Tech USA

Glovebox & Gas Purification Systems

General Operation Manual

Copyright © 2016 Vigor Tech USA LLC

Business Confidential. All Right Reserved
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Operation Manual Index

Section 1 Preparation ...................................................................................................................... 2

Section 2 Installation ....................................................................................................................... 5

Section 3 System Startup ................................................................................................................ 16

Section 4 Functions and Operations ...............................................................................................24

Section 5 Maintenance and Troubleshooting .............................................................................. 51

Section 6 Technical Information...................................................................................................... 73
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Section 1 Preparation

1.1 Location Preparation ................................................................................................................ 3

1.2 Gas Supply .................................................................................................................................. 3

1.3 Power Supply ............................................................................................................................. 4
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Warnings symbols – Meanings and locations

Hazardous voltages are present. Access by untrained individuals is prohibited. Found on 

the lockable electrical compartment of the equipment and in this manual. Keys will be found

inside. After locking, the keys should be held by the maintenance supervisor.

 Warning: Failure to properly adhere to the manufacturer’s instructions may result in 

damage to the equipment. Found within this manual.

 Caution: Failure to follow the manufacturer’s usage or maintenance suggestions may 

result in degraded performance or waste of resources, either time or tangible goods. Found 

within this manual.

1.1 Location Preparation

1.1.1 Room

Temperature Control Minimum 5oC (41oF), Maximum 40oC (104oF)

Humidity 20% to 70%

Condition Good Ventilation

Altitude Up to 2000 meters

Additional Access to exhaust system for glovebox vent tubes

1.1.2 Floor

Condition Flat and level, Able to support equipment weight at least 700 Kg (1600 

lbs.)

1.2 Gas Supply

1.2.1 Working Gas

Use Required for operating certain system valves and to create an inert 

atmosphere inside the glovebox

Gas Types Helium (He), Nitrogen (N2), or Argon (Ar), gas cylinders (or boil-off from 

cryogenic liquid)

Quality 99.995% to ultra-high purity, 99.999%

Quantity A type K or T* cylinder at approximate 2,400 ~ 3,000 psi (165 ~ 205 

bar). K and T are supplier-dependent designations, but both are 250 

cubic feet of gas.

Regulators CGA350, Two-stage, capable of a delivery pressure of at least 80psi (~5 

bar)

Connection 8 mm compression fitting (Provided by Vigor) to 1/4“ NPT
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1.2.2 Regeneration Gas

Use Regenerates the purifier by reducing copper oxide back to copper 

metal.

Gas Types Inert gas to match your working gas plus 5% Hydrogen, for example;

5% Hydrogen (H2) in Helium (He);

5% Hydrogen (H2) in Nitrogen (N2)

5% Hydrogen (H2) in Argon (Ar)

Qualities 99.995% to ultra-high purity, 99.999% 

Quantity Requires approximately 1⁄2 to 1 full type K or T cylinder at 2,400 ~ 3,000 

psi (165 ~ 205 bar) for each regeneration cycle

Regulators CGA580 or CGA350, Depending on the gas supplier, two-stage, capable 

of a delivery pressure of at least 40 psi (~3 bar)

Connection 8 mm compression fitting (Provided by Vigor) to 1/4 “or 3/8 “NPT

1.3 Power Supply (Standard USA Configuration, 220VAC units are also available)

Main Power Dedicated 110V – 120VAC, 60Hz, 15A Circuit, Grounded (USA)

Connection to the supply is via a standard grounded AC power plug.

Heated

Antechamber 

(option) 

~120VAC, 60Hz Units with flat metal heaters are 300W/plate. 

Units have two (FLC 5A) or three plates (FLC 7.5A). 

Units with IR heating tubes require a maximum FLC of 8.4A. 

The heater unit connects to the supply via a standard grounded AC 

power plug.

Freezer (option) ~120VAC, 60Hz, 300W (Maximum FLC 2.5 A) 

The freezer unit connects to the supply via a standard grounded AC 

power plug.
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Section 2 Installation

2.1 Equipment Placement ............................................................................................................... 6

2.2 Gas Connections ......................................................................................................................... 7

2.3 Vacuum Pump and Exhaust Gas Connections ........................................................................ 8

2.4 Installation of Gloves ................................................................................................................. 9

2.5 Feedthough Installation (Feedthroughs available as an option) ......................................... 10

2.6 Installation of Analyzers (Analyzers available as options, sold separately) ....................... 11

Note: See warning on p. 14 regarding sensor lifetimes
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2.1 Equipment Placement

Four casters are installed under the purifier compartment. The equipment can be easily moved 

on them and positioned, where desired, in the room. After positioning the glovebox at the 

intended location, please use a wrench to adjust the levelers in each of the four legs of the 

stand so that the casters are raised are off the ground and the glovebox is level in both planes.

Caution! (Model dependent note)

To install a double length glovebox comprising two separable sub-units, first adjust the height 

of, then level, one glovebox section. Then adjust the height of the other glovebox section to 

match the first one and apply vacuum grease to the rubber seals. All the bolts and nuts are

inserted and slowly tightened in an alternating diagonal sequence. Don’t over-tighten as you 

may actually crush the rubber seal.

Inside the glovebox, a vacuum line connects the 

two glovebox sections together at the seals. This 

is a small diameter SS tube (4 mm). Tighten the 

fittings firmly.
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2.2 Gas Connections

Warning!

Setting the working gas pressure too high (> 100 psi) will damage the equipment. However,

the best value to use is usually 80 psi. 

2.2.1 Working Gas

Attach a gas regulator to a cylinder of your working gas, which may be nitrogen, helium or 

argon. Use the included length of nylon tubing (8 mm OD, maximum pressure 120 psi) or 

copper tubing to connect the gas regulator to the working gas port of the glovebox. Adjust the 

regulator to deliver the working gas at 80 psi.

Quick Units Converter

psi (lb./in2)

bar (100kN/m2)

0

0

20 40 70 100

1.38 2.75 4.83 6.89
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2.2.2 Regeneration Gas

Attach a gas regulator to the cylinder containing the regeneration gas. Use the other included 

length of nylon tubing (8 mm OD, maximum pressure 120 psi) or copper tubing to connect the 

gas regulator to the regeneration gas port of the glovebox. Adjust the regulator to deliver the 

regeneration gas at 15 to 20 psi.

2.2.3 Vent

During the regeneration of the purifier, regeneration gas flows through the heated purifier to 

the vent port. Because the purifier has adsorbed some chemicals, and because the 

regeneration gas also contains hydrogen, it should be vented to the outdoors or to a fume hood

using the provided vinyl tubing.

Warning!

If harmful materials are used in the glovebox, all exhaust gases from the glovebox system, 

whether resulting from regeneration, purging or from the vacuum pump, should be vented 

directly to the outdoors or to a functioning fume hood.

2.3 Vacuum Pump and Exhausted Gas

Vent the exhausted gas from the vacuum pump to the outdoors or to a functioning fume hood

using the included plastic tubing, secured to the pump with a hose clamp.

Exhaust Gas 

to Fume Hood 

To Vacuum Manifold
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2.4 Installing the Gloves

Insert your hand and arm into the 

glove to be installed and slide the 

glove into the box through the glove

port. Rotate the glove so that the 

thumb is pointed up. Ambidextrous 

gloves are the most common, but 

some gloves may have left and righthanded versions. Check before 

installation.

Slide your hand out and turn the cuff 

inside out and fold it back over the 

glove port. Rotate the cuff of the 

glove to further adjust the thumb’s 

position if needed.

There are three grooves on the glove 

port. Adjust the glove cuff so that 

the bead of the glove is positioned in 

the first groove from the window. 

Place two O-rings over the gloves 

and seat them into the other two 

grooves.
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2.5 Feedthrough installation for power strip (Optional)

Remove the blanking flange on a 

feedthrough port of your choice.

Feed the plug through the KF-40 

O-ring and through the port.

Slide the cable into the box until the 

flange on the cable mates with the KF40 O-ring on the flange of the 

glovebox. Use a KF40 clamp to attach 

the two flanges firmly together.
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2.6 Installation of oxygen and moisture analyzers (purge first, see first page following section 2.6.2)

2.6.1 Oxygen analyzer (GE oxy.IQ)

Open the sealed bag 

containing the OX1 sensor 

cell and remove the red 

tape tabs.

Connect the power cable 

to the rear of the 

transmitter.

Set the box pressure lower 

limit to +5 mbar. Remove the 

blank cap, and install the KF40/KF-25 adapter.

Tighten the KF-40 clamp to 

firmly secure the adapter.

After connecting the power, 

a display will appear on the 

LCD screen.

Orient the sensor so that its 

gold-plated electrodes are 

facing the spring-loaded 

contact pins of the transmitter 

base. Firmly press the analyzer 

into the base.

You should now notice a 

non-zero value on the 

display. Attach the 

transmitter to the adapter 

and firmly tighten.

The measured oxygen 

level should now start to 

display on the LCD screen.
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Oxy.IQ - Measurement Mode 

Note: If O2 value on the small display is different from touch screen display (> 0.1 ppm), please adjust the Trim.

*All the instructions and illustrations are from the GE Oxygen Transmitter Model Oxy.IQ User’s manual, pages 4, 15, 16 & 46.
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2.6.2 Moisture Analyzer (Xentaur)

Connect the BNC signal cable to 

the moisture analyzer. It will only 

attach in the proper orientation.

Gently hand-tighten the analyzer until the 

washer is fully compressed to form a gastight 

seal. Don’t use excessive force since the seal is 

rubber. 

Install the moisture analyzer and rubber washer 

into the special KF-40 flange. Open the KF-40 

clamp, remove the blanking cap, and quickly put 

the analyzer flange into place and tighten the KF40 clamp.

The analyzer becomes active as 

soon as the cable is attached.
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Warning!

New glovebox installations require purging with at least 1 cylinder of working gas per 

glovebox section prior to installation of the analyzers. Exposure of the oxygen sensor to high 

oxygen levels will shorten its lifespan.

The life span of the oxygen sensor cell (GE OX-1) can be one - two years. If you need a 

replacement, please contact Vigor Customer Service or GE. As the sensor fails, it normally 

begins to display artificially high values for oxygen.

The time between calibrations for the moisture sensors is 1 year. If you need a 

recalibration or a replacement, please contact Vigor Customer Service or the sensor 

manufacturer. A sign of a failing sensor is a low and unchanging moisture reading.

To efficiently bring the glovebox online

To maximize your efficiency in removing atmospheric gasses, the following steps should be 

taken when bringing your glovebox online. 

When a new glovebox leaves the factory, it has already been put through a series of tests to 

assure that everything is performing as it should be. Since recirculation is tested, the 

purification train has already been exposed to some amount of air and moisture. So, when the 

glovebox arrives at your facility you start out with 210,000 ppm oxygen inside and a partially 

depleted zeolite/Cu bed. We still want to make efficient use of the residual purifier capacity. 

Once you have completed the mechanical steps in setting up, take a moment to look things 

over once more. Check the little things, like making sure there are no creases in the gloves 

under the O-rings, that all clamps are tight (specifically, we suggest checking that every joint 

that is held together with an O-ring and clamp be examined and determined to be fully fingertight), and that your supply lines are well sealed, etc. Before starting the actual purge, you can

run a pressure-based leakage test (as shown in touch screen document) for a test period of 5 

minutes. When the test completes, see the settings page to view the leakage rate. If the 

leakage rate exceeds 0.5 %vol/hr., turn off the working gas supply, find and fix any leaks, re-test

and then turn the working gas supply on again in preparation for the purge.

i. The glovebox needs to be purged at about 1- 2 bars of working gas pressure if your 

purge exhaust valve (on the RHS of the glovebox, typically) is electrically actuated. If it 

has a plastic gas supply line running into it, it is a pneumatic valve and purging is 

performed at 3-5 bars. The actual purging pressure is facility-dependent and depends on 

the partial vacuum level of the exhaust. The correct purging pressure for your 

particular glovebox is determined by starting at low pressure and increasing the 
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pressure, slowly, until all valve noises stop. Purging removes the vast majority of the 

oxygen and nitrogen, and a good part of the moisture. Moisture is more slowly removed 

since it exists not only in free vapor form, but also as physically adsorbed moisture on 

the interior surfaces of the glovebox. To achieve a thorough purge, approximately one 

to one and a half K or T cylinders of working gas are needed per single glovebox unit or 

two to three cylinders for a double box. The sensors are installed after completion of 

this step. The residual oxygen level is usually between 100 and 200 ppm at this point 

and so the touch screen typically shows an overflow value near 100 ppm and is 

apparently unchanging.

ii. Since the bellows tubing still contains some atmospheric gasses, a recirculation is 

performed to sop up the residual impurities in the box and the bellows, including water 

which is slowly desorbing from surfaces. After purging, you must set the working gas 

delivery pressure back to 5 bars for normal operation (to recirculate). After a short 

time (an hour is common) the displayed oxygen value drops below 100 ppm. 

Recirculation is continued for as long as the sensors indicate that oxygen and moisture 

levels are significantly dropping. If you don’t have sensors, consider running this step for 

a minimum of 4 to 6 hours and overnight if time allows. Oxygen typically drops to below 

20 ppm by the time of completion of this step and frequently reaches single digit ppm 

levels. 

iii. At this point the purification beds have expended much of their capacity and a 

regeneration cycle should be run. Once you start the regeneration process we suggest 

that you let it run to completion, typically almost a full day, and although stopping in the 

middle is possible, this is not a good idea.

iv. If the previous circulation didn’t get the box to very low impurity levels, a short 

recirculation with the fully activated purifier bed will quickly accomplish this. Note that 

water may take a couple days to stabilize with an empty glovebox, and longer if you 

have already brought items into the glovebox. 

We will now proceed to examine the actual control systems needed to accomplish the startup

in section 3.
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Section 3 System Startup

3.1 System Startup ......................................................................................................................... 17

3.2 System Login ............................................................................................................................ 17

3.3 Main Menu ............................................................................................................................... 19

3.4 Functions .................................................................................................................................. 20

3.5 Valves Controls ........................................................................................................................ 21

3.6 Glovebox Pressure ................................................................................................................... 22
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3.1 System Startup

The main electric power supply switch for the glovebox is located on the side of the 

electrical control box.

Main Power 0 = OFF 

1 = ON

3.2 System Login

ON

OFF
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There are three types of users set up in glovebox system. In order to fully use glovebox 

system functions, please login using VIGOR as the user name and no password. The three 

user accounts are:

User name Password

ADMIN (Blank)

VIGOR (Blank)

USER (Blank)

You can select passwords and save them as needed.

To Log in, please look to the menu bar, press “System”, “User Account”, “Log in” and then choose 

account name, enter password (or leave blank if you don’t set a password), and press “OK” to log in.

Caution!

If you log into the main menu of the glovebox system, but you are still unable to control

glovebox functions or change parameters on the main menu or sub menus, please contact 

Vigor customer service to request further log in instructions. 
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3.3 Main Menu

About ~30 seconds after logging in to glovebox system, the touch screen will display the main page.

Top Menu Bar

System 

Settings

Regeneration 

Parameters Setting

Circulation 

Parameters Setting

Vacuum Pump 

Control

Light Control

Time

Large 

Antechamber 

Control

Glovebox 

Pressure

O2 & H2O

Parameter
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3.4 Functions

There are several accessible functions on the main menu page.

Alarm Setting

When the system encounters 

problems, this button will flash. Press 

the button to enter the Alarm page to 

get specific information.

Large 

Antechamber 

Control

Touch this button to enter the AutoEvacuation page to set the autoevacuation parameters and to start 

auto-evacuation of the large 

antechamber.

Circulation

Touch this button to enter the 

Circulation page to control the 

purifier circulation.

Light Touch this button to turn the 

glovebox light on or off.

Regeneration Touch this button to enter the purifier 

Regeneration page.

Setting

Touch this button to enter the System 

Settings page where the system 

parameters are entered and 

displayed. The system parameters 

entered here include the Box

Pressure limits and the impurity levels

necessary to cause an alarm.

Vacuum Pump 

Control

This touchscreen icon represents the 

vacuum pump. Touching the icon 

once will turn the vacuum pump on 

and touching it again will turn it back 

off.
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3.5 Valves Controls

On the main menu page, there are four user-controlled valves (subject to the limitations by

active processes in play at the time). The valves are opened and closed by touch. Green valves 

are open and blue valves are closed.

Valve Opened

Valve Closed

Inlet Gas to

Pneumatic Valve (P1)

Outlet Gas from

Pneumatic Valve (P2)

Large Antechamber Refill

Solenoid Valve (SV8)

Large Antechamber Evac.

Solenoid Valve (SV9)
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3.6 Glovebox Pressure

The pressure limits set for the glovebox interior are relative pressures, referenced to the 

surrounding atmospheric pressure. A positive pressure indicates the pressure inside the box is 

greater than the outside atmospheric pressure, while a negative pressure indicates a lower 

pressure than outside the glovebox. The unit of the pressure used here is the mbar, or one 

thousandth of a bar.

Section 4.4 has the necessary details for setting the glovebox pressure range. Generally, 

operating pressures limits between 0 and a few mbar are good for most users.

The working pressure in the glovebox can be set to a pressure ranging from -10 mbar to +10 

mbar. Once the range is set by the user, the PLC will automatically maintain the working 

pressure within the specified range. 

Glovebox Pressure

-12 -10 -5 +5 +10 +12

Minimum

Box Pressure

Maximum

Box Pressure

Normal

Upper

Range 

Setting

Normal

Lower

Range

Setting

Highest

Working

Pressure

Lowest

Working 

Pressure

Unit: mbar
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Maximum Box Pressure

The highest permissible glovebox pressure is 12 mbar. When the 

glovebox pressure exceeds this value, the safety valve on the 

glovebox is actuated and the excess pressure is vented to avoid 

damage to the equipment.

Highest Working 

Pressure The highest working pressure is +10 mbar.

Normal Upper Range 

Setting Pressure

The box pressure is automatically maintained at or below the 

Upper Set Point. When the glovebox pressure is higher than the 

set point, the valve connecting the box to the vacuum system is 

opened and some of the gas inside of the glovebox is evacuated 

to bring the measured pressure below this set point.

Normal Lower Range 

Setting Pressure

The box pressure is automatically maintained at or above the

Lower Set Point. When the glovebox pressure is lower than the 

set point, the valve connecting the box to the working gas is 

opened and gas is added to the glovebox to bring the glovebox 

pressure above this set point.

Lowest Working 

Pressure The lowest working pressure is -10 mbar.

Minimum Box Pressure

The lowest permissible glovebox pressure is -12 mbar. When the 

glovebox pressure lower than -12mbar, the glovebox pump will 

automatically shut down.
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Section 4 Functions and Operation 

4.1 Intended Use ............................................................................................................................ 25

4.2 Purge ..........................................................................................................................................25

4.3 Circulation ................................................................................................................................. 29

4.4 Regeneration ............................................................................................................................ 34

4.5 System Setting .......................................................................................................................... 39

4.6 Antechambers .......................................................................................................................... 41

4.7 Leakage Tests ........................................................................................................................... 45

4.8 Other Functions ........................................................................................................................ 46

4.9 Cleaning and Decontamination................................................................................................49

4.10 Disconnection from Supply.....................................................................................................50
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4.1 Intended Use

The intended use of this equipment is to provide an inert environment suitable for the 

performance of experiments and processes which would be harmed by exposure to 

atmospheric gasses and/or atmospheric moisture. The glovebox, as mentioned earlier, may use 

nitrogen, argon or helium, as appropriate for the processes. While a glovebox is sometimes 

configured to control one or the other of the primary atmospheric impurities, in the vast 

majority of cases, both oxygen and moisture are controlled. This glovebox was designed to 

typically keep both of these impurities below 1 ppm. If your glovebox is equipped with dual 

purifiers connected sequentially, the impurities are typically held below 0.1 ppm. If your 

glovebox is equipped with dual purifiers in parallel, it provides a way of instantly switching to a 

fresh purifier from a used one to avoid work interruption.

4.1.1 The effects of integrated equipment

The glovebox is often modified to integrate other devices. These can be standard glovebox addons such as refrigerators or heated antechambers or they can also be research devices such as 

deposition systems, spin-coaters, microscopes, etc. or devices to support them, such as airconditioners. The effect of most integrated equipment on the normal operation of the glovebox 

is negligible. Special equipment, such as tube furnaces, or anything which can exert a 

substantial effect on the glovebox environment, must be discussed with our factory engineers.

4.2 Purge

When impurities are introduced into glovebox, we recommend turning off the circulation 

system and purging the impurities out of the glovebox (5 – 10 minutes). Doing so will avoid 

introducing the impurities into the gas purification column and prematurely consuming the 

purification capacity.

Caution!

1. Set the Box Pressure upper limit to 8 mbar and lower limit to 5 mbar before 

activating the purge function.

2. Be sure that working gas is being delivered at a minimum ~35 to 40 psi. If not, the 

glovebox will be unable to open the pneumatic valve (P3) which vents purge gas.
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Warning! 

To activate the purge function, the Circulation and Regeneration need to be completely 

turned off. Circulation should be set to manual and then turned off.

Please enter the purge function page via the top menu bar and select Purge
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Enter a value in the Purging Time box and press Start Purge to activate the purge function. 

Purging will stop after the specified time period. It can be stopped at any time by pressing the 

Stop Purge button.

Tips!

1. When a new glovebox is installed, the initial atmosphere is air which must be purged 

to bring impurities to 100 - 200 ppm before turning on the gas circulation system. This 

requires a minimum of 1 cylinder of working gas/glovebox section. Set the Purging 

Time to a large number (e.g. 500 = 500 minutes) to assure that it doesn’t turn off 

during this long purge.

2. Some organic solvents or reagents may damage the adsorbents. The manufacturer of 

the O2 adsorbent states: The lifetime of the catalyst depends on the application, the 

operating conditions, and the level of contaminants, such as arsine, sulfur, chlorine,

silicon and mercury in the glovebox atmosphere. According to the manufacturer, 

typical lifetimes range from 5 to 10 years, unless poisoning occurs. Purging is a 

prudent practice whenever chemicals are released into the glovebox atmosphere, but 

particularly so if the above mentioned elements and/or compounds are present.
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3. When gloves or seals are damaged, air may leak into the box and the oxygen level 

may quickly exceed 100 ppm. The purification system should be immediately turned 

off and purging performed until the oxygen level decreases to less than 100 ppm

before investing time to find/fix the issue. This will protect your samples and the 

oxygen sensor.
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4.3 Circulation

After a purge or regeneration cycle completes, the circulation function removes residual

impurities to < 1 ppm. Note: The very first circulation, performed during set up, may only bring 

impurities to single digits before regeneration is needed. Thereafter, it will achieve an impurity 

level of < 1 ppm until it is time to regenerate it again.

Warning!

Before starting the circulation, please check to assure that:

1. The purge function is not running.

2. Any running regeneration cycle has fully completed and that the purifier(s) is/are 

completely cooled down to room temperature. Please DO NOT restart circulation before 

the regeneration fully completes (20 hours) as this may damage the glovebox

permanently.

3. At least 80 psi (~5 bar) of working gas pressure is available to allow circulation to start. If 

the pressure is too low, circulation will not start.

4. The oxygen level is <100 ppm (or from 100 - 200 ppm during initial startup).

Press Circ. on the main menu page to enter the circulation page. There you will specify whether 

you want the purifier to circulate in the manual or the automatic (on demand) mode.
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4.3.1 On Demand Circulation

On Demand circulation mode is the default mode for all Vigor gloveboxes. Under On Demand

mode, circulation will start when the oxygen or moisture level exceeds the upper limit (which 

you have previously selected as suitable for your work, see settings window shown below). 

Circulation will continue until the impurity level reaches the lower limit that you’ve set, and 

then shut off.

Caution! 

On Demand circulation mode requires that a minimum of one sensor unit be installed, either 

for oxygen or for moisture, to complete the control loop. Otherwise, the glovebox cannot

activate the On Demand circulation mode and only manual control is possible.

On Demand Circulation - Default Settings

O2 High The circulation blower will start when oxygen exceeds 

this parameter setting.

Default: 1 ppm

O2 Low The circulation blower will stop when oxygen reaches 

this parameter setting.

Default: 0.2 ppm

H2O High The circulation blower will start when moisture exceeds 

this parameter setting.

Default: 1 ppm

H2O Low The circulation blower will stop when moisture reaches 

this parameter setting.

Default: 0.2 ppm
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Caution!

Please do not set O2 or H2O high and low parameter too close to one another or on demand 

circulation will exhibit “hunting”. A minimum range of 2 mbar is suggested.
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4.3.2 Manual Circulation

To control the circulation function manually, press the On Demand button once to transfer into

the Manual control mode. A new button, Start Circulation, will appear. Press this once to start 

manual circulation. It will continue to run until you press the button, which now appears as a

Stop Circulation button.

For a new installation, Vigor recommends setting the circulation mode to Manual and running

the circulation continuously for at least one week, or setting it to On Demand mode with the 

upper limits for O2 and H2O set to 1 ppm and the lower limits for O2 and H2O to 0.2 ppm. During 

this startup period, moisture slowly (over days) desorbs from interior surfaces and the moisture 

level gradually drops. Oxygen will often drop much faster than moisture in the low ppm ranges.
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Tips!

If circulation is running in either mode, the main menu will show green dashes moving 

through the pictorial representation of the purifier plumbing and both pneumatic valve icons

(P1 and P2) will be green, signifying that they are open. If either valve, or both, fail to change 

from blue to green, circulation will not start.

It typically takes 30 seconds after pressing the circulation start button for the process to start 

and also display the indicators shown above.
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4.4 Regeneration

4.4.1 Regular Regeneration

When the circulation process becomes unable to remove impurities from the glovebox

sufficiently to reach the selected levels, or when this process greatly slows, regeneration is 

indicated. To enter the regeneration page, press the Regen button on the main menu.

Vigor highly suggests that following a new startup, after circulation has brought impurities to 

single digit ppm levels, a regeneration should be run since the purifier will be fairly saturated at 

that point. 

Warning!

Do not regenerate with pure hydrogen gas, or with forming gas with a hydrogen level 

exceeding 10% due to the possibility of ignition or explosion. Vigor suggests using an ultrahigh purity grade mixture of 5% Hydrogen in 95% inert gas (to match your working gas),

supplied at 15 psi, for regeneration.
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Caution!

Gloveboxes manufactured during a small window starting at the end of 2016 and 

continuing into the start of 2017 don’t require the user to adjust regeneration flow at the 

glovebox. These gloveboxes don't have a flowmeter located adjacent to the spot where 

gases are connected. Simply set the delivery pressure of the regeneration gas to 8 psi and 

you are ready to start regeneration.

If your glovebox was manufactured either earlier or later than this approximate time span, 

you'll find a flowmeter located in proximity to where the gas lines connect to the glovebox. 

Please use the following procedure:

To start regeneration, you must first adjust the rate at which regeneration gas will flow. 

Exactly when you adjust this depends upon the year the glovebox was manufactured, as 

screens have evolved over time. If you are immediately presented with an option to adjust 

the flow rate, do so as below. If you simply see a Start Regeneration button, press it, a new

screen comes up telling you to adjust the flow (within 3 minutes) and then press Start 

Regeneration again to actually start the process. It ends 20 hours later on all newer units and 

24 hours later on first generation gloveboxes. Please adjust the regeneration gas flow as 

follows; set the regeneration gas regulator pressure to about 15 - 20 psi (~ 1 – 1.3 bar) and

then adjust the flow meter to bring the bottom of the black ball even with the 5th to the 6th

scribed line from the bottom of the scale as shown below. Count each line, whether short or 

long. 

If you find that regeneration used less than 1⁄2 tank of gas, you can turn the flow up a bit 

higher for the next regeneration.

Maximum Level
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Please press the Start Regeneration button to start the regeneration, which will proceed for 

the next 20 to 24 hours (manufacturing date dependent). To manually turn off the regeneration 

process, please click Stop Regeneration (Scram button on some models). Although, unless 

there is a compelling reason why this is necessary, we suggest that you don’t interrupt the 

process.

Caution!

1. During regeneration, impurities levels will rise. This is primarily due to diffusion 

through the gloves. Starting the circulation after regeneration will quickly bring the 

levels of impurities back down again.

2. When you re-start the circulation, the gloves will suck into glovebox slightly due to the 

partial vacuum left in the purifier. This can be lessened by first adjusting the glovebox 

pressure to 4 – 5 mbar.

Here are some things to be aware of in the regeneration sequence:

i. Make sure the vacuum pump is on. It is essential to the process. Features are built into 

the software to prevent damage to the gloves and the system by shutting off the 

vacuum pump if the PLC thinks gas may be leaking out of the glovebox.
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ii. After a power outage, the regeneration will continue from where it was interrupted as

soon as the power is restored.

iii. Never restart circulation when the purifier column is still hot. If you must cancel a

regeneration, please do not restart it immediately if it ran for more than 20 minutes.

Otherwise, you may cause overheating of the purifier. You need to let the purifier cool

down before restarting the regeneration.

iv. If you start a regeneration, after adjusting the regeneration gas flow, you must run the

regeneration for at least 3 – 5 minutes. Adjusting the regeneration gas flow generates a

positive pressure inside of the purifier because there is a check valve on the vent line.

This pressurized gas may blow some adsorbent particles out of column unless it is

removed by the evacuation which occurs when the regeneration cycle starts.

If your glovebox has a "Scram" button on the RHS of the "Start Regeneration" page, be 

advised that the effect of activating this button, either by design or inadvertently, is to 

pause a running regeneration. It will also prevent a regeneration cycle from starting if 

it hasn't already begun. For normal operation, this button will have a blue background. 

If the button has a green background, then it is active. Touching the button is all that is 

required to change states.
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4.4.2 Solvent Regeneration (Optional Function)

Solvent regeneration uses the same user interface as regular regeneration. In order to adjust 

solvent regeneration gas flow, users have to start a regular regeneration first, do the flow 

adjustment in the initial 3 minutes, stop the regeneration after 5 minutes, and then start the 

solvent adsorber regeneration. Then, click Start Sol. Adsorber Regen. Solvent adsorber 

regeneration will proceed over the next 20 hours. The regular regeneration process and solvent 

regeneration process are incapable of being executed at the same time. Saturation of the 

solvent absorbed bed can’t be discerned by examining the displayed impurity levels. Vigor 

suggests users regenerate solvent absorber bed once a year, just before the regular 

regeneration process. If you are using solvents in the glovebox frequently, please do solvent 

adsorber regeneration once every three months.
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4.5 System Settings

The glovebox working pressure range is regulated by the PLC unit and user-selected according 

to their preferences. To set the high and low limits for the glovebox pressure, press Settings on 

the main menu to enter the System Settings page. We recommend 0 – 3 mbar.

The oxygen and moisture levels which will trigger an alarm can also be set here. If the oxygen or

moisture level reach the alarm setting, the Alarms icon will flash in red on the main menu page.
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Pressing the Alarms button brings you to a page which lists and identifies errors. Section 5.6 of 

this manual gives descriptions of the error messages’ meanings. If you need assistance with an 

error message displayed here, please contact Vigor customer service. 
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4.6 Antechambers

4.6.1 Transferring Materials via the Large Antechamber

Refill the large antechamber 

until the vacuum gauge reads

0 bars.

Turn the door handle

counter-clockwise to open.

Lift door upwards.

Place items on sliding tray.

Empty vials and jars are not 

capped. 

Evacuate to -1 bar for 30 min and then refill the 

antechamber (3 cycles) in order to completely 

remove impurities. Or, simply enter the default 

parameters and start the auto-evacuation cycle.

 

Number of Evac. /

Refills cycles performed

The duration of the

Evacuation cycle.

Level to which antechamber

Is refilled between cycles 

Pause time between 

Evacuation & refill

Close the door and turn the 

door handle clockwise to close.

Don’t use excessive force.
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4.6.2 Transferring Materials via the Small Antechamber

Refill the small antechamber 

until the vacuum gauge reads

0 bars.

Evacuate the chamber to -0.8 bar and then refill 7 – 8 times 

(transit time <5 min) to completely remove impurities. 

Turn the door handle 

counter-clockwise to release.

Place items on sliding tray (open 

the lids of empty containers).

Rotate the door handle

clockwise to seal the 

antechamber door.

Open the antechamber 

door.

Close the outside 

antechamber door.
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Tips!

I. Manually Refill and Evacuate the Large Antechamber

You can also manually evacuate and refill the large antechamber via the valve icons 

on the main page. Only one valve will open at a time.

II. Transfer Solvents and Chemicals Through the Antechambers

For commercial solvents, this means using sure/seal bottles. These are very heavy 

walled bottles with a tough rubber septum crimp sealed onto the bottle neck. Here is 

the procedure for use:

1. Put the bottle in a fume hood

2. Insert 2 syringe needles, one short one above the liquid, and one long one going to 

the bottom of the bottle.

3. Bubble dry N2 or Ar (Ar box owners should use Ar) through the long needle for 30 

min. to remove dissolved oxygen

4. Remove the needles and re-cap tightly.

5. Wrap the bottle cap and neck with plastic tape to seal it well.

6. Place into antechamber upright.

7. Don’t use an extended pump down (like overnight), use the standard 3 x 30 min.

For reaction flasks, this means using flasks carefully inspected to exclude ones with 

weak spots like star cracks or chips.

1. Heavy walled flasks are best. Avoid cheap imports, some have very thin walls.

2. The stoppers must be greased for a good seal.

3. If the flask is under vacuum, things are relatively easy. As a precaution, use tape as 

described in 4 (below) to secure the stopper in place. Since the pressure inside the 

Refill Large Antechamber Evacuate Large Antechamber
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flask is less than or, if a liquid phase is present, not hugely different from the 

vacuum drawn on it, the stopper is not subject to too high a force trying to pop it 

out. Obviously, volatile solvents like ether, methylene chloride or pentane present 

higher pressure differentials between the interior of the flask and the vacuum 

outside it. Secure these containers especially well.

4. If the flask is not evacuated, use vinyl tape under tension to secure stoppers in 

place. The holding pressure needs to be enough to resist the force of the stopper 

trying to push its way out due to the pressure differential of ~ 14.7 psi.

5. In either case, if liquid is present in the flask, it needs to stand upright. Use a cork 

(or better, rubber) ring or other means to support the flask.

6. Don’t use an extended pump down (like overnight), use the standard 3 x 30 min.

For solid chemicals, the procedure is even simpler. 

Make sure the material is sealed in a container under inert gas, or just loosen the 

bottle cap substantially so that the antechamber cycles can act on the contents of the 

container. Volatile solids are best transferred using the procedure described for 

reaction flasks.

Failure to observe suggested protocol in antechamber transfer operations can result in 

broken glassware, significant contamination of the pump oil and tedious antechamber cleanup operations.

• Obviously, never take any (chemical containing) glassware through the antechamber 

that you wouldn’t feel comfortable putting under a vacuum in normal service. This is 

especially true of glassware with flat sections, like Erlenmeyer flasks.

• It is useful to keep a container with a wide-mouth screw top inside the glovebox to 

dispose of solvent-wetted wipers, and other detritus, with the ability to release 

significant vapors into the glovebox atmosphere. Another container to receive glass 

waste like pipettes, melting point tubes and similar materials helps minimize the 

chances of glove punctures.

Caution! 

After cycling through Auto-Evac, the antechamber will be left under vacuum. Before you try 

to open the antechamber doors, please refill the antechamber by clicking the refill valve

button.
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4.7 Leakage Tests

There are two types of leakage tests. The first is the Oxygen Method and the other is the 

Pressure Method. Enter the Leakage Tests page via the main page menu bar under Tasks. 

 

Test can be started in an Auto or a Manual fashion. For the Manual mode, enter the desired 

test parameters and then press the Start Manual Test button to begin. For automated tests, 

enter the time the test should run as well as the other desired parameters. It will start 

automatically. When the test completes, the results are displayed on the Settings page.

Leakage rates (depends on glovebox model):

Pressure Method 0.5 %Vol/h

Oxygen Method 0.05 %Vol/h (30 minutes for SG1200/750TS glovebox)

The Pressure Method is only accurate when the glovebox temperature is stable. Its main 

usefulness is in searching for leaks. The Oxygen Method is recommended for accurate testing 

(the user must have an oxygen analyzer installed).
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4.8 The Other Functions

4.8.1 Language 

There are two languages that can be selected for the glovebox system. One is English and the 

other is Chinese. To change this setting, please select System/ Language on the main page

menu bar. 

4.8.2 Time Setting 

To set the displayed glovebox time, please select Parameter Settings/ Date Time Settings on 

the main page menu bar and then enter the correct time.
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4.8.3 Screen Saver Setting

To set when to turn on the touch screen saver, please select Parameter Settings/ Screen Saver 

Setting on the main page menu bar and then enter the desired delay time.
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4.8.4 Calculator

The glovebox system has built in a calculator which is accessed on the main page menu bar by 

selecting Software/ Calculator. The simple calculator function is shown below.

4.8.5 Reactant Requirements

The Vigor glovebox system has a built in chemistry reaction software package which will help 

users calculate amounts, yields, etc. To use this software, please go Software / Reactants

Requirements via the menu bar on the main page.
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The calculation can be based on Weight (Wt) or mMoles (mMol). In the Wt mode, the 

software will perform calculations of the amounts of other reactants and products to be 

expected after the user simply enters the weight of reactant A into this box and the 

stoichiometric coefficients. In the mMol mode, the user simply enters the number of millimoles 

of reactant A into the mMol box as well as the stoichiometric coefficients and the amounts in

millimoles of the other reactants and products are calculated automatically.

First, the user enters the stoichiometric coefficients for both reactants and products in the first 

row and the amount of one reactant. For example, if reaction were Mg(OH)2 + 2HCl  MgCl2 + 

2H2O, the user would enter 1, 2, 1 and 2 in the “Stoi.” boxes and the amount of one starting 

material. Then, when molecular weights of the reactants and products are to be entered on the 

second row, the user is brought to the Molecular Weight Calculation page. For example, for 

Al(CH3)3 you would enter a 3 in the C box, a 9 in the H box and then manually enter 26.98 at X1

for the Al. Press compute and the value will be automatically calculated and entered in the 

appropriate box on the previous page.

4.9 Cleaning and Decontamination 

Use a dry cloth to gently wipe the surface of the device to remove dust. To remove dirt or 

grime, use a cloth moistened with warm, soapy water. The glass front may be cleaned with a 

standard household glass cleaning solution.
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4.10 Disconnection from Supply

Disconnection of the glovebox from its supply sources is straightforward. The glovebox is 

turned off at the main power switch (0 = off, 1 = on) and the glovebox is simply unplugged from 

the wall outlet. All supporting devices (heated antechamber and/or refrigerator, if so equipped) 

are also disconnected by switching off and unplugging. The glovebox has an internal power strip 

which also should be unplugged. The gas supply lines are disconnected from their supplies by 

disconnection of the compression fittings at the supply regulators.
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Section 5 Maintenance and Troubleshooting

5.1 General Maintenance ............................................................................................................ 52

5.2 Purge Problems ........................................................................................................................ 65

5.3 Circulation Problems ................................................................................................................66

5.4 Regeneration Problems .......................................................................................................... 67

5.5 Analyzers Problems ................................................................................................................. 68

5.6 Other Common Problems ....................................................................................................... 69

5.7 Error Messages ......................................................................................................................... 71

5.8 Vacuum Pump Maintenance ...................................................................................................72
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5.1 General Maintenance

Vigor gloveboxes are designed to require minimum attention, but some simple checks and 

maintenance are still required. See the following table for details. Disassembly and/or 

maintenance of this equipment, beyond the scope of the operations described in this manual, 

can only be done by users who have received complete operational and maintenance training 

from the manufacturer. Disassembly and/or maintenance performed by untrained users may 

result in damage to this equipment, and will void the manufacturer’s full warranty.

Warning: non-professional maintenance of this equipment carries the risk of electric shock.

Item Frequency Actions

Working Gas Daily

Check working gas cylinder to make there is enough 

gas to perform the task. Stock one extra cylinder to 

avoid an interruption in usage of the glovebox

Gloves Daily

Check to make sure the gloves are in good condition 

and that there are no holes in them. To check, set the 

box pressure to > 5 mbar and wait for a couple of 

minutes for the pressure to stabilize. If the pressure

drops, and the rate is greater than 0.02 mbar/min, the 

glovebox may be leaking and the gloves are the most 

likely cause.

Solvent Adsorber As needed

When the solvent adsorber is saturated, organic vapor 

will start to accumulate inside the box. If strong odors 

come from the antechamber after exiting the 

glovebox, it is time to change the adsorbents in the 

solvent adsorber.

Vacuum Pump Oil

Monthly

Visually check the pump oil color and level. New pump 

oil is an almost clear liquid. If it turns brown, the oil 

should be changed. If the oil level is approaching the 

minimum level, add additional oil.

Annually

Change oil after each regeneration cycle, or once a 

year, whichever comes first.
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Filter Quarterly

Check the filters at the inlet and outlet of the 

purification system. If they have visible dust 

accumulations, please change them to avoid damaging 

the blower.

Antechamber 

O-rings Annually

Check antechamber O-rings annually. If there are any 

signs of deterioration, replace it (or them).

Glovebox 

Regeneration

Annually,

Sooner if

needed

If sufficiently low oxygen and moisture levels are 

unable to be achieved after running circulation for a 

long time, please regenerate the glovebox. If a freshly 

regenerated purifier train fails to correct the situation, 

please contact Vigor Customer Service about purifier 

catalyst replacement. 
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5.1.1 Glovebox Plumbing Diagram
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Vacuum lines Regeneration Gas

 Working Gas Vent

 
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5.1.2 Electrical Box

Glovebox PLC indicators, Relay, and Valves Controls

PLC Lights Wire # Destination Function Activated

Q0.0 40 SV9 Antechamber evacuation

Q0.1 41 SV8 Antechamber refill

Q0.2 42 SV7 Open pneumatic valves P1 and P2

Q0.3 -- -- --

Q0.4 43 SV6 Purifier evacuation

Q0.5 44 SV5 Add regeneration gas

Q0.6 45 SV4 Vent regeneration gas

Q0.7 46 SV7.1 Open purge valve P3

Q0.8 -- -- --

Q0.9 -- -- --

Q1.0 50 SV2 Evacuate glovebox

Q1.1 51 SV1 Refill glovebox

Q1.2 52 KA4 Blower

Q1.3 53 KA3 Vacuum pump

Q1.4 54 KA2, QF3 Purifier heating

Q1.5 55 KA1, QF3 Lights

I0.1 30 FB2 P1 feedback signal

I0.2 31 FB1 P2 feedback signal

I0.3 32 SB1 Footswitch refill

I0.4 33 SB2 Footswitch evacuation

I0.5 34 QF2, 24V Vacuum pump

I0.6 35 QF1, 24V Blower
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5.2 Purging Problems (Troubleshoot by following the flowchart sequence below)

Unable to purge when Start Purge is pressed

Is circulation or 

regeneration running?

Are you running out of working gas? 

Or, is the delivery pressure set too 

low?

Unusual noises in the purifier? 

No exhaust gas is emitted?

Please go to Circ. on the main page and press

Stop Circulation. If regeneration is in progress, 

wait until it has completed.

Replace an exhausted cylinder.

Set the working gas regulator to ~45 to 

50 psi. Set the box pressure higher limit

at 8 mbar and the lower limit at 5 mbar.

Please check the solenoid valve SV1

and contact Vigor customer service for 

replacement if it is the noise source.

Please check exhaust pneumatic valve 

P3 and check solenoid valve SV7 in the 

purifier section for problems and/or

contact Vigor customer service for 

replacement if needed.

No

No

No

Fix

Fix

Fix

Fix
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5.3 Circulation Problems (Troubleshoot by following the flowchart sequence below)

Unable to circulate when you press Start Circulation

Are regeneration or purge

functions running?

Did regeneration just stop few minutes ago?

Are you running out of working gas? 

Do either of the valves in the 

purification train, shown on the 

main page, fail to open?

Even though the blower should be

running, is there a lack of sound or 

vibrations to indicate that it actually is?

Please go to Regen. page or Purge page 

on touch screen and press Stop Regeneration

or Stop Purge

Please wait for another hour so that the 

purifier(s) can cool further. 

Attach a new working gas cylinder with about 

2400 to 3000psi pressure. Set the working gas 

delivery pressure to 75 - 80 psi.

Please check the purifier to see if the red lights 

on pneumatic valves P1 or P2 are on. In the 

electrical box, verify that PLC lights I0.1 and I0.2

are on. Contact Vigor customer service. 

The red light on relay KA4 and PLC lights 

Q1.2 and I0.6 should be on. 

Contact Vigor customer service

Is there a loud noise coming from blower?

Please contact Vigor customer service 

for replacement.

No

No

No

No

No

Fix

Fix

Fix

Fix

Fix

Fix
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5.4 Regeneration Problems (Troubleshoot by following the flowchart sequence below)

Regeneration fails to start when you press Start Regeneration

Are the circulation or purge

functions running?

Have you run out of regeneration gas?

Has the vacuum pump stopped?

No moisture or water comes out 

of the vent tube after more than 

3 - 5 hours 

Please go to Circ. page or Purge page 

and press Stop Circulation or Stop Purge

Connect a new regeneration gas cylinder 

with min. 1000 psi pressure. Set delivery 

pressure to 15 psi.

Is the vacuum pump switch on? Press the 

vacuum pump icon on main menu to turn 

on the pump. If the pump fails to start, 

please check pump oil level, relay KA2 and 

PLC lights I0.5 and Q1.3 in the electrical 

box. The lights should be on. Contact Vigor 

customer service and Edwards’s customer 

No

No

No

Please check bottom box solenoid valves 

SV4, SV5, SV6 and electrical box PLC light 

Q0.4, Q0.5, Q0.6 if on. Contact Vigor 

customer service for further instructions.

Fix

Fix

Fix

Fix
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5.5 Analyzers Problems

Displayed oxygen or moisture levels fluctuate randomly 

or exhibit obviously incorrect values.

Is glovebox circulation running but the displayed levels of impurities remain erratic?

Please contact Vigor customer 

service and Michell Instruments or 

Xentaur (depending on your 

particular unit) customer service 

for further instructions and/or a 

replacement.

If the O2 Sensor indicates an O2 level of 

0.0 ppm, is there a liquid accumulated 

on the O2 sensor head?

Check

H2O sensor problem O2 sensor problem

Please contact Vigor customer 

service and GE customer service 

for further instructions and /or 

replacement.

Check

Please make sure you have the serial number of your 

analyzers when you contact customer service.
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5.6 Other Common Problems

5.6.1 Glovebox Leakage

A simple way to test glovebox leaks (with Oxygen analyzer installed)

 Start circulation Leave circulation off

Stop circulation and set glovebox to maintain a pressure of 0 mbar

 Record the displayed oxygen level in ppm

Oxygen level increases with time

Oxygen level increases with time faster than 

1 ppm/hr., which is the expected rate with the

circulation off due to diffusion through gloves.

Leak in purification train Glovebox leak 

Possible leakage locations

1. Purge valve (P3)

2. Gloves (the most common leak)

3. Feedthroughs including clamps

4. Interfaces with analyzers

5. Fittings of antechamber refill tubing

6. Antechamber O-rings

7. Regulators (common with older units)

Possible leakage locations

1. Solenoid valves

2. Inlet gas line (Including regulators)

3. Valve fittings

4. Pneumatic valves (Including clamps)

5. All purifier connections

Wait 30 minutes

Soapy water is the 

simplest method to 

diagnose leaks. 
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5.6.2 Antechamber Leakage

Large Antechamber Small Antechamber 

Evacuate antechambers to -1 bar and leave them overnight under static vacuum

Pressure Gauge > -0.9mbar

Possible leakage location

1. Heating harness (if so equipped)

2. Door O-rings (dirty or damaged?)

3. KF-25 clamp

4. Solenoid valves (SV8, SV9)

5. Pressure gauge (rare)

Possible leakage location

1. Door O-rings (dirty or damaged?)

2. Manual valve and plumbing

3. Pressure gauge (rare)
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5.7 Error Messages

When Alarm is flashing on the main menu page, it means the system encountered some 

difficulty and the corresponding error message(s) is (are) displayed on the Alarm page.

Error Message Possible Reasons Solutions

Vacuum Overloaded 1. The trip current is set too low

on adjustable breaker QF2.

2. The pump oil level is too low.

3. The pump oil is dark and/or 

thickened.

1. Adjust the current dial on 

the breaker to higher 

amperage level.

2. Add more pump oil.

3. Change the pump oil.

Blower Overloaded 1. Circulation filters blocked

2. The trip current is set too low

on adjustable breaker QF1.

3. PLC generates this message 

when you try to start circulation 

but the pneumatic valves have 

failed to send feedback 

confirming that they’re open.

(see FCHZ1, FCHZ2 no feedback)

1. Change filters if they are 

significantly restricted.

2. Adjust the current dial on 

the breaker to higher 

amperage level.

3. Working gas is depleted or 

the delivery pressure is too 

low (<70 psi). Replace and/or 

adjust.

FCHZ1, FCHZ2 no 

feedback

1. The working gas is depleted or 

the delivery pressure is too low (<

70 psi) to operate the pneumatic 

valves.

2. P1 and P2 feedback signal 

sensors are not in the correct 

position.

1. Replace cylinder or change 

delivery gas pressure to at 

least 70 psi.

2. Adjust the signal sensors 

positions so that the red 

indicator lights are on (on = 

feedback says valve is open).

O2 exceeds the set 

value

O2 concentration exceeds the 

user-specified threshold value.

Inspect the box and supply 

gas cylinder connections and 

pressures. Take corrective

actions to bring the oxygen 

level down.

H2O exceeds the set 

value

H2O concentration exceeds the 

user-specified threshold value.

Inspect the box and supply 

gas cylinder connections and 

pressures. Take corrective 

actions to bring the moisture

level down.
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5.8 Vacuum Pump Maintenance (*information is from BOC Edwards RV12 instruction manual)

Tools for Oil Change:

1. Two liter of Ultragrade 19 oil

2. Pliers

3. An empty two-liter container

4. A funnel

Completely Turn off Purge / 

Regeneration/ Large/ Small 

Antechamber Evac. and wait for 1 

hour until the pump has cooled.

Switch off and unplug pump power

and uninstall connections to NW25 

inlet and outlet barb.

Open two oil filler-plugs and then 

open the oil drain-plug to drain the 

pump oil out. Tilt the pump slightly 

to completely drain the oil.

Close the oil drain-plug and fill the 

pump with new oil until the oil level 

reach the maximum suggested level 

(marked with lines near the oil-level 

window).

Close both oil filler-plugs and reinstall NW25 inlet bellows tubing 

and outlet vinyl tubing.

Plug the power back in and switch 

the pump back on.
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Section 6 Technical Information

I. What is the leakage rate? How is it calculated?

The leakage rate is one of most vital parameters for a glovebox. The definition of the leakage 

rate, when maintaining the glovebox at a constant negative pressure over a period of time, is 

the rate of the diffusion of impurities into glovebox. Usually, we express the leakage rate as a 

percentage of the total volume of the glovebox leaked per hour, also known as %Vol/hr. For 

example, suppose a standard single length glovebox (~750L) is maintained at a pressure of -

10mbar over 4 hours and 1 L of impurities are found to have diffused in. The leakage rate is 1 L/ 

750 L/ 4 hr. = 1/3000 = 0.03%Vol/hr.

II. A common misperception: When the glovebox is at a positive pressure, air or other 

atmospheric impurities will not flow into the glovebox.

There are two type of gas flow models. First, pressure differences drive gas flows from high 

pressure regions to low pressure regions. Second, concentration differences drive gas flows

from regions of high concentration to regions of low concentration. Generally, pressure is a 

larger driving force for flowing gasses.

If there is leakage from a hole which is larger than 0.1mm, pressure will dominate the physics 

and gas flowing from the inside to the outside of the glovebox will succeed in stopping the 

ingress of impurities. However, when a hole is on the order of 0.001mm, the pressure-driven

process will encounter a large resistance to gas flow through the hole. The diffusion defined 

process dominates in this situation. The difference between the oxygen concentrations outside 

and inside of the glovebox is more than about 200K, so the oxygen and moisture will gradually 

diffuse into the glovebox under the influence of this large gradient.

III. When the purifier is turned off, the oxygen and moisture levels are seen to slowly rise. But, 

why do impurity levels rise before falling again when circulation is restarted?

The oxygen analyzer detects the oxygen concentration existing around the sensor cell. The 

measured oxygen level in the glovebox only depends on the concentration of the oxygen, 

rather than the rate of working gas flow. When a user turns off the purifier system, the oxygen 

level rises because of air leakage into the glovebox. Therefore, the sealing technology is 

especially important when circulation is turned off. With a Vigor glovebox, whose purifier is not 
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currently turned on, oxygen levels can be expected to rise at ~1 ppm/hr. Nearly all of this is 

diffusion leakage through the gloves and is unavoidable with standard butyl rubber gloves. In 

this constant pressure environment, with no circulation gas flowing, diffusion will dominate in 

controlling the oxygen movement inside the glovebox, and this is a comparatively slow process. 

When circulation is restarted, these oxygen leaks which have “pooled” in tubing and in the 

gloves, will be mixed into the main glovebox chamber. The oxygen level will increase very 

briefly and then decrease.

IV. Why do glovebox purifier systems need regeneration? What is the suggested frequency?

The purifier materials function by chemically removing oxygen and physically removing 

moisture (via adsorption) from the glovebox atmosphere. Fresh adsorbents have the largest

impurity removal abilities, but this slowly decreases with time as more impurities are 

scavenged. When the purifier materials become saturated, the glovebox oxygen and moisture 

levels will no longer be brought lower by running the circulation. At this point, the Cu-based 

oxygen absorbent needs to be reduced back to its original metallic form and the zeolites (and 

carbon, if so equipped) need to be stripped of their adsorbed impurities by regeneration.

There are several factors that influence the time needed to regenerate the purifier:

1. The purifier materials usually scavenge from 20 to 60 liters of oxygen and moisture before

they need to be regenerated. Regeneration frequency depends on the quantities of purifier 

materials present and the quantities of impurities they must remove.

2. The leakage rate and amount of impurities also play an important role. Vigor gloveboxes

may attain oxygen leakage rates as low as 0.001%Vol/hr. – 0.005 %Vol/hr. Lack of significant 

leakage means the absorption abilities of the purifiers will not be bled away at a significant 

rate. Therefore, the Vigor customer service team recommends regeneration be performed 

about once a year, under normal circumstances, to maintain efficient impurity removal 

from the glovebox.

V. How are leakage rates measured? 

We use two methods to measure the glovebox leakage rate. One is an oxygen-based 

method (ISO10648-2) and the other is based on pressure. Either variable is recorded as a 

function of time during testing. The two methods are complimentary.

Oxygen-based method (used to determine accurate leakage values of oxygen into the 

glovebox, not as good to detect leakage out of the glovebox. Only usable in low oxygen 

conditions.)
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Although temperature and pressure fluctuations may occur during any leakage test, the 

oxygen-based method is still very accurate as these variables exert negligible effects on the 

oxygen analyzer. If you wish, you can perform the following steps to manually test the 

leakage rate of your Vigor glovebox by the oxygen-based method, however it is much easier 

to simply allow the glovebox to perform the tests automatically and report the result on the 

Settings page.

1. Install the oxygen analyzer. 

2. Go to “Tasks” on the menu bar.

3. Press “Leakage Test” on the drop-down menu

4. Press the “Test Method” button and leave it on “Oxygen Method”

5. Set the “Test Mode” button to “Manual”.

6. Set the “Test Duration”. A minimum of 5 minutes is satisfactory, however 30 minutes is 

the default value.

7. You can leave the other values at their default values.

8. Press “Start Manual test”. After 6 + (Test Duration) minutes, the test ends and a new 

leakage value appears at the bottom of the settings page.

 If you want the test to run automatically every night;

1.) Set the “Test Mode” button to “Auto”. 

2.) Set the desired time in the “Auto Test Time”.

The maximum passing value is 0.05%Vol/hr.

Pressure-based method (used in any atmosphere, even air, to detect gross leaks of gas out 

of the glovebox)

1. The glovebox should maintain at a relatively constant pressure over time. However, the 

internal glovebox pressure is dependent on temperature (1 degree C change= 3 mbar 

pressure change) and on atmospheric conditions. Since the pressure-based test 

measures pressure as a function of time, these variations need to be minimized. The 

most important consideration is holding T steady. The blower is the largest single factor 

in determining glovebox temperature. The blower should be off for 30 minutes prior to 

a pressure-based leakage test, ideally. Results are nearly as reliable if the blower has 

been on for at least 30 minutes, also.

2. Control is via the same screen as the oxygen-based test, but the “Test Method” button 

is left on “Pressure Method”.

 

The maximum passing value is 0.5%Vol/hr.
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VI. What kinds of oxygen analyzers are commonly used for gloveboxes?

There are two kinds of oxygen analyzers commonly used in gloveboxes. One type is the 

electrochemical fuel cell sensor. The other is a solid-state Zirconium dioxide sensor. The 

working characteristics of these analyzers are quite different.

1. Electrochemical fuel cell sensor (EFC)

When oxygen diffuses past an oxygen permeable Teflon membrane and into the cell, it 

encounters a potassium hydroxide electrolyte where it is reduced to hydroxide ions by 

electrons furnished by the simultaneous oxidation of the lead anode. This creates an 

electric current between the lead anode and the gold-plated cathode through an external

load resistance. The current produced is proportional to the concentration (partial pressure) 

of oxygen present.

The electrochemical reactions are as following.

Positive electrode: 2Pb + 4OH- → 2PbO + 2H2O +4eNegative electrode: O2 + 2H2O + 4e- → 4OHTotal cell reaction: 2Pb + O2 → 2PbO (which implies that the cell is exhausted when the lead 

anode is depleted)

Lifetime: In theory, sensor life is limited by the amount of anode material present. In actual 

practice, because the cell must interface with the glovebox atmosphere to measure it, the 

electrolyte may eventually dry out over a period of years.

Advantages

1. Easy to calibrate. If there is no oxygen gas, there will be no current flow. 

2. The electrochemical reaction, which is just a simple room temperature redox reaction, 

doesn’t interact with organic solvent vapors. 

3. They need no high power supporting circuitry.

4. Cheaper to replace. Users only need to replace the EFC sensor unit, not the entire unit.
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Disadvantages

1. Exposure to high oxygen concentrations for long periods will consume the sensor’s 

capacity to measure oxygen. The whole fuel cell sensor should be protected by an inert 

gas environment when not installed. 

2. Can’t be used in high temperature environments.

2. Zirconium dioxide sensor (ZO)

The ZO sensor has porous platinum electrodes at the anode and cathode with a zirconium 

dioxide solid state membrane/electrolyte between them. When the electrolyte is heated to 

a high temperature (400 -700oC), oxygen ions becomes mobile within the membrane, 

generating a voltage which is dependent upon the differences between the partial 

pressures of the oxygen in the sample and the oxygen in a reference gas (generally air) and 

is determined by using the Nernst equation.

Advantages

1. A ZO sensor is more sensitive than an EFC sensor. It has a short response time at high 

temperature and at various pressures. 

2. The sensor can be stored in the air and air can be the standard reference gas.

 Disadvantages

1. ZO sensor are sensitive to organic solvents because they operate at high temperatures

and contain platinum. Hydrocarbon solvents, catalyzed by hot platinum, will react with 

oxygen thus giving an oxygen reading which is artificially lower than the actual oxygen 

level.

2. Because air is the standard reference for the ZO sensor, when used for detection of

oxygen levels in the 1 ppm O2 range, the great difference between in concentrations

between air and 1 ppm O2 (more than 200,000) means that the ZO sensor has to be 

recalibrated frequently to maintain accuracy.

3. The sensor is expensive and, if broken, needs to be replaced.

4. Needs high power supporting circuitry for heating the zirconia. Since warm-up is slow, 

this circuitry usually needs to be left on.
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VII. What does the vacuum pump gas ballast control do?

The Edwards pumps, provided with Vigor gloveboxes, have gas ballasts.

Glovebox vacuum pumps may pump both permanent gas and vapors. Permanent gases 

are expelled, but vapors (usually water) can condense to the liquid state during the 

compression cycle and contaminate the oil. The effects of liquids mixed with the oil may 

include the reduction of vacuum performance and, in extreme cases, lubrication loss 

and corrosion leading to possible pump damage.

Opening the Gas ballast valve will have the immediate effect of allowing a small air flow 

into the compression part of the pumping cycle to dilute the condensable vapors which 

suppresses their condensation to a liquid phase. Over several hours this can exhaust 

condensed vapors from the oil. 

When opened, the gas ballast will also have these effects; the pump noise and operating 

temperature will increase as the ultimate vacuum falls somewhat, some oil is lost to 

misting and the vapor pumping capacity of the pump actually increases due to the 

temperature rise of the oil (harder to liquefy vapors).
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VIII. What are the differences between regular regeneration and solvent regeneration?

Regular Regeneration Solvent Regeneration

Gas Types[1] Working gas plus 5% 

hydrogen gas

Working gas or working 

gas plus 5% hydrogen gas

Regeneration Time 20 to 24 hours 18 to 20 hours

Heating 

Temperature 300 to 360oC[2] 180 to 190oC

Catalyst Types Copper/Zeolite Active carbon

Purifier Capacities 

After Regen. [3]

60 Liter of Oxygen

1.5 Kg of Water

Depends on the types of 

solvents.

Life Time [4] 5 to 10 years 5 to 10 years

[1] 99.995 to ultra-high purity gas, 99.999%

[2] Regular regeneration heating curve, temperature versus time

[3] Standard single length glovebox SG1200/750TS, about 750 L.

[4] The lifetime of the catalyst depends on the application
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Vigor Tech USA LLC.

Vigor Customer Service

5100 Westheimer Road, Suite 200

Houston, TX 77056, USA

TEL: +1 (716) 693-5744 (Dan Vizine)

 +1 (716) 418-6624 

Email: Info@vigor-glovebox.com

www.vigor-glovebox.com

Vigor Gas Purification Technologies (Suzhou) Co. Ltd.

Headquarter & Manufacturing 

78 Xinglin Street, #2

Suzhou Industrial Park, JiangSu, 215028 China 

TEL: +86 (0512) 8227-6096

Email: Info@vigorgb.com

www.vigorgb.com

Copyright © 2016 Vigor Tech USA LLC

Business Confidential. All Right Reserved

Update: 20160101