All sorts of lab work, particularly in industrial labs, require the regular handling of all manner of dangerous substances. It’s here that exhaust hoods shine and show their almost incalculable value.
Did you know… RDM Industrial Products has been manufacturing quality-designed lab furniture, tools, and laboratory equipment for more than 40 years. Laboratory exhaust fume hoods are one of the centerpieces of our business. Here, we’ll tell you a bit about what these incredible devices are. As well as what they can do, and why they are so important. We’ll also share the different types of fume hoods that we manufacture and the many benefits that you can reap from having them at your disposal.
What Do Fume Hoods Do, and Why Does Your Lab Need Them?
RDM Laboratory Fume Hoods & Casework shown with Recessed Pulls and Sliding, Frameless Glass Door Upper Wall Cabinets.
Although chemical fume hoods come in a variety of different types and styles and can have functions that differ from one another in some important ways, they all serve the same basic purpose: to remove harmful gases from the laboratory environment.
Therefore, the most basic reason to have them in your lab is to ensure lab worker safety. If you plan to conduct experiments and trigger chemical reactions in your lab that give off harmful gases as by-products, these exhaust hoods are absolutely essential.
With that, let’s have a look at some of the different types of factory-direct exhaust hoods that RDM can build for your lab.
Classifications of Laboratory Exhaust Fume Hoods, & How They Work!
In essence, a laboratory fume hood is a device that creates an enclosure around a certain work area. A chemical reaction which releases toxic fumes can then be triggered within that work area. Because the enclosure is air-tight, when properly used, the fumes don’t escape its confines. Rather, they are taken up by a ventilation or filtration system and neutralized in any of a few different ways. That is the basic way in which these devices manage and control fumes.
However, depending on the type used, the exact way in which this happens can vary. From a strictly functional perspective, here are the two basic types of chemical fume hoods:
- Ducted: A ducted hood takes air in from the front side of its enclosure and passes the air through a series of ventilation ducts. If the air is contaminated with toxic fumes, this means that those fumes will pass through the ducts until they are totally removed from the laboratory environment and expelled outside. To do this, the fume hood must be properly connected to the ventilation system that already exists in your lab. The hood can be set up to either offer filtration or not.
- Ductless: Ductless hoods, by contrast, take in contaminated air, pass it through a series of filters that remove its dangerous contaminants, and then recirculate that air right back into your lab. They don’t have to be integrated into your ventilation system and therefore are typically easier and cheaper to install.
Besides this classification based on function and fume management, hoods also vary according to a few other designs and style criteria.
Important Design Types of Fume Hoods Manufactured by RDM :
- Bench Top or Standard: As the name suggests, under this design, the hood encloses a workbench, typically with glass or a similar material. Experiments are performed through the sash and within the enclosed workstation, allowing released fumes to be filtered or otherwise removed. Below the bench is a series of chemicals where you can store important materials.
- Walk-in: Walk-in hoods encompass big enough areas that a lab worker can walk into them to do all necessary work. This style of fume hood is particularly useful in situations where cross-contamination between different workspaces must be avoided at all costs. They’re also preferred as spaces in which to trigger larger reactions in which greater volumes of toxic gases may be expelled.
- Thin Wall Economy: As the name suggests, this type of hood has especially thin walls. They serve the purpose of slightly increasing the work area that’s allowed to you. You should keep in mind, however, that their thin walls make these hoods ineffective for dealing with poisonous gases. They can still remove fumes the same way that other hoods can. However, they are not meant for totally segregating poisonous gases from the rest of the lab environment. Thus, they should not be used for that purpose. Other than that, they basically look the same as benchtop hoods. They enclose a laboratory bench and come with a set of cabinets beneath. Because of their thinner walls, however, they are typically less expensive and may therefore be useful to labs that are on a budget.
- Variable Air Volume: Variable Air Volume hoods put more power into the hands of the user. When integrated with exhaust control systems, they give you the power to control the exact rate at which the hood expels and/or filters the air. They also allow you to adjust the volume of air that the hood exhausts. Depending on the position of the sash, which can make the hood more efficient.
To see the full selection of laboratory exhaust fume hoods that RDM manufactures to help you with your airflow and exhaust needs, as well as some of their accessories and specialize features, click here.
Industries That Use Exhaust Fume Hoods:
Lastly, let us give you a brief survey of some of the many different kinds of industries that have found uses for exhaust fume hoods. Just some include:
- industrial labs and engineering firms or factories where combustible elements may be common
- scientific and university laboratories specializing in pure chemical research
- medical and pharmaceutical labs – especially where gases can be expelled as a result of chemical synthesis
Conclusion
All of RDM’s fume hoods are proudly manufactured in the USA. We are also happy to custom design them to suit your specific needs. Let RDM put its manufacturing expertise to work for you. They’ll help you keep your lab workers safe and your projects chugging along smoothly.