While chemical fume hoods are essential for clean rooms, similarly, it is very important to install laminar air flow hoods to laboratories for maintaining a sterile environment, as well as safety standards. Scientists and researchers perform tests on bio samples in the lab, so the lab needs to have a contaminant-free environment. If the air in the room gets too polluted, then not only it will affect the samples, but also the people. Laminar air flow hoods function as exhaust systems. They draw in the polluted air, filter it, and release the pure air in the room. Workstations at industrial workplaces equipped with laminar air flow hoods are called laminar workstations.
Types of Laminar Workstations
Two types of laminar air flow hoods are used at laboratories, such as –
Vertical Laminar Workstations
Vertical laminar airflow hoods are mounted on top of the workstations. It cleans the room air with a bacterial pre-filter. After that, this air is compressed and forged through the HEPA filter. The pure air is distributed in the entire work surface from above, and thus, provides full protection against pollutants.
Horizontal Laminar Workbenches
Unlike vertical laminar flow hoods, horizontal flow hoods are installed on the walls in front of the work area on the workstation. While working on these workstations, researchers must ensure not to make an item touch the back of the filter.
Benefits of Installing Laminar Air Flow Systems
Installing laminar air flow hoods in laboratories is beneficial for many reasons, as explained below –
Sterile environment
The sole purpose of laminar flow systems is filtering the polluted air and maintaining the sterile environment. You must know that contaminants can affect scientific researches negatively, which may lead to failed experiments. The researchers can also be harmed by the germs in the air and develop diseases. With the help of laminar air flow hoods, you can eliminate these risks.
Cost-effective
Laminar air flow hoods are a very cost-effective option for maintaining the cleanliness and hygienic standards of laboratories. You may visit the online stores of industrial appliance manufacturers to view the extensive range of flow hoods. Once you purchase a flow hood, it is shipped and delivered to your location and installed by professionals. The maintenance cost after installation is also affordable for everyone. Based on the type of uses, annual costs for maintenance may range from $350 to $2000. You need to pay this annual cost only for replacing the filters. Apart from this, there are no other expenses.
Portability
A laminar air flow unit does not have any external connection apart from the power cord. So, you can move it from one room to another within a building easily. While other systems do not provide the benefit of portability due to too many wires and cords, laminar air flow hoods are free from this problem. Easy portability provides you with even more cost-effectively as you can relocate your lab easily.
Security
Laminar air flow hood manufacturers install monitoring systems in the hoods so the gas and carbon filter saturation can be checked. The hoods also have audible and visible alarms with an LCD monitor. Renowned industrial appliance manufacturers follow the ACGIH standards of safety while manufacturing the laminar flow systems. As a result, you can check before the lab room is too polluted and accidents can also be avoided.
Environment-friendly
Laminar air flow hoods filter and recycle the air present in the room and remove the contaminants. However, doing this does not require to remove any amount of air from the library. So, it is an eco-friendly option. The saturated carbon filter that you must replace annually does not pollute the environment either. You can dispose of it safely at any landfill.
Final Thoughts
For the assurance of quality and reliability, make sure to purchase your laminar flow hood only from the renowned industrial appliance manufacturers with goodwill. You must not be tempted by cheap offers.