A Primer on Laminar Flow Hood
Laminar flow hoods are enclosed benched designed carefully to prevent contamination of biological samples, semiconductor wafers, or any particle sensitive materials. Air is drawn through a HEPA filter and blown in a smooth laminar flow towards the user. Hence the name, laminar flow hood.
TYPES OF LAMINAR HOOD
Before you commission a laminar flow hood, you must decide if you prefer a vertical or horizontal air flow in the working or the flasking area. There are two types of laminar flow hoods:
- Vertical laminar flow hood: In a vertical flow the air moves from the top of the working area to the bottom, through the HEPA or ULPA filters
- Horizontal laminar flow hood: In a horizontal flow the air moves from the back of the working area to the front, through the HEPA or ULPA filters
HOW DOES LAMINAR AIR FLOW WORK?
A laminar flow unit creates dust free abacterial air environment. Air from the room passes through the HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Absorbing) filters and is fed into the working chamber by a unidirectional vertical descending flow (vertical hood) or horizontal flow (horizontal hood).
WHAT IS HEPA FILTER IN LAMINAR AIR FLOW?
Laminar air flow systems equipped with HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters remove 99.97% of particles > 0.3 μm.
WHICH UV IS USED IN LAMINAR AIR FLOW?
Typically, UV sources are used in the biological experiments. Germicidal lamps emit radiation almost exclusively in the far-UV range of 254 nm and are commonly used in laminar air flow hoods and should be treated with extreme caution.
PRECAUTIONS BEFORE USING A LAMINAR FLOW HOOD
Before you start working in your laminar flow hood you should consider the following actions.
- Turn on the blower and wipe out the sterile area with an alcohol-soaked piece of paper.
- Let the blower run continuously for 10 minutes.
- When this time has passed repeat the wipe out of the sterile area with an alcohol-soaked piece of paper.
HOW DO YOU CLEAN A VERTICAL LAMINAR AIR FLOW HOOD?
- Clean the back wall (of a vertical laminar flow hood) next, going from top to bottom.
- Clean the sides (swiping from top to bottom in overlapping lines).
- The work surface should be the last surface cleaned, beginning in the back, and ending at the front of the unit.
Kewaunee International Group
Kewaunee, the global leader in total laboratory solutions, empowers organisations to achieve competitive advantage through safe, efficient, and contemporary laboratories. In existence since 1906, Kewaunee powers the laboratories for over 5,000 customers in more than 100 countries.
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