Waters ACQUITY UPLC Used Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatograph

Overview

The Waters ACQUITY UPLC is a rigorously engineered ultra-performance liquid chromatography system originally developed by Waters Corporation (Milford, MA, USA) to deliver chromatographic resolution, speed, and sensitivity beyond conventional HPLC capabilities. Operating on the principle of high-pressure liquid separation using sub-2-µm particle-packed columns, the ACQUITY UPLC achieves superior peak capacity, reduced analysis time, and enhanced mass sensitivity—enabling robust method transfer from HPLC to UPLC platforms. This pre-owned unit undergoes comprehensive refurbishment—including pump calibration, autosampler precision validation, column oven thermal uniformity verification, and photodiode array (PDA) or tunable UV detector wavelength accuracy assessment—per Waters’ original equipment manufacturer (OEM) service protocols. All systems are verified for pressure stability up to 15,000 psi (103 MPa), gradient accuracy ≤0.2% RSD, and retention time reproducibility <0.1% RSD across ≥100 injections under GLP-aligned test conditions.

Key Features

• High-pressure binary solvent manager with active backpressure control and real-time flow compensation
• Low-dispersion, low-dead-volume flow path architecture minimizing band broadening
• Autosampler with 40–120-position capacity (configuration-dependent), temperature-controlled (4–40 °C), and needle-wash optimization
• Column manager supporting dual-column thermostating (±0.1 °C stability) across 5–90 °C range
• UV/Vis PDA detector with 190–800 nm spectral acquisition, 10–100 Hz data collection rate, and linear dynamic range >2.5 AU
• Fully integrated system controller compatible with Empower 3 (FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliant) and MassLynx software environments
• Modular design enabling seamless integration with MS detectors (e.g., Xevo TQ-S, SYNAPT G2-Si) via standard LC-MS interfaces

Sample Compatibility & Compliance

The ACQUITY UPLC accommodates a broad spectrum of sample matrices—including small-molecule pharmaceuticals, peptides, natural products, environmental extracts, and food adulterants—without compromise in resolution or quantitation fidelity. Its hardware architecture supports reversed-phase, HILIC, ion-exchange, and size-exclusion chromatographic modes using columns ranging from 1.0 to 4.6 mm ID and 30–150 mm length. All refurbished units comply with ISO/IEC 17025:2017 documentation standards for equipment qualification, including Installation Qualification (IQ), Operational Qualification (OQ), and Performance Qualification (PQ) reports traceable to NIST-certified reference standards. Systems are validated per ICH Q2(R2) guidelines for specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, and robustness prior to customer delivery.

Software & Data Management

Data acquisition, processing, and reporting are executed through Waters Empower 3 Chromatography Data System (CDS), configured for full 21 CFR Part 11 compliance—including electronic signatures, audit trail activation, user role-based access control, and immutable raw data archiving. Optional integration with UNIFI Scientific Information System enables unified management of UPLC, UPLC-MS, and imaging data within a single metadata-rich environment. All refurbished instruments ship with licensed software media, installation support, and documented configuration files aligned with laboratory-specific SOPs. Backup and disaster recovery protocols—including automated database snapshotting and encrypted offsite storage—are configurable per institutional IT policy.

Applications

This system is routinely deployed in regulated and research-intensive environments requiring high-throughput, high-fidelity separations: pharmacokinetic bioanalysis (plasma, urine), stability-indicating assay development per ICH Q5C, impurity profiling of APIs (ICH Q3B), residual solvent quantitation (ICH Q3C), pesticide multiresidue screening in food (AOAC 2007.01), PFAS analysis in drinking water (EPA Method 537.1), and metabolomic profiling using hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC-UPLC-MS). Its scalability supports both routine QC release testing and exploratory method development without hardware reconfiguration.

FAQ

Is this a factory-refurbished unit or third-party serviced?
All ACQUITY UPLC systems are refurbished exclusively by Waters-authorized service centers using OEM parts and firmware; full service history and calibration certificates accompany each instrument.
What documentation is provided upon delivery?
Customers receive IQ/OQ/PQ reports, as-delivered chromatograms, system suitability test results, Empower 3 configuration files, and a 12-month limited warranty covering parts and labor.
Can this system be upgraded to support mass spectrometry coupling?
Yes—standard ESI and APCI source interfaces are supported; compatibility with Waters SYNAPT, Xevo, or Vion platforms is confirmed during pre-delivery integration testing.
Does the system include current software licenses?
Empower 3 Feature License (including Advanced Reporting and Audit Trail modules) is included with perpetual usage rights; annual maintenance contracts are optional.
How is column compatibility verified during refurbishment?
Each system undergoes pressure-drop profiling across a certified set of 1.7 µm BEH C18, HSS T3, and BEH Shield RP18 columns to confirm flow-path integrity and gradient fidelity at 0.1–2.0 mL/min.