What is Ductless Chemical Fume Hood?

ByGlobal Lab Supply

A ductless fume hood is a ventilation unit that removes toxic fumes and other airborne contaminants from indoor environments. Fume hoods are typically used in labs to filter off hazardous substances such as solvents, acids, bases, mercury, etc. They usually sit above the work surface and contain an exhaust fan under the work surface that draws contaminated air up at a high velocity.

Ductless fume hoods are often used in laboratories due to the advantages of avoiding contamination of lab coat linings by chemicals or fumes.

A ductless chemical fume hood prevents exposure to chemical inhalation including exposure to carcinogens. A ductless system can achieve better performance for air quality with less interference from local atmospheric conditions, so they are less likely to suffer from poor performance on humid days or on dusty or dirty operating surfaces.

How do ductless fume hoods work?

The main airflow path is generally straight from inlets above the fume hood to vents in the rear wall. The inlets can be either side or front so the user can choose a hood that matches their work space and/or available storage space. The air flows in under the hood and is circulated by convection, forced air or both using a standard range hood exhaust fan.

Since the airflow path may take a slight curve through the ductwork, there might be a slight airflow disruption. Global Lab Supply build their hoods with ductwork designed to counteract this. Sometimes ductless fume hoods have their own fans installed.

What is the purpose of the chemical fume hood?

Fume hoods have many useful applications such as

  • Safety and containment of flammable vapors and liquids.
  • Removal of hazardous fumes from a lab or factory.
  • Reduction in exposure to hazardous vapors, dust and debris that could trigger health problems.
  • A few of the hazardous substances handled by fume hoods, some of which can pose a significant risk to health, include
  • Cleaning and degreasing chemicals, solvents, flammable gases, toxic gases, radioactive materials, bacteria, pesticides, other toxic industrial chemicals.
  • Handling and mixing highly concentrated acids, hydrochloric acid and hydrofluoric acid.

Conclusion:

This article provides information and basic knowledge you need to understand how to choose the right Ductless Chemical Fume Hood for laboratory and industrial applications. Fume hood systems are very useful in chemical industries and laboratories as chemical fume hoods are used to remove harmful chemicals, substances and gases from the environment.

There has been a general consensus about the need to improve the safety and hygiene situation in laboratories and industrial environments. There is still a limited focus on research and the development of innovative techniques and tools to achieve this. There is also a need to ensure that these technologies are adopted within the scientific community as a whole.

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