What is a laminar flow hood?

If you want to shield your workers from all the toxic and harmful chemicals abound in your laboratory then it is vital that you should fit your laboratory with laminar flow hoods. Laminar flow hoods are in fact mandatory as safety equipments. They must be installed in those laboratories where chemical and toxic researches are done and where different such activities are performed and the laboratory facilities need to be used daily. In this article you will learn about the vitality of having laminar flow hoods and what they basically are.

What are lab fume hoods used for?

You can keep the toxic fumes out from the working space of your laboratory as this can protect your workers. The fume hoods will all be partially enclosed within the spaces that would be ventilated and they would also help you to exhaust the fumes from the inside of your laboratory right to the outside. It will not take a lot of space also inside your laboratory. 

The designs of the fume hoods: 

The tempered safety glasses are all positioned at the back and also on the sides with the tall viewing windows that allow better visibilities to perform several experiments. The laminar fume hoods also have specific sashes that can get used for doing loading, cleaning activities. They will allow better air flow also. 

The efficiency of laminar flow hoods: 

The efficiency of the laminar fume hoods will be measured with the speed in which air flows and then will cross the work surface and the sash. This will be measured in the units of feet per minute and if the velocity of the laminar hood is more, then the toxins will get flushed out at a quicker pace.   

The different designs for laminar hoods:  

The laminar fume hoods will prevent exposure of any toxins and poisonous vapours. The different hoods are specifically designed to work with different velocities and used for several technological applications and chemicals.  There are some different types of laminar hoods also like the radioisotope laminar hoods, the perchloric acidic systems. The vertical laminar flow hoods and the horizontal laminar flow hoods and so on. 

Other types of laboratory fume hoods: 

These days there are at least five standard models of fume hoods and these are all used for different conventional, auxiliary, ductless, bypass and other requirements of variable air volumes. The conventional types would be used to maintain constant volumes of the exhausted air and would not take into account the height of the sash. If the main concern you have is to save energy then you can use auxiliary fume hoods. There are ductless fume hoods also which re-circulate the air back in the laboratory if the system of filtration has been done. 

Conclusion

The laboratory and laminar flow hoods are vital equipments that are required for installing in laboratories so that they can ensure people’s safety when they work inside laboratories. Hopefully, the information mentioned in this article will have helped you.

Laminar Flow Hood -- An Air Flow In A Confined Space Whose Velocity And Direction Are Same.

A laminar flow hood is a closed clean bench which is used to regulate the filtered air from HEPA filter. These HEPA filters helps to remove small microscopic particles like aerosols and micro-organisms from air. These laminar flow hood are usually used where biological samples are being handled. It is even used while using sensitive materials, or semi-conductors. Mostly a clean bench has sample of exhibits which are sensitive to outside particles slung with the fact that the risk of contamination could probably be extremely dangerous and can destroy the sample working on.

·         Class I : These are similar to chemical fume hoods

·         Class II:  Hard ducted to the outside

·         Class III: TO be used when working on Human pathogens and other BSL-4 materials.

These laminar flow hoods are made up of stainless steel without any gaps or joints.

WORKING OF LAMINAR AIR FLOW HOOD

Laminar air flow hood works by using the in-flow laminar air. The concept is that the air in the portable laminar flow hoods is used via HEPA filters, which is so designed that it restricts the passage of particles as small as micro-organisms; thus, creating a particle free environment to work in for the laboratory personnel. After passing through HEPA filters it is circulated in the chamber i.e. the working area creating a particle free environment. A positive air pressure is maintained to avoid any back flow of the contaminated air from the room.

Usage of these laminar air flow hoods is maximum in research facilities where they need a dust free environment to work in. Even in CDC (Centre for Disease Control) and other such facilities these hoods are installed to maintain a sterilized environment. They are suitable for working areas which do not work with bio-hazards. The air flow of these cabinets is designed in such a way that while they give complete protection to the sample, it is not so with the user. The user is often exposed to contaminated air from the cabinets.  Various different types are available based on the nature of the work.

The efficiency of a laminar floe hood depends on a variety of reasons. The design, material used to create it, the comfort of usage is all important aspects of any laminar flow cabinet. These cabinets are available in various airflow setting configurations. Airflow that is passed through HEPA air filters can be either horizontally or vertically according to specific requirements. The primary purpose of these laminar flow cabinets is to prevent the sample or the exhibit that they are working on from external contamination. Wisely select your laminar flow hoods.