Publish Time: 2022-02-14 Origin: Site
Ductless fume hoods can remove toxic vapors and fumes from chemical reactions during routine experiments. Although these ductless products are widely applicable to chemical laboratory operations, their advantages over traditional full exhaust fume hoods or laminar flow fume hoods are often overlooked.
If only the cost of a fume hood is considered, the upfront or initial cost of purchasing a ductless hood can be more expensive than a traditional fume hood. However, when determining the actual cost of ownership of the entire exhaust fume hood, installation and commissioning costs, as well as annual operating costs for energy consumption and environmental certification, should be considered.
Once a clean-air fume hood is purchased, the major annual expense is primarily filter replacement. Filter prices may vary depending on the experimental nature of the application and the filter installed in the ductless fume hood. However, these recurring costs are much less expensive than the energy consumed by traditional fume hoods to expel heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) air into the environment.
According to 2018 data, electricity costs are increasing, and most commercial energy use will go to HVAC. As electricity prices rise, so do the operating costs of traditional ducted fume hoods. A Berkeley University study even estimated that the energy cost of a single 1.8-meter fume hood is 3.5 times that of the average American house!
To keep the laboratory temperature constant, the exhaust air must be continuously replaced with refrigerated or heated air. This leads to higher energy bills and may lead to an increase in infrastructure to meet the demand for fresh air conditioners. These costs do not include other items related to the installation, such as new air duct systems, environmental certifications and building facilities for retrofitting old buildings with gross exhaust.
Comparing the cost of an HVAC system to replacing a filter, the cost of HVAC is higher within one year, and most ductless units (clean-air fume hoods, clean-air medicine storage cabinets) pay for themselves within five years . Accounting for the general cost of running a fume hood, in Sacramento, California, the recent energy cost (18 inch sash height) for a conventional 1.8 meter wide fume hood would exceed $5,000.00 per year.
In most labs, lab space is a luxury that needs to be rearranged when new equipment arrives. For startups or those that rent office space, this can create a new business expense that isn't included in the spending plan. Installing a fume hood in a rented office space becomes an integral part of the space's infrastructure and cannot be removed. Ductless fume hoods offer portability, mobility, and you can change the location of the fume hood at any time as long as the new location has enough power and space. Electrical requirements are typically 220V AC and less than 8A. For reference, a standard power outlet is 220V AC and 15A. Ductless or filtered scrubber fume hoods require only one connection point to the infrastructure (i.e. electrical wiring). Traditional fume hoods need to be embedded into the building, with ground-through ductwork extending to the exterior of the building.
This mobility allows owners of ductless fume hoods to employ a great exit strategy when renting laboratory space. A traditional fume hood, once in place, becomes a fixture of the facility and may prevent you from moving to a better office location. Ductless fume hoods give you the flexibility to move easily as your business grows and expands. The portability of a ductless fume hood makes an excellent investment for startups and other fast-growing companies.
Many people believe that ductless fume hoods should only be used for unfavorable experimental applications, or with strictly limited volatile organic compounds. Our filtration systems use enhanced carbon filter technology to allow the use of most chemicals and a wide variety of laboratory applications.
Activated carbon has some affinity for almost all chemicals, although some are poorly adsorbed. To solve these problem chemicals, we researched and developed specially impregnated chemically activated carbons. These proprietary impregnants increase the efficiency of poorly adsorbed chemicals such as smaller amines, acids and aldehydes, thereby increasing carbon capacity. At the same time, the dry chemical filter material is used to improve the adsorption, oxidation and decomposition ability of harmful gases.
The proprietary bonding process provides an unmatched safety feature that no other company can offer: the granular carbon filter does not release fine particles during operation.
To ensure your application is suitable for a ductless fume hood, our carbon chemists review each application worksheet. We study evaporation rates, chemical concentrations, competing chemicals, and how experimental applications perform to ensure the right filter is selected for your experimental operation. Using actual filter test data in our in-house laboratory along with computational models, we can accurately determine the best product for your chemical application.
Since ductless scrubber fume hoods exhaust air back into the laboratory environment, our goal is to ensure the best possible safety for the user. While the Lab Operations Worksheet can help us evaluate your application before purchasing, our commitment to safety can be seen in the standard features included with each of our ductless fume hoods.
Our clean-air fume hoods incorporate a variety of electronic monitoring devices to determine filter saturation, airflow conditions and overall fume hood performance. Our ductless fume hoods incorporate one or a combination of the following sensors and detection devices: Photoionization Detector (PID), Metal Oxide (MOX) Safety Sensor, Acid Detection Sensor, Pressure Sensor, Airflow Sensor, Temperature Sensor and Humidity Sensor. Some models also use a manual port for colorimetric sample tube testing in the exhaust stream. These sensors are calibrated to alert before occupational health and safety management (OSHA) exposure limits are reached. These sensors provide a reliable way to monitor fume hood performance while providing audible/bulb alerts in the event of filter breakouts or adverse events during fume hood use.
Unlike other manufacturers, our ductless scrubber fume hoods include all the necessary safety features and do not require you (the customer) to pay extra for these features to ensure your own safety. We are committed to ensuring that every ductless and laminar flow fume hood meets the requirements for maintaining a safe laboratory environment, no matter your price. We will never neglect your safety.
The purpose of ductless chemical fume hoods is to reduce pollution introduced into the environment. This is achieved by filtering the vapors and fumes from the air before sending the purified air safely back to the laboratory. Carbon filtration uses van der Waals forces to kinetically lock chemicals onto carbon surfaces through micro and mesopores. Once the chemicals bind to the carbon surface, the chemicals are trapped in the activated carbon. By sealing the used carbon filter, the filter can be disposed of safely and easily. The added benefit of our ductless filtration is a proper bonding process that eliminates dead spots and carbon deposits.
Preventing toxic chemicals from polluting the environment is only part of the solution. The HVAC savings and reduced energy consumption also help reduce the lab's overall carbon footprint. Energy efficient blowers reduce operating costs and keep the environment clean, so your lab can focus on what matters: your experiments.