Having a laminar airflow hood on your bench at home is one of the keys to success in lab work. Laminar flow hoods are divided into two types, vertical and horizontal, based on the type of airflow. A vertical laminar flow hood draws air from the top and delivers it downwards on the working surface.
On the other, a horizontal flow hood draws air from the top and throws it vertically onto the working material. But many people wonder which among these two options they need for their lab. So take a look at this comparison on some key points between vertical and horizontal laminar flow hoods to understand what you need in the first place.
Dimensions
The first thing that a user thinks about is the space available to place the unit on the working table. If you have a small area and need something that gives you more space, then horizontal laminar flow hoods are the best option.
The unit can be placed anywhere in your lab as long as there is enough room around and it can't be fixed at a place. On the other hand, a vertical laminar flow hood should be fixed in one place where there is enough room to leave it and designed so that there are enough openings for air to come in.
Space Availability
Space is an important consideration when you are buying a laminar flow hood. If you have a small space and need to move the unit from one place to another, horizontal airflow hoods are ideal for you. On the other hand, if you need something that can be fixed and has enough space around, vertical laminar flow hoods are the best option for your needs.
Working Surface
If you want to work under low light conditions at night or in areas with no power available, then a vertical laminar airflow hood will be ideal for your needs. These units have working surfaces that allow workers to stand up and work without any problems. In the case of vertical airflow hoods, there are only a few openings for air to come in compared to horizontal units.
Cost
The cost is an important consideration while buying a laminar flow hood, depending on your budget and needs. If you want something that has almost all features available at a lower price, then vertical airflow hoods are ideal for your needs. In addition, these units can be ideal for horizontal flow hoods because they are made up of a smaller footprint and need less space than their counterparts.
These are some of the key considerations you need to keep in mind while buying a laminar flow hood. Along with these important factors, there are other things that you need to consider while buying any type of ventilation system.
Original Source: https://articlescad.com/do-i-need-a-horizontal-or-vertical-laminar-airflow-hood-112360.html
The laminar flow is an essential concept which helps to control the contamination of particulate substances in the laboratory.
The laminar airflow is basically air which is moving at a constant speed at a constant direction and having no forms of cross air streams.
Compared to this turbulent air flow can create swirls and that deposit particulate matter on the top of different random surfaces in the laboratory.
Laboratories would need to be safe from contamination and hence they need laminar flow hoods as they would sweep the contaminated air in a particular direction from the clean area towards the exit areas.
In this article you will learn more about these laminar hoods.However a lot of people wonder about the direction in which the laminar flow should be moving: vertically (that is downward from the filter which is positioned on top of the working surface) or horizontally (that is forward from the filter which is positioned behind the working surface).
You should be wiping down the surfaces in a smooth and linear motion and begin with the filter’s face and then move downstream along with the direction of air flow.Vertical Laminar Flow HoodsThe hoods of these laminar flow hoods are not very deep and hence they do not require too much of floor space.These are suitable to compound the sterile products.These are quite safe as the air does not blow directly towards the operator.
