Agilent 1290 Infinity LC with ISET under Waters Empower control – Emulation of Agilent 1100 Series LC

Significance of the Topic

Many laboratories require consistent liquid chromatography performance across different hardware platforms to reduce costs, training time, and ensure regulatory compliance. Emulation tools like ISET on the Agilent 1290 Infinity LC under Waters Empower offer a solution by replicating legacy system behavior while leveraging UHPLC speed and accuracy.

Objectives and Study Overview

This technical overview explores the integration of the Agilent Instrument Control Framework (ICF) with Waters Empower to enable Intelligent System Emulation Technology (ISET) on the 1290 Infinity Binary LC. The study demonstrates how methods developed on an Agilent 1100 Series quaternary system can be transferred seamlessly to the 1290 Infinity LC and evaluates chromatographic metrics such as retention time agreement and resolution.

Methodology and Instrumentation

• Software prerequisites: Agilent ICF version A.02.01, Waters Empower 2 feature release 3 or higher, Windows XP SP3 or later
• Emulated system modules: Agilent 1100 Series pump G1311A, autosampler G1313A, column compartment G1316A, detector G1315B
• Target system modules: Agilent 1290 Infinity Binary pump G4220A, autosampler G4226A, column thermostat G1330B, column compartment G1316C, detector G4212A with ISET enabled
• Chromatographic conditions: ZORBAX SB C18 4.6×150 mm column (5 µm), gradient from 20 to 95 organic over 10 min, flow rate 1 mL/min, column temperature 30 °C, UV detection at 250 nm (10 nm bandwidth) with reference 360 nm, 5 µL injection volume

Main Results and Discussion

Without ISET, retention times shifted lower by up to 13% and resolution declined. Enabling ISET corrected retention time deviations to within +3.8%. Applying fine tuning of the system delay volume to 300 µL further improved agreement to below 0.3 deviation. Resolution also matched or exceeded original values, with deviations under 5.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Emulation of legacy HPLC and UHPLC methods on a single LC platform without method modification
• Consistent retention times and peak quality enable reliable method transfer between instruments
• Reduced validation workload and resource savings in multi-vendor laboratory environments
• Enhanced operational flexibility by running existing methods unchanged

Future Trends and Opportunities

Expanding adoption of open instrument control frameworks may drive broader interoperability among chromatography systems. Future developments may include automated method migration tools, cloud-based data sharing, and AI-driven optimization for cross-platform method transfers.

Conclusion

The integration of Agilent ICF, Waters Empower, and ISET on the 1290 Infinity LC enables virtually identical chromatographic performance to Agilent 1100 Series methods. This approach streamlines cross-platform method transfer, reduces validation effort, and improves laboratory efficiency.

References

1. Huesgen AG. Agilent 1290 Infinity LC with Intelligent System Emulation Technology. Agilent Technologies; 2011. Publication number 5990-8670EN.