A Laminar Air Flow is contamination preventing enclosed chamber used for samples like wafers, biological specimens, and sensitive particles. The chamber is also extensively used for tissue culture. The mechanism of the device depends on HEPA filters that smoothly blow the air inside the chamber. The airflow direction is towards the user, which is beneficial for the sample keeping it protected from the user. A fully airtight stainless steel cabinet without gaps or joints is the ideal construction of a laminar airflow cabinet. Gaps and breaks on partitions can risk the growth of spores contaminating the samples within the chamber. Laminar Air Flow hoods are vertical and horizontal. Choosing to install a UV Germicidal Lamp, that needs to be kept on for 15 minutes for sterilizing the insides will keep the interiors of the cabinet sterilized and ensure that samples are well protected inside the chamber. When the user is working in the cabinet the light must be switched off as part of laminar airflow precautions. Exposure to light can harm the eyes with ailments like cataracts and cause skin cancer.
Where is Laminar Air Flow used?
The use of the device is particularly significant for a contaminant-free environment. It is used in life science and research laboratories, microbiology, histopathology or pathology labs, labs dealing with plant tissue and cell culture, pharmaceutical and even the electronic industry. The laminar airflow applications are highly effective in reducing and controlling viable and nonviable particulates. In microbiological labs, lab workers are exposed to potentially hazardous particulates that can invade the human body owing to their natural behavior of tissue and organism preference.
What parts does the Laminar Air Flow Chamber include?
The cabinet
The insulated stainless steel cabinet maintains a sterile environment within the hood to protect the samples from contamination from particles outside. The front part is enclosed with a glass shield and also is the access point from where the users can operate through the partial or complete opening.
Work station
The solid flat working space within the chamber helps the user carry out their investigation and study on the specimen, which could be tissue culture, microorganism culture, or electronic wafer formation. A place is provided in the chamber that holds the culture plates, samples the burners, and other tools required for the investigation in place. Stainless steel is the material used for building the cabinet for its robust nature and anti-corrosive properties.
The filter pads
This is a highly significant component as it blocks the impurities from entering the cabinet and transmitting to the samples. It is also called a pre-filter. Acting as a primary filter it sucks the air at the preliminary stages. The placement of the filter pad differs in the horizontal laminar airflow cabinet, where the filter pad is placed at the bottom of the chamber. In a vertical laminar airflow cabinet, the filter pads are placed at the top of the cabinet. The filter pad can prohibit the entry of particles size 5 microns.
Blower/ Fan
Sucking the pre-filtered air through filter pads, the fan transmits the air towards high-efficiency particulate. In a vertical laminar airflow cabinet, the blower is found just below the filter pad. The position of the blower in the horizontal laminar airflow cabinet is next to the filter pad.
HEPA filter
This is a special air filter highly efficient and present inside the chamber and removes contaminant particles that include bacteria, dust particles, and fungi. The sterile atmosphere is well preserved in the sterile environment. The pre-filtered air is made to pass through HEPA filters which are the secondary filter. This prevents particles that are 0.3 microns in size from entering the cabinet. The impure particles are removed with three defined mechanisms followed by the HEPA filters.
Interception
This mechanism intercepts the particles which get stuck in the filter fibers. The interception process manages to eliminate large particles and impurities.
Impaction
A sudden change in the temperature embeds the particles in the filter fibers. Larger impurities are easily removed by the impaction mechanism in the inner chamber enclosure.
Diffusion
Following the principle of Brownian Motion, the impure particles interact in a zig-zag path in random and repeated motion. This motion gets the particle trapped in the filter fibers. This is the best filtration method to contain the finer contaminant through the diffusion process.
UV Lamp
The ultraviolet light lamp, inside the laminar airflow chamber, kills germs and bacteria that escape the naked eyes. The chamber is sterilized with UV light before the operation, all equipment like the Petri dishes, test tube, beaker, watch glass is completely purified. The UV light sterilizing must be done 15 minutes before workers begin their work.
Fluorescent Lamp
Illumination is an important consideration in the laminar chamber allowing workers to work in the right condition.
How does the Laminar Air Flow work?
When the fluorescent light of the cabinet is activated, the blower sucks the air eliminating large impurities through the filter pads. When the HEPA filters remove the smaller contaminants, the lid opens completely or partially. The cabinet should be wiped with a clean cotton cloth dipped in alcohol, 65-90% pure. Once this procedure is complete the lid is closed and the blower is turned off. The UV light is turned on for complete sterilization. It must be remembered as part of the laminar airflow precautions, that UV light is carcinogenic and causes a mutation in the body that can lead to cancer. Users must maintain safety at this stage by staying adequately protected and avoiding exposure to UV radiation. The 15 minutes duration of UV sterilization kills bacteria, pathogens, and micro-impurities. After 15 minutes when the inside of the chamber is fully sterilized, the lamp is turned off.
Types of airflow pattern in laminar airflow cabinet
The general airflow pattern in the laminar airflow cabinet is unidirectional, nonunidirectional, and combination airflow.
Unidirectional airflow
The air within the chamber maintains and moves in uniform velocity with parallel flow lines. Passing through a collection of filters the air enters the chamber and departs from the chamber from the opposite wall or floor maintaining a velocity of 0.3m/s in downflow air from the ceiling and 0.45 in cross airflow. Though efficient this is not too cost-effective. This is the reason why unidirectional airflow in laminar airflow is avoided.
No unidirectional airflow
The filters draw the clean air and the ducts exit the used air. The ducts are placed at the bottom of the wall or on the floor of the cabinet away from the inlet area. The filtered air mixes and dilutes the contaminated air within the chamber. The number of air changes per hour, less than 20 defines its conventional airflow.
Combination airflow
The chambers are ventilated by nonunidirectional airflow with critical areas receiving unidirectional airflow. This system is used by many vertical unidirectional systems. The temperature and humidity are adjusted accordingly.
Types of Laminar Air Flow Chamber
Most laboratories work with Laminar Air Flow Chamber that is horizontal and vertical. Wall-to-floor air systems incur huge maintenance costs and therefore are not preferred.
Vertical Laminar Air Flow Chamber
The feature that distinguishes a vertical laminar airflow chamber is the placement of the fan which is fixed on the roof of the cabinet. The fans suck the air and force it downward in a vertical flow. The airflow follows a pattern from the top of the chamber to the floor of the cabinet in positive pressure. The air gush is not experienced directly by the user making the vertical laminar airflow chamber safer for users. The double installation of HEPA filters makes this chamber more expensive than the horizontal laminar airflow chamber. However, this cabinet is widely used in labs and is also preferred for its relative safety shield.
Horizontal Laminar Air Flow Chamber
The air intake happens from behind the laminar flow bench. The blower sucks the air which is made to pass over the HEPA filters. The filtered air circulates in a horizontal direction within the chamber. The bulky structure of the horizontal laminar airflow cabinet is more space-occupying and therefore in labs where there is space compactness you need to ensure that the camber will fit in its allocated area. The airflow system is less secure for users. When dealing with drugs like anti-neoplastic drugs, one must be careful as wasted air from the blower turns directly towards the user thus compromising user safety.
What should you remember when working on the laminar airflow cabinets?
- When working on the laminar airflow cabinets you must remember to keep a written protocol with instructions.
- Before you begin work, ensure that the cabinet is working properly,
- The cabinet must be placed in an area that experiences the minimum distraction and crowding.
- The workstation should not be cluttered and minimum items must be placed inside. Always make it a habit to clean the clutter.
- The exhaust system should not receive any obstruction.
- When the cabinet is being cleared make sure that wiping occurs in linear motion, the cleaning should start from the filter face and move towards the airflow. The sashes must be closed.
- The samples should be unwrapped away from the filters.
- When working on Class II hazardous materials both vertical and horizontal systems fail and you should choose a Biosafety cabinet instead.
What are the advantages of a Laminar Air Flow Chamber?
- Laminar Air Flow Chamber is safe and eco-friendly as they do not release any toxic material into the atmosphere.
- Maintenance and repair are relatively low in these devices. Installation is the only cost that you need to be concerned about. They are portable and can easily be transferred to any location.
- There is little chance of potential turbulence during experiments.
- You can choose a smart security system in your cabinet to alarm you against safety breaches.
What are the disadvantages too of the Laminar Air Flow Chamber
- If the airflow is disrupted by obstructions such as hand movement it can cause turbulence limiting its sterilizing character within the enclosed environment.
- Some unsafe devices direct the flow of air towards the user’s face.
- The laminar airflow chamber needs to be handled with care if you want it to operate optimally.
Laminar airflow precautions that will keep the user and the environment safe
- Following the right safety measures while working on a laminar airflow chamber will help you stay protected.
- Wear safety goggles, lab coats, and gloves that are long enough to cover all exposed areas of the hand beyond the cuffs of the lab coat.
- Ensure that the device is fully sterilized with the components placed within the chamber.
- Remember never to use UV light and airflow at the same time.
- Before and after using the chamber should be fully irradiated to prevent the growth of bacteria and any foreign particles inside the chamber.
- A sterile environment inside the chamber is necessary.
- When the UV light is on, stop all ongoing procedures.
Why buy laminar airflow from iGene Labserve
iGene Labserve private limited is a company that produces reliable and trusted lab equipment and has earned its place as a reputed provider of scientific and lab instrument solutions that extend to Healthcare, Genomics & proteomics, Drug Discovery, Biopharma, food & beverages. If you are looking for the best in technology latest products, offering customized solutions for researchers and workers, you can safely depend on iGene Labserve. You can find both vertical and horizontal laminar airflow cabinets from iGene Labserve. They are well stocked in routine products and you can expect a timely delivery upon placing your order. Order your equipment from iGene Labserve private limited. Visit https://www.igenels.com/ to order online.