Do You Know the Types and Applications of Laminar Air Flow?

A laminar air flow comprises a chamber with an attached air blower that permits the flow of air with a certain velocity in straight lines. This equipment is primarily used in microbiology laboratories for conducting diverse experiments. A laminar flow hood provides a contaminant-free work environment by filtering and capturing every type of impurity particle penetrating the cabinet. It uses a special filter system termed a high-efficiency particulate air filter, which can eliminate airborne impurity particles up to 0.3 mm in size. A laminar airflow chamber is also referred to as a tissue culture hood.

Types of laminar air flow cabinet

A laminar air flow system can be classified into three categories:

1. Vertical laminar air flow chamber: A vertical laminar airflow hood comprises a fan that is attached to the roof of the cabinet. The fan sucks the air and directs the same downwards in a vertical direction. The air passes from the top of the cabinet towards its bottom thereby undergoing a positive pressure. It is comparatively safe since the air doesn’t get directed toward the user. However, there is a limitation of this chamber since it demands double installation of HEPA filters and is comparatively expensive.
2. Horizontal laminar air flow chamber: This laminar air flow type is rather large and spacious. The HEPA filter is mounted at the back of the cabinet. The air flows from back to front directly at the user. However, you can’t operate a horizontal laminar airflow cabinet without operating the front glass sash. The pre-filter is attached to the front wall of the box beneath the work surface and sucks air from the front. The blower is positioned at the bottom portion. A horizontal laminar airflow cabinet isn’t suitable for dangerous operations since the airflow hits the user directly. When it comes to protecting the sample, horizontal laminar airflow cabinets are the best choice because they provide more laminar air layers.

Steps involved in using a laminar airflow cabinet

Let’s have a look at the steps you need to follow while using a laminar air flow cabinet:

1. Clean the area surrounding the device so that no heavy dust gets attached to the filters.
2. Turn on the fan while keeping the lid open.
3. Run the airflow for 10-15 minutes.
4. Open the lid and clean the surfaces with pure alcohol.
5. Close the lid and switch on the UV lamp.
6. Keep the lamp on for 15 minutes.
7. Switch off the UV lamp and turn on the interior cabinet light.

Applications of laminar airflow cabinets

A laminar air flow cabinet is extensively used in biochemistry labs for obvious reasons. Since microbe and tissue cultures are sensitive to particles floating in the air, they have to be protected using laminar airflow cabinets. In the pharmaceutical realm, the labs use these cabinets to work with medicines and test cultures. Given below are some of the uses of laminar flow hoods:

1. Laminar cabinets are widely used in research labs for contamination-sensitive processes.
2. Lab processes like the culture of organisms and media plate preparation can be conducted inside the cabinet.
3. Operations associated with particle-sensitive electronic devices are performed inside the chamber.
4. Drug preparation techniques are also conducted inside the cabinet to provide a particulate-free environment during the operations.

As you can understand, a laminar air flow chamber is a useful instrument when you need to do certain work so very sensitive that even external air can damage it. This creates a sterile and clean atmosphere inside the chamber and gives you the scope to work with sensitive items like electronic wafers or tissue culture. Laminar airflow cabinets are lightweight and comparatively cheap and portable while being eco-friendly at the same time.