The controlling of all parameters of the environment in a laboratory or clean room is vital in achieving the desired outcomes. In these settings air quality, air pressure, and humidity are all monitored and regulated.
In terms of air quality, there is a complicated air filtering system that is controlled by a very high-quality heating ventilation air conditioning(HVAC) system. Air entering the environment is filtered to exclude dust, airborne microbes, aerosol particles, and chemical vapors. To consistently maintain the quality of the air inside the room, it is recirculated through high-efficiency and ultra-low particulate air filters to remove any internally generated contaminants.
Air pressure will need to be controlled in either the entire room or in various parts of the room. For controlling air pressure in the entire lab or clean room, the HVAC system is the primary tool and does a great job at ensuring the proper air pressure is achieved. For some experiments or processes which to occur in a controlled environment within the lab or clean room, glove boxes are generally used. These completely concealed boxes allow for different air pressures to be created which may be critical to an experiment or process.
Humidity is another factor that needs to be controlled in the laboratory and here the HVAC is also the primary tool for this job. There are settings on the unit that allows for exactly how much humidity will be present. In terms of controlling humidity within a certain area within the lab or clean room, desiccators are the primary tool used and of the main types, automatic lab desiccators are the best for ensuring a constant low humidity is maintained.
Desiccators are sealed cabinets or boxes that are a low-cost way to achieve dry, dust-free storage and organization of humidity sensitive products such as valuable chemicals or electronics. Desiccators use substances called desiccants that can attract and hold moisture from the surrounding atmosphere, thereby lowering or nearly eliminating humidity.
Their use ranges from the most rigorous laboratory setting to commonplace uses including inside food packaging to sustain the freshness of the food.
Automatic Lab Desiccators
Automatic lab desiccatorsare completely programmable and can operate on a pre-set schedule allowing them to be set and forgotten. In the lab where things can sometimes get quite hectic, this option can be extremely helpful. They use internal electric fans and heaters to continuously regenerate desiccant. This process prevents saturation of the desiccant and causes humidity to be kept at a constant low. They provide a precise control of humidity, and relieve the need for monitoring them often. Automatic desiccators utilize silica gel beads that last for thousands of regeneration cycles eliminating the need to replace the desiccation material regularly.
It is important to choose the proper size automatic lab desiccator to insure that the proper storage conditions are achieved. This requires your knowing the particular application for which you will need the desiccator.
