A Balancing Act: Evaluating Laminar Hoods for Performance and Protection
James Wallace, Science Associates
Sustainable laboratories aim to reduce the use of energy and other utilities while maintaining a high level of protection for the scientific products, workers, and the environment. The challenge is to identify equipment that supports a productive, secure, and hazard-free workspace together with high energy efficiency. Modified, vertical Laminar Air Flow (LAF) hoods are widely used in vivariums to protect the animals and research agents from cross contamination and the environment and operators from exposure to potential low risk contamination, such as animal allergens or microorganisms. LAF hoods and similar equipment, however, can be energy inefficient and the protection provided is not always assessed objectively. While it is possible to predict the effect of reducing energy use early in the equipment development process, evaluating the impact on performance and containment characteristics, particularly under in-use conditions, usually takes place late in the production cycle by using a variety of tests (microbiological, particle capture, and smoke visualization). Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling allows the potential in-use performance characteristics of the LAF hoods to be evaluated early in the production cycle and the potential impact of any modifications to design, as well as energy use or aerodynamic parameters on safety and performance. This presentation describes a comparative study of the performance of four double-sided laminar flow units used in vivariums with CFD modelling to ascertain the efficacy of the protective curtain, both for product and operator in the presence of a potential contaminant, as well as assess values of the main aerodynamic parameters.
James Wallace is the director of Science Associates, an international laboratory management consulting firm based in the United Kingdom. After a career in cancer research and vivarium, Mr. Wallace specializes in laboratory management and occupational health, as well as evaluating management and engineering controls for laboratory animal allergens. Mr. Wallace has been an invited international speaker and conference organizer on laboratory animal allergies.