Laboratory Systems
Digital Air Control, Inc. provides, installs and services the Tek-Air System for precise control of laboratory air flow and temperature. The SmartLab Controller is a versatile, high-speed direct digital controller specifically for airflow and temperature control in laboratories and other critical environments. The SmartLab Controller is a fully distributed microprocessor-based controller, operating interdependently with other controllers in the lab. Although each controller may share data with other controllers, each is capable of maintaining its own control loops without intervention of other networked or central controllers.
Laboratory system data is integrated into the building automation system using BACnet communication.
Laboratory System: Articles
General Exhaust Systems…
General Exhaust Systems… (593)
Bill Johnson (Laboratory Systems) 2012-01-16 23:33:49
General Exhaust Systems Necessary for Industrial Ventilation Demands
Industrial ventilation is an integral part of for manufacturing or industrial operations. Ventilation systems are those systems which deal with, and control exposure to, chemical hazards and emissions that are either the working products within any industrial environment or are the by-product of the processes resulting in those workplaces. General exhaust systems involve the ventilation systems that form the function of heating, air conditioning (HVAC) and ventilation. These systems work with the processes of humidity, odors, indoor air quality and control temperature.
General exhaust systems
With insufficient general exhaust systems, there can be significant health problems for those who are exposed. People within a contaminated environment can develop conditions such as "conditioner lung," "humidifier fever," or "humidifier lung." Indoor air quality has some real short-term and long-term consequences for workers, therefore, making sure to have the proper system for removal is imperative for the safety of everyone within the environment.
For any workplace environment, there are standards and mandatory requirements for indoor air quality. The general exhaust systems that the facility will need in order to maintain those requirements is dependent on many factors. The size of the operation and the chemicals that the workers can be potentially exposed to will determine the complexity of the exhaust system that is required. Making sure to follow the standards and guidelines strictly is the only way to ensure the safety of your workers.
As with any operation, making sure to have quality measures in place for your general exhaust systems is imperative. Knowing on a continual basis that the system is functioning properly is as important as putting the correct system in. A contamination can occur at any time, no matter how good the system is. If it is not operating sufficiently, than preparations need to be in place to minimize any hazards that may result. Having a plan of action for failure is the best way to protect your workers.
General exhaust systems Digital Air Control
Laboratory Automation…
Laboratory Automation… (516)
Bill Johnson (Laboratory Systems) 2011-12-30 02:18:32
Laboratory Automation in Your Facility
Many facilities have laboratories inside of them because that is where all the magic happens. Whether you are an optics lab, a pharmaceutical company or involved in any number of other industries, laboratory automation can help you out tremendously. This gives you full control over all of the variables so that you can rely on the integrity of the work being performed in the laboratory. The smallest factor can trigger the wrong reaction and you may have wasted a large amount of money and time. Instead, when you opt for automated systems, you can make sure that everything is operating properly and removing guesswork from the equation.
Various Systems for Laboratory Automation
Everything that you have throughout the rest of your facility and more is available inside your laboratory, and perhaps even more. Laboratory automation can be created on multiple levels depending on what you want automated. You can actually opt for everything to be automated so that you get a smart building out of it. Then, you no longer have to worry about employee protocol because the systems handle everything that your employees would otherwise be responsible for.
Laboratory automation
- HVAC
- Exhaust
- Lighting
- Dehumidification
- Security
As you have each of these systems for laboratory automation installed, it includes a greater level of controls for each one of them. HVAC ensures that you have the correct temperature and ventilation. Exhaust makes sure that chemical fumes and smoke leave the lab as soon as they are produced. Lighting gives you the right effects for what you are trying to do without the need to use a light switch to do it. Dehumidification will make sure the atmosphere isn’t too dry or too moist for what you are doing. Finally, you can include security controls so that not just anyone is able to get into the lab.
Benefits to Laboratory Automation
When you have laboratory automation, you don’t have to worry about your facility as much. It can all be wired through a network to grant you access via a software program or web based protocols that are installed on your computer. This will enable you to view all of the data in real time, ensure all levels are being properly maintained, set alarms for when thresholds are reached and let you diagnose problems as they arise.
Without the laboratory automation, you may not actually know if the atmosphere is the level that you need it to be because there are so many variables. Instead, you can have alarms set to sound when a temperature level rises too high, too many chemicals enter or the humidity level increases. This will allow you to shut down anything going on in the lab before the work is destroyed due to improper conditions until you are able to fix the problem. You can then ensure that all work being done is of the right level and that anything you are sending into the next level of production passes inspection because the controls are in place.
Digital Air Control
Laboratory Exhaust Control Integration…
Laboratory Exhaust Control Integration… (528)
Bill Johnson (Laboratory Systems) 2011-12-12 01:32:40
Laboratory Exhaust Control Integration
When you have a laboratory, cleanroom or advanced facility, there is probably more than one kind of thing going on at the same time. You have HVAC systems to help with temperature, humidity and air quality, you have lighting systems so that you have the right amount of lights and you most likely have complex requirement to protect your products and personnel. Regardless of what you are doing in the lab, you need it to be properly ventilated. Chemicals, heat and much more need a way of escaping the facility atmosphere. The laboratory exhaust control integration is a way of getting the exhaust system you need while also integrating it into a control system so that you have more control over the general process.
How Laboratory Exhaust Control Integration Works
When you have a laboratory exhaust system, you can design and install to either passively or actively control the exhaust from the facility. In a passive system, there is constant flow of exhaust from devices inside the facility. When you have an active system, exhaust flows are regulated on a pressure control. If you have fume hoods that need to maintain a steady flow rate in feet per minute, the minute the sash is move, the exhaust CFM will need to modulate. Laboratory exhaust control integration works in a manner that allows you to have the system triggered by sensors or timers instead so that you can always maintain the perfect environment.
When you integrate the system into the rest of your automated system, you can ensure that the system is working at all times. You will not be dependent on someone to hit a button. If you are you could end up with build up or a number of other problems. Instead, you can control the outcome by removing the guesswork and automating the processbased on the sensor controls installed in the facility. The laboratory exhaust control integration will then exhaust the system each time it is used without manually operation.
You can set the system with sensors. These sensors will then "talk" to the exhaust system and trigger it when it knows that it is been in use. The system will turn on, the vapors will be removed and the facility returns to its design state. It works in the same way that other automated exhaust systems work, only that it is in a laboratory. You can also set it to automatically self clean itself based upon timers that you set through a computer software program. This laboratory exhaust control system then ensures that you are maintaining the highest level possible within your facility.
Choosing Laboratory Exhaust Control Integration
The current exhaust system that you have in place may or may not be able to undergo laboratory exhaust control integration as it stands right now. You may need a DDC (direct digital control) overlay on the system to help it communicate with your other automated systems or you may need to upgrade the entire system. Either way, a design team will come out to include it in the network blueprints so that you are able to control it from the network so that you never actually have to physically touch the system ever again. Everything can be done using your software program or electronic panel to be able to set the timers, giving you a very efficient system.
Digital Air Control can integrate an exhaust flow system for your facility. We can also integrate your exhaust flow controls into a building automation systems to regulate your make-up air systems in conjunction with your room pressure. Contact us for additional information on how we can assist your facility design and construction.
Integration of Laboratory Systems into BAS…
Integration of Laboratory Systems into BAS… (895)
Pete (Laboratory Systems) 2010-10-23 22:09:27
Laboratory control systems are specialized for quick response to air flow changes in critical environments and usually limited to use on the supply and exhaust valves and fume hood controllers and are per point expensive. A commercial HVAC control system is per point less expensive but does not have the processor speed and resolution. The automation system has control of the equipment that supplies and exhaust the air to the lab and is an enhanced operator interface.
Integrated into one seamless system a facility operator has the specialized equipment where needed with an web based graphical user interface to monitor and alarm.
The following are screen shots from one of our integrated facilities.
Tek-Air Products…
Tek-Air Products… (1011)
Pete (Laboratory Systems) 2010-10-16 21:11:01
The SmartLab Controller is a versatile, high-speed direct digital controller specifically for airflow and temperature control in laboratories and other critical environments. The SmartLab Controller is a fully distributed microprocessor-based controller that is programmable and operates interdependently for a tracking zone yet with other controllers in the lab to maintain overall room pressure. Although each controller may share data with other controllers, each is capable of maintaining its own control loops without intervention of other networked or central controllers. The SmartLab Controller mounted on the AccuValve is the state of the art in laboratory control and part of a complete laboratory system.
For a compete product line see www.tek-air.com
Accuvalve - Precise Air Valve…
Accuvalve - Precise Air Valve… (1504)
Pete (Laboratory Systems) 2010-10-16 00:45:07
The AccuValve™ by Accutrol, LLC - AHR 2008 Innovation Award Winner
Tek-Air Systems Inc. AccuValve™ by Accutrol, LLC is an electrically operated airflow control valve for critical environments such as laboratories and clean rooms. The valve, created for sustainable “green” design, offers very low pressure drop for energy reduction and savings along with safety by utilizing true airflow measurement.
The Tek-Air AccuValve™ AV2000 airflow control valve is a revolutionary product in which Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was utilized to aid in its design. This resulted in a valve that maximizes turndown while maintaining high accuracy throughout the flow range. The AV2000 is the first truly new design in airflow control valves in decades.
Accutrol’s new airflow control valve incorporates high accuracy airflow sensing with a revolutionary but simple design. The AV2000 is designed for use in applications where turndowns of up to 8 to 1 are required while maintaining accuracies of 5% of reading over that flow range, ensuring precise airflow control. R&D laboratories, process pharmaceutical manufacturing and vivariums are just a few applications for the Tek-Air AccuValve™.
Critical Area Control Systems…
Critical Area Control Systems… (713)
Pete (Laboratory Systems) 2010-08-02 16:08:50
Critical area control systems are specialized and require skilled technical ability to ensure proper installation, programming and commissioning. The zone is either a clean environment to protect the lab from outside contaminants or a critical health environment and the lab is negative to ensure the contents of the zone do not escape into the corridors and other areas of the facility. To maintain a critical zone air pressure is used. Positive zone means more supply air is provided and exhaust and a negative zone is when more exhaust is taken than is supplied. These zones are controlled with tracking pairs of supply control and exhaust control. Applications of positive critical zones include operating rooms, clean rooms. Applications of negative critical zones include hospital isolation rooms, hazardous chemical use areas, bio hazard areas, chemical or gas storage, and in some cases odor control.
When operating a facility with critical areas of control, it's not only utilizing the proper equipment and systems, but also the service provider of the systems. The service provider must have the proven capability to commission the facility and understand how to ensure these areas are properly maintained. Digital Air Control is a service provider that can be counted on for critical environments.