Laminar flow cabinets are one of the things that are essential to any laboratory. They help with experiments and ensure that the environment remains safe and sterile while you work. While people understand their uses, they don't fully understand how they work or what types of laminar flow cabinets are available. With laminar flow, you can create a work space where there is no contamination at all.
This is sometimes a mandatory requirement for the job, depending on the type of field you are in. Here is an overview of the different types of laminar flow cabinets and how they work to ensure your laboratory stays safe and sterile.
What is laminar flow?
The first thing to address is what exactly laminar flow is. Laminar flow means that the liquid or gas moves in a smooth and regular path. This is in contrast to turbulent flow, where the particles can flow in any direction at any point. A laminar flow cabinet means that the air in the cabinet itself flows evenly.
Uses
The first question about laminar flow cabinets is how they are used and who is using them. Laminar flow cabinets are typically used in the medical, pharmaceutical, electronics and industrial sectors. You can find them combined with deductions, as well as in defense of the nature of the job.
How they work
Laminar flow cabinets are a type of fume cupboard that takes extra steps to ensure the airspace remains clean and sterile. Why is that important? Certain small objects, such as particle-sensitive electronic devices, can be affected by certain chemicals in the environment, even in trace amounts. A laminar flow cabinet ensures that all of this is filtered out, creating a sterile environment for you to work in. There are also numerous energy saving options available to help you find a cabinet that is right for you in your laboratory.
The biggest difference between a laminar flow cabinet and a fume hood is how they handle exhaust gases. The purpose of a vent is to ensure that any fumes generated by chemicals in the closet itself are properly vented from the building. This ensures that no one is exposed to the risk of inhaling harmful chemicals. However, air from the lab can still get into the fume hood and interact with the experiments. A laminar flow cabinet, on the other hand, protects the samples from the air in the laboratory. There are several filters to stop this from happening and your experiment will stay as mentioned in the example above. As such, your laboratory should have a standard fume hood along a laminar flow cabinet so that you can conduct all types of experiments. From here, however, you need to look at the different types of laminar flow cabinets and see which one works better for you.
Horizontal laminar flow cabinets
Laminar flow cabinets are unable to keep all of the air out of the environment. However, they do their best to remove as much of it as possible. From there, the remaining air is heavily filtered before it can come into contact with the sample. A horizontal laminar flow cabinet enables the air flow from above, but is then moved and processed in a horizontal direction over the product. The air is filtered before it reaches your product. However, be careful not to interfere with the work you are doing. Horizontal laminar flow cabinets are the basic version of these clean cabinets and are generally easier and cheaper to source than vertical ones.
Vertical laminar flow cabinets
Vertical laminar flow cabinets work just as well as horizontal laminar flow cabinets. In a vertical flow cabinet, the air enters through the top and instead passes through a series of vertical air filters before being directed downwards. Vertical flow-through cabinets generally offer better operational protection, but can be slightly more expensive than horizontal cabinets. Hence, it is up to you to decide whether or not you need that extra layer of protection.
This is a basic overview and understanding of what laminar flow is and how it is used in these cabinets to ensure a safe work space. If you are doing work that requires a product or sample to be preserved and free of contamination, use a laminar flow cabinet for best results. In some experiments, even a particle can change a result. So take all necessary steps. What type of laminar flow cabinet are you planning for your laboratory?
