. Click the “Edit std” button to the left of that standard.

Fig. 4.081

3. The “Input Concentration” Tool will appear.

Fig. 4.082

4. Type in the concentration of the sample and press “STOP.”

IMPORTANT: The OMA Software treats concentration values as relative--not absolute. If the user
provides a calibration spectrum and inputs a concentration value of 100 (unit omitted intentionally),
the analyzer understands that this level of absorbance correlates to a concentration of 100. Based
on that correlation, when the analyzer detects absorbance twice as high as in the calibration spec-
trum, it will output a concentration value of 200. The units have been omitted to demonstrate that the
analyzer does not incorporate units into its mathematical routine. Rather, the routine is designed so
that the concentration values stay relative throughout.

Due to the consistency of the procedure, the analyzer can use any imaginable unit that the user
requires. If the user provides a 1,000 ppm H2S sample for a calibration standard, he/she can input
1,000 as the standard concentration. The analyzer will then provide all measurements in ppm since
this original calibration was for ppm. If the user wants to use the same sample but have the analyzer
output concentration in % volume, he/she would input .001 (.001% is equivalent to 1,000 ppm).

If you have already configured all of your calibration standards to use one unit and then decide you
need your values in a different unit, the OMA Software provides a tool with which to change concen-
tration units. This way, you do not have to go back and edit each standard separately. The software
simply multiplies or divides the correlating factor between absorbance and concentration so that the
values are ultimately displayed in whichever unit the user desires.

To delete a calibration standard:

1. In the “Measure, Load, Edit STD” Menu, choose “Del std.” The “Del std” tool will appear:

OMA-300 33
 Fig. 4.083

2. Input the number of the calibration standard you want to delete in the field under “STD #.”

3. Press “DEL STD” to proceed with deleting the standard. The specified standard should disappear
from the list in the “Measure, Load, Edit STD” Menu.

When you are finished configuring an ACM and would like to save your modifications, press the
“STOP” button in the “Measure, Load, Edit STD” Menu. The program will ask you whether or not to
save the ACM:

Fig. 4.084

Press “Save.” This will save your changes and return you the Offline Main Menu.

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1.7 Calibrating the Analyzer

Once you have configured an ACM, you are ready to calibrate the analyzer for that ACM. During the
calibration, the software uses the provided standards (with known concentration and absorbance) to
calculate the calibration coefficient (the correlation factor between concentration and absorbance).
This section shows how to review the results of the calibration and determine whether or not the
calibration is acceptable.

Exit OMA Online if open. Run OMA Offline from the desktop shortcut. The Offline Main Menu will
appear. Choose “Calibration” from the options in this menu. The program will prompt you to enter an
ACM # to calibrate:

Fig. 4.085

Enter the number of the ACM you want to calibrate and press “OK.” The “Calibration Menu” will
appear:

Fig. 4.086

The ACM # is indicated in the upper right corner of the screen:

Fig. 4.087

The “Conc results” tab shows the results of the calibration in terms of concentration values. Using
the provided calibration standards, the software solves a matrix of concentration-absorbance equa-

OMA-300 35
tions, ultimately producing a single extinction coefficient for the given ACM. The table under “Calcu-
lated & Measured Concentration” shows the results of this procedure:

Fig. 4.088

The first column, “STD #,” refers to the number of the calibration standard, which corresponds to the
order in which it was loaded. The second column, “In [Component]” (in the example above, “In
Caffeine”), displays the concentration values for each calibration standard as entered by the user
after loading the standard (see section 1.6-C).

The third column, “Calc [Component],” displays the concentration values for each standard as
calculated by the analyzer using the new extinction coefficient. Essentially, these values are what
would be displayed in OMA Online if the calibration standard sample was in the flow cell. These
values should be very close to the values in the second column. The table provides an easy way to
check that the analyzer-calculated sample concentrations are consistent with the user-provided
concentrations. In the example above (Fig. 4.088), the table demonstrates that the calibration was
successful.

Under the “Calibration results” tab, you can see the standard deviation of the discrepancies between
user-provided concentrations and analyzer-calculated concentrations:

Fig. 4.089

The top row indicates the identity of the analyte. In this single-component example, caffeine is the
only analyte. The standard deviation of errors is shown in the bottom row (“STD DEV”). The maxi-
mum standard deviation value for a successful calibration depends entirely on the application. One
application might have an acceptable noise level of +/- 5 ppm, while another application may have a
tighter or looser range; the noise level is specified in the details of the application. In the example
above (Fig. 4.089), the analyzer is showing a noise level of +/- .09 ppm, which would be acceptable
for any application.

Under the “Pure Components Spectra” tab, you can see the theoretical spectrum for a pure compo-
nent at one unit of concentration. If you were measuring caffeine in ppm, this tool would display a
spectrum for a sample that contained only caffeine and non-absorbing solvent, where the caffeine
has a concentration of 1 ppm. If you were measuring in percent volume, the spectrum would show
the absorbance for 1% caffeine.

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 Fig. 4.090

This tool is useful for seeing the absorbance structure of a component, especially in multi-compo-
nent applications. If the structure in the “Pure Components Spectra” does not match what you
expect, it is an indication that the calibration may have been unsuccessful. The spectra legend is
shown at the bottom-left to indicate which color spectrum corresponds to which component.

When you are finished examining the results of the calibration, click the “STOP” tab at the top of the
screen:

Fig. 4.091

The “Store Cal. Report” option allows the user to automatically write the configuration details of the
method and the calibration results to a .txt file for later reference.

Click the “STOP” button to exit the calibration utility. If the results were acceptable and you would like
to use the new calibration, click “Replace” when prompted:

Fig. 4.092

If you would like to edit the ACM or re-calibrate, click “Cancel.” This will bring you back to the Offline
Main Menu.

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A. Adjusting an ACM Based on Calibration Results

If you see that one or more of the standards under the “Conc results” tab show a significant discrep-
ancy between the “In [Component]” values and the “Calc [Component]” values, or that the standard
deviations under the “Calibration results” are larger than the allowed error, you should go back and
edit the ACM without saving the calibration. Under the “STOP” tab, click the “STOP” button, and
select “Cancel” when prompted.

At the Offline Main Menu, choose “Create/Edit Methods.” Enter the # of the ACM you want to edit. In
the “Measure, Load, Edit STD” Menu, use the guidelines from section 1.6 to obtain new calibration
standards or adjust the wavelength range. Though rare, the spectrometer will occasionally produce
an inaccurate calibration standard; reviewing the calibration results allows the user to identify these
occasions and go back to obtain new standards using the same samples. If this does not lead to a
better calibration, the user can also adjust the wavelength range of the ACM. We recommend
shifting the range a few wavelengths in either direction to avoid saturation or opaquity that may have
been distorting the standard. If these corrective measures are ineffective or if you are unsure how to
proceed in improving calibration results, please contact AAI Technical Support.

Applied Analytics, Inc. 38

1.8 Configuring the Analog Output Scale

This section describes how to set up the 4-20mA Analog Output Scale. The analyzer communicates
component concentrations by sending signals on this scale to the DCS or other external system.
Signal current is directly proportional to concentration; 4 mA represents the concentration range
minimum, while 20 mA represents the maximum of that range. The range is defined by the user.

Exit OMA Offline if open. Run OMA Online from the desktop shortcut. The Online Settings splash
screen will appear. After a moment, the “Concentration Display” will appear. Click the “Display
Options” tab at the top of the screen.

From the Display Options Menu, select “Appl. Info.” The “Appl. Info.” Menu will appear. Select
“SETUP” from the options at the bottom of the screen.

The program will then ask for a password:

Fig. 4.093

The password is required so that key setup parameters are not changed unintentionally. AAI config-
ures this password as “300” by default. Type “300” into the field below the animated gauge and click
the “ENTER” button. The “Setup Menu” will appear:

Fig. 4.094

Select “ANALOG” from this menu. The “Analog Output Setup Menu” will appear:

OMA-300 39
 Fig.
4.095

In Fig. 4.095, there is only one component (with only one ACM). Therefore, there is only one active
output (see section 1.2-B for more on configuring number of outputs). The user must now assign a
concentration range to the 4-20mA scale so that the current is appropriately correlated to concentra-
tion. If the user had configured an ACM for 0-100 ppm caffeine, and now wanted to set up the 4-
20mA scale, he/she would set the “MIN” and “MAX” for that ACM to 0 and 100, respectively:

Fig. 4.096

Now a 4 mA signal corresponds to 0 ppm caffeine, and a 20 mA signal corresponds to 100 ppm
caffeine. The scale is linear, so that 12 mA will correspond to half the concentration range (50 ppm).

When you are finished assigning concentration ranges to each of your ACM’s in all components,
press the “SAVE & EXIT” button on the right. The program will ask if you want to replace a .txt file.

Fig. 4.097

Choose “Replace” when prompted:

Example 4.06 -- Configuring 4-20mA Scales for Multiple Components with Multiple ACM’s

You want to monitor 2 components (H2S and SO2) using 2 ACM’s. You have configured ACM 1 for 0-
100 ppm and ACM 2 for 0-10,000 ppm. You can have 4 possible outputs (2 components X 3 ACM’s),
but you only want to see 3 values on the Runtime Concentration Display: H2S from ACM 1, SO2
from ACM 1, and H2S from ACM 2. You have set up your components and outputs in the following
manner:

Applied Analytics, Inc. 40

 Fig. 4.098

Now you want to set up the 4-20mA scales to reflect your ACM configuration.

1. Exit OMA Offline if open. Run OMA Online from the desktop shortcut. The Online Settings splash
screen will appear as the program loads. After a moment, the “Runtime Concentration Display”
appears.

2. Click the “Display Options” tab at the top of the screen. Choose “Appl. Info.” from this menu. The
Appl. Info Menu will appear.

3. Choose “SETUP” from the options at the bottom of the screen. Type “300” as the password and
press enter. The “SETUP Menu” will appear.

4. Choose “ANALOG” from this menu. The “Analog Output Setup” Utility will appear:

Fig. 4.099

5. Reference your ACM configurations and make the required changes to the 4-20mA settings. Since
ACM 1 was created for 0-100 ppm H2S and SO2, both of the ACM 1 rows should read 0 and 100 for
MIN and MAX, respectively. Since ACM 2 was created for 0-10,000 ppm H2S, the ACM 2 row should
read 0 and 10,000 for MIN and MAX, respectively. The window should look like:

Fig. 4.100

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For ACM 1 - H2S, a concentration of 100 ppm H2S will now translate as a 20 mA signal; the same
will be true for SO2 concentration. For ACM 2 - H2S, a concentration of 10,000 ppm H2S will now
translate as a 20 mA signal. This 4-20mA language allows the analyzer to communicate all the
critical concentration values to the DCS for easy display.

6. When finished configuring the 4-20mA scales, press the “SAVE & EXIT” button on the right of the
screen. The program will ask if you want to replace a .txt file:

Fig. 4.101

Choose “Replace” when prompted. This will bring you back to the “SETUP Menu.”

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 PART II: SAMPLING SYSTEM
STARTUP
2.1 Configuring the Zero Relay Sequence

This section describes how to set up the relay sequence which the Auto Zero feature (section 1.4-B)
uses to open/close valves in the sampling system (zeroing the analyzer requires opening certain
valves to fill the flow cell with zero gas). This is especially important for the Scheduled Auto Zero,
which automatically initiates the provided relay sequence according to its schedule settings. Since
sampling systems are designed for very specific applications, many of them are unique and require
customized relay sequences. This section demonstrates a very simple relay sequence, but we
strongly recommend contacting AAI Technical Support for assistance in configuring more compli-
cated relay sequences.

Exit OMA Online if open. Run OMA Offline from the desktop shortcut. The Offline Main Menu will
appear.

Choose “Setup par” from this menu. The “SETUP Parameters” dropdown menu will appear. Select
“Setup Zero relays” from this menu:

Fig. 4.102

The “Relay Sequence Utility” will appear:

Fig. 4.103

OMA-300 43
This utility shows 2 sequences. The upper sequence, labeled “ZERO,” is the relay sequence for
filling the flow cell with zero gas. The lower sequence, labeled “SAMPLE,” is the relay sequence for
removing the zero gas and filling the flow cell with the sample gas. When performing an Auto Zero,
the analyzer first runs the “ZERO” sequence, waits for the user to accept a zero (or automatically
accepts the zero if using Scheduled Auto Zero; see section 1.4-C for more information), and then
runs the “SAMPLE” sequence.

Each lettered block in the sequence is one task in the relay sequence. The tasks occur in alphabeti-
cal order, so that Task A is always first in the sequence:

Fig. 4.104

In the image above, Task A is set to control Relay 1. [Each relay corresponds to a specific valve; the
“Relay #” row indicates which relay each task is operating.] “Relay on/off” is set to “ON” for Task A,
indicating that this task will turn on Relay 1. Turning on a relay means opening the valve assigned to
it; conversely, turning off a relay means closing the corresponding valve. In the image above, we can
see that Task A is configured to open the Relay 1 valve.

The “Delay in sec.” option allows the user to set a delay after each task. There is an inherent delay
for each task, but, depending on the sampling system, the user might want to add an additional
delay after certain tasks. In Fig. 4.104, the Delay in sec. is set to 0, but if it was set to 30, the relay
sequence would wait 30 seconds after completing Task A before proceeding with Task B. If you set a
delay on the last active task, the relay sequence will wait that delay before performing the zero
measurement. These task-specific delays allow for mechanical processes like steam-washing and
nitrogen-drying to run their course before the next task.

If you do not need to use all the available task slots, deactivate the unneeded tasks by giving them a
“Relay #” that does not correspond to any valve. For example, if Relay 3 does not exist for your
sampling system, and you do not need a second task, set Task B to operate Relay 3. This essen-
tially deactivates Task B.

After you configure all the tasks in your relay sequence, you should test the sequence by pressing
the “RUN A TEST” button:

Fig. 4.105

This will open the “Relay Sequence Test” Tool:

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 Fig. 4.106

This testing tool will run through each of the tasks to verify that the sequence works. The image
above shows how the test would begin with Task A from Fig. 4.104; you can see that “relay no” reads
1 and that, for the upper sequence (“ZERO” sequence), the Relay 1 light is on, meaning the Relay 1
valve was opened. The test will then move on to the next task, and will always say which relay it is
currently operating under “relay no.”

If the “error” light in the upper right comes on, it is an indication that the analyzer cannot communi-
cate with the sampling system. If this happens, you should check the WAGO connections (see
section ##). After a failed test, the relay sequence will show a “Relay error” light below the failed
tasks. If the analyzer failed to turn on Relay 1, you would see the following:

Fig. 4.107

When you are finished configuring the relay sequences, press the “STOP” button at the bottom of
the screen. The program will ask if you want to replace some .cfg files:

Fig.
4.108

If you want to save your relay sequences, choose “Replace” for both prompts. This will bring you
back to the “SETUP Parameters” dropdown menu.

OMA-300 45
See section 1.4-D about Scheduled Auto Zero to see how to schedule these relay sequences to
occur. The Scheduled Auto Zero automatically uses the user-defined relay sequence when zeroing
the analyzer.

A. Configuring a Span

The interface for configuring a span is conceptually identical to the Relay Sequence Utility. You can
find the Span Cycle Utility in the SETUP Parameters dropdown menu as “Setup Span Relays.” Most
sampling systems are not capable of spanning. For more information on what spanning is and when
to use it, please contact AAI Technical Support.

Example 4.07 -- Configuring a Relay Sequence

You have a sampling system with a relatively simple design. There is only one valve you need to
control to fill the flow cell with either zero gas or sample gas. You want to configure the relay se-
quence so you can use Auto Zero rather than physically opening and closing valves each time you
zero the analyzer.

1. Open the Relay Sequence Utility.

2. Set Task A in the “ZERO” sequence to 1 for “Relay #.” Set “Delay in sec.” to zero. This example
does not involve steam washing or other such procedures, so additional delays are not required. Set
“Relay on/off” to “ON” for Task A.

Fig. 4.109

3. Set Tasks B-E in the “ZERO” sequence to Relay # 2. Set “Relay on/off” to “OFF” for Tasks B-E.
The “ZERO” sequence should look like:

Fig. 4.110

4. In a simple configuration like this one, the “SAMPLE” sequence only needs to reverse the “ZERO”
sequence. Set Task A in the “SAMPLE” sequence to operate Relay # 1. Set “Relay on/off” to “OFF”
for Task A.

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5. Set Tasks B-E in the “SAMPLE” sequence to Relay # 2. Set “Relay on/off” to “OFF” for Tasks B-E.
The “SAMPLE” sequence should look like:

Fig. 4.111

6. Test the “ZERO” sequence using the “RUN A TEST” button. If there are any Relay Switch Errors,
check the WAGO connections (see section ##). Test the “SAMPLE” sequence next.

7. If you are finished configuring the relay sequences and the tests were successful, press the
“STOP” button at the bottom of the screen.

OMA-300 47
2.2 Configuring Pressure and Temperature Compensation

Depending on the application, the user might want to configure certain corrective measures for
variations in pressure and/or temperature. This option requires additional hardware, such as a
pressure transducer for pressure compensation, a temperature transducer for temperature com-
pensation, and an input module for both.

In some process streams, pressure and temperature can be volatile; this depends on the nature of
the process. Pressure is directly proportional to concentration in the ideal gas law:

PV = nRT

where “P” = pressure, “V” = volume, “n” = # of moles of gas, “R” = universal gas constant, and “T” =
temperature.

Because of this relationship between pressure and component concentration, a small variation in
pressure in the flow cell will translate as a variation in concentration. In reality, the ratio between the
measured component and the carrier gas does not change, but the raised pressure increases the
number of moles of total gas in the flow cell. In turn, this raises the number of molecules in the flow
path, which the spectrometer interprets as increased concentration.

Configuring pressure compensation allows the analyzer to correct for the effects of pressure on
absorbance. When obtaining a calibration spectrum, the analyzer provides the user with the pres-
sure in the flow cell. [The pressure transducer continuously monitors flow cell pressure.] The user
should note this value as P0, the calibration pressure. After configuring the pressure compensation,
the analyzer will continously calculate the ratio between the calibration pressure (P0) and the current
pressure (P). All absorbance values are then multiplied by this ratio (P0 / P) before being translated
to concentration. This ensures that pressure changes do not skew concentration values.

NOTE: Since the analyzer uses the calibration pressure to compensate for pressure variations, the
pressure in the flow cell should be kept constant while obtaining all calibration standards.

Temperature compensation functions in a very similar manner. One small difference is that tempera-
ture and # of moles have an inverse proportionality in the ideal gas law. When compensating for
temperature variation, the temperature transducer continuously monitors current temperature (T)
and divides this values by the calibration temperature (T0). This is the reverse of the pressure
calculation. The software multiplies all absorbance values by the ratio T / T0 before calculating the
concentration.

Another difference is temperature unit conversion. The temperature transducer measures in de-
grees Celsius, but the Celsius scale cannot be used in the compensation equation because it does
not describe absolute temperature. The analyzer converts the temperature measurements to Kelvin
by adding 273 to the Celsius values. This enables the software to perform the calculations explained
above.

A. Pressure Compensation

If you are planning on configuring pressure compensation in your startup, you need to configure the
pressure 4-20mA scale before obtaining any calibration standards. Otherwise, the Calibration
Standard Utility will not provide accurate pressure readings.

Exit OMA Online if open. Run OMA Offline from the desktop shortcut. The Offline Main Menu will
appear.
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Choose “Setup par” from this menu. The “SETUP Parameters” dropdown menu will appear. Select
“Setup P&T compensation” from this menu:

Fig. 4.112

The “Pressure/Temperature Compensation Utility” will appear:

Fig. 4.113

The upper panel shows pressure compensation settings. The lower panel shows temperature
compensation settings. Click the “Modify” button under “P comp modify.” The “Pressure Compensa-
tion Tool” will appear:

OMA-300 49
 Fig. 4.114

Pressure transducers have different measurement ranges. If AAI provided the pressure transducer
for your sampling system and you do not know the measurement range, please contact AAI Techni-
cal Support. Otherwise, you will need to obtain the measurement range information from the manu-
facturer.

The 4-20mA scale for pressure monitoring must be configured in accordance with the transducer
measurement range. For “P 4mA (Bara)” enter the minimum of the transducer range. For “P 20mA
(Bara)” enter the maximum of the transducer range. If the transducer measurement range was 0-3
atm absolute, you would set up the 4-20mA scale in the following manner:

Fig. 4.115

This will correlate signal current to pressure according to the scale: a 20mA signal will correspond to
3 atm absolute, and a 12mA signal will correspond to 1.5 atm. For more information about analog
output scales, see section 1.8.

When you are finished configuring the pressure 4-20mA scale, press the “SAVE” button. This will
return you to the Pressure/Temperature Compensation Utility.

You can now obtain calibration standards. Open the Offline Calibration Standard Utility using the
instructions from section 1.6-A. In the upper right panel of the Offline Calibration Standard Utility,
pressure information is displayed:

Fig. Fig.
4.116 4.117

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Before accepting a calibration standard, record the pressure displayed under “P Cal. (Bara).” You
will need this value for pressure compensation, so write it down in a good place. In the image above,
the pressure is 0.716 atm absolute.

IMPORTANT: The pressure should be kept constant while obtaining all calibration standards. Pres-
sure compensation will only function properly if the calibration standards are taken at the same
pressure.

Once you have accepted the calibration standards and recorded the pressure, go back to the
Pressure/Temperature Compensation Utility. Press “Modify” under “P comp modify” to enter the
Pressure Compensation Tool. Enter the recorded pressure from the Calibration Standard Utility into
the field under “P Cal. (Bara).” Assuming you actually had the pressure displayed in Fig. 4.117:

Fig. 4.118

Next, press the button under “P comp on/off” so it reads “ON.” The window should look like:

Fig. 4.119

The program will round the provided pressure if the user provides too many digits (hence the 0.72
value). “Pcell (Bara)” provides the current pressure information from the transducer. The bizarre
value in the image above is due to the fact that no pressure transducer was connected at the time of
screen capture (this value is just slight system noise). With a pressure transducer installed, the
“Pcell (Bara)” field will display the current pressure properly.

When you are finished configuring the pressure compensation, press the “SAVE” button. Assuming
we are still using the numbers from the examples above, the pressure panel in the Pressure/Tem-
perature Compensation Utility should now look like:

Fig. 4.120

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B. Temperature Compensation

The procedure for configuring temperature compensation is very similar to that for pressure com-
pensation. First configure the temperature 4-20mA scale. Open the Pressure/Temperature Compen-
sation Utility and press “Modify” under “T comp modify.” The “Temperature Compensation Tool” will
appear:

Fig. 4.121

Find out the measurement range of the temperature transducer (again, contact AAI if we provided
the transducer). Enter the minimum of the measurement range under “T (C) 4 mA.” Enter the
maximum of the measurement range under “T (C) 20 mA.” If the range of your temperature trans-
ducer was 0-100 degrees Celsius, your 4-20mA scale would look like:

Fig. 4.122

Press the “SAVE” button. You can now obtain calibration standards. Open the Offline Calibration
Standard Utility using the instructions from section 1.6-A. In the lower right panel of the Offline
Calibration Standard Utility, temperature information is displayed:

Fig. Fig.
4.123 4.124

Before accepting a calibration standard, record the temperature displayed under “T Cal.” You will
need this value for temperature compensation, so write it down in a good place. In the image above,
the temperature is about 19 degrees Celsius.

IMPORTANT: The temperature should be kept constant while obtaining all calibration standards.
Temperature compensation will only function properly if the calibration standards are taken at the
same temperature.
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Once you have accepted the calibration standards and recorded the temperature, go back to the
Pressure/Temperature Compensation Utility. Press “Modify” under “T comp modify” to enter the
Temperature Compensation Tool. Enter the recorded temperature from the Calibration Standard
Utility into the field under “T Cal. (C).” Assuming you actually had the temperature displayed in Fig.
4.124:

Fig. 4.125

Next, press the button under “T comp on/off” so it reads “ON.” The window should look like:

Fig. 4.126

The program will round the provided temperature if the user provides too many digits. “Tcell (C)”
provides the current temperature information from the transducer. Just as in the pressure compen-
sation example, the bizarre value in the image above is due to the fact that no temperature trans-
ducer was connected at the time of screen capture (this value is just slight system noise). With a
temperature transducer installed, the “Tcell (C)” field will display the current temperature properly.

When you are finished configuring the temperature compensation, press the “SAVE” button. Assum-
ing we are still using the numbers from the examples above, the temperature panel in the Pressure/
Temperature Compensation Utility should now look like:

Fig. 4.127

When have configured both the pressure and temperature compensation, press the “STOP” button
at the bottom of the Pressure/Temperature Compensation Utility. This will bring you back to the
“SETUP Parameters” dropdown menu.

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 PART III: GENERAL USER
INTERFACE
3.1 Basic Navigation

The software architecture is based on a straightforward menu hierarchy. The home screen for OMA
Offline is the Offline Main Menu:

Fig. 4.128

The home screen for OMA Online is the Runtime Concentration Display:

Fig. 4.129

When you select an option from a menu, a new menu or utility will typically open. All menus and
utilities have “EXIT” or “STOP” buttons to return to the source menu. [The “STOP” button refers to
stopping communication with the spectrometer.] When pressing “EXIT” or “STOP,” the user will
often be asked whether or not to save new settings and replace old configuration files. Menus and
utilities must be stopped in the proper order to ensure that new configurations are not lost; i.e., if you
opened the “Measure, Load, Edit STD” Menu, you would have to “STOP” that menu before opening
new menus from the Offline Main Menu.

Pressing the “STOP” button in the Offline Main Menu will stop the entire program. The standard
Windows menus will appear at the top of the screen, along with the “Run” arrow:

Fig. 4.130

Clicking the “Run” arrow will restart the program.

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3.2 Using the Graph Utilities

Most of the graphing-based utilities in the OMA software have tool palettes that allow the user to
better interact with the data. To demonstrate these tools, let’s look at the “Scan & Adjust Light” Utility
(see section 1.3):

Fig. 4.131

A, Cursor Options

The white crosshair-style cursor on the graph can be moved using the Cursor Move tool:

Fig. 4.132

The arrows move the cursor in small increments. Enable the Cursor Move tool by clicking the icon
just below it (as seen above) so that the Cursor Move light is on. The current coordinates of the
cursor are displayed in the coordinates window (X-axis first):

Fig. 4.133

To change various cursor options, click the Cursor Options icon below the Cursor Move tool:

Fig. 4.134

These options are mostly self-explanatory. They include adjusting the color of the cursor or grid lines
for easier readability, choosing an alternate cursor symbol, auto-centering the cursor, and more.

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The lock icon below the Cursor Move tool allows the user to toggle cursor locking:

Fig. 4.135

“Free” lets the cursor move freely in any direction. “Snap to point” locks the cursor so it can only
move along the spectrum. This tool is useful for reading various data points on the actual spectrum.

B. Axis Options

The axis names are provided in the Scale Legend:

Fig. 4.136

In the image above, the X-axis represents wavelength (in nm) and the Y-axis represents light levels
(in A/D). The lock icons in the Scale Legend will auto-scale their given axes. For example, pressing
the X-axis autoscale lock scaled the graph in Fig. 4.137 so that it looked like Fig. 4.138:

Fig. 4.137 Fig. 4.138

To manually change the scales,first unclick the autoscale lock for that axis and then simply click on
one of the end values for the axis range and type a new minimum or maximum:

Fig. 4.139

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You can change various scaling options using the “X.XX” and “Y.YY” icons in the Scale Legend:

Fig. 4.140

These options are mostly self-explanatory, like the Cursor Options.

Right-Clicking on the graph itself also provides some options, including the ability to export the graph
image to a file and toggle which graph tools are visible in the utility. Again, most of these are self-
explanatory.

Fig. 4.141

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