Assumptions

Columns

• It takes 30 minutes of labor to prepare eluent and re-equilibrate the system
• By reducing the time spent on the IC system, the customer can directly save the cost of that labor
• The system is operated continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• A 4 mm column has a flow rate of 1 mL/min, and the flow rate is scaled by the square of the internal diameter
• A 2 L eluent bottle is used
• No RFIC is used
• Calculation
  • Materials cost = Column price [$/column] * Throughput [samples/year] / Column lifetime [samples/column]
  • Labor cost = 524160 [mins/year] * (Flow rate [mL/min]/ 2000 [mL/eluent bottle]) * 0.5 [hours/eluent bottle] * Labor rate [$/hour]
  • Reagents/Waste cost = 524160 [mins/year] * [(Flow rate [mL/min]/ 1000 [mL/L]) * Waste rate [$/100 L] / 100

Suppressors

• There are no hidden conditions behind the offer of suppressor warranties, and the warranty covers the full cost of the suppressor
• The system is operated continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• It takes 10 minutes of labor to replace the peristaltic pump tubing and re-equilibrate the system
• Suppressor lifetime is 1 year
• Calculation
  • Materials cost = Suppressor price [$/suppressor] + (52 [weeks/year] * Tubing cost [$/set] / Tubing lifetime [weeks/set])
  • Labor cost = (Labor rate [$/hour] * (70 [minutes/set] / 60 [minutes/hour)) * (52 [weeks/year] / Tubing lifetime [weeks/set]
  • Reagents/Waste cost = Reagents cost [$/year] + (524160 [mins/year] * Regenerant flow rate [mL/min] * Waste rate [$/100 L] / 100,000 [mL/100 L])

Eluent

• It takes 30 minutes of labor to prepare eluent and re-equilibrate the system
• By reducing the time spent on the IC system, the customer can directly save the cost of that labor
• The system is operated continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• The eluent is 39 mM KOH or MSA
• Calculation
  • Eluent generator life [hours/cartridge] = 2613 * LN(1/Flow rate [mL/min]) +1145; up to maximum 13140 hours
  • Materials cost = Eluent generator cartridge price [$/cartridge] * 8736 [hours/year] / Eluent generator life [hours/cartridge]
  • Labor cost = 524160 [mins/year] * (Flow rate [mL/min]/ 2000 [mL/eluent bottle]) * 0.5 [hours/eluent bottle] * Labor rate [$/hour]

Warranty

• Preventive maintenance is performed on the instruments to maintain warranty
• No service visits for items outside warranty are included
• One preventive maintenance kit per year
• Calculation
  • If no warranty is used, Cost = Service visits [#/year] * Service cost [$/visit]
  • If the warranty is used, Cost = Preventive maintenance cost [$/kit]

Filtration

• Inline filtration with a tangential flow filter requires about 1 hour to change the filter membrane
• Syringe filters and filter caps have a lifetime of 1 injection
• Labor time to use syringe filter = 3 minutes
• Labor time to replace in-line filters = 60 minutes
• Calculation
  • Sample particulate load ranked on a scale of 0 (none) to 2 (heavy)
  • In-line filter lifetime (injections): (225*particulate load²) - (925*particulate load) + 1000
  • Materials cost = (Filter price [$/filter set] + Syringe price [$/syringe]) / Filter lifetime [injections/filter]
  • Labor cost = Labor rate [$/hour] * Labor time [mins/filter] / 60 [mins/hour]

Sample Preparation

• Calculation
  • Materials cost = Materials cost [$/sample] * Throughput [samples/year]
  • Labor cost = Labor rate [$/hour] * (Labor use [mins/sample] / 60 [mins/hour]) * Throughput [samples/year]
  • Reagents cost = (Solvent use [mL/sample] / 1000 [mL/L]) * Solvent cost [$/L] * Throughput [samples/year]

Solid-Phase Extraction

• One cartridge per sample
• Labor use is equal to extraction time
• Extraction time for Thermo Scientific Dionex AutoTrace 280 Solid-Phase Extraction Instrument is 30 minutes; Solvent use for Dionex AutoTrace SPE instrument is 50 mL
• Calculation
  • Materials cost = Cartridge cost [$/cartridge] * Throughput [samples/year]
  • Labor cost = Labor rate [$/hour] * (Labor use [mins/sample] / 60 [mins/hour]) * Throughput [samples/year]
  • Reagents/Waste cost = (Solvent use [mL/sample]/ 1000 [mL/L]) * (Solvent cost [$/L] + Waste cost [$/L]) * Throughput [samples/year]