Introducing I-S Fume Hoods

By Allison Schach, Dealer Marketing Manager

On July 15, 2019 in Blog

The advent of variable air volume systems coupled with later development of high-performance fume hoods has revolutionized energy conservation efforts within the laboratory environment while upholding the priority of containment and safety. Since not all organizations require the quantity of hoods to offset the expense of a building ventilation management system, those seeking a more conservation-based approach are left with limited options. Now, thanks to Protector I-S Fume Hoods, Labconco has the pinnacle solution.

Linked for Efficiency

I-S hoods combine the high performance of the Protector^® XStream^®, Premier^® and XL™ Fume Hoods with the volume variability of Intelli-Sense™ Multi-Speed Blowers. Not only are these hoods peak performers, but they also have Automatic Position Exhaust. What does this mean?

I-S Fume Hoods are our Protector hoods with factory-installed sash position sensors linked to the multi-speed control box of our Intelli-Sense Blower. This means when a technician raises or lowers the sash, the hood automatically adjusts the blower speed to maintain a safe face velocity.

How I-S Fume Hoods are Different

Previously, with a single speed blower, a constant volume of air would be consumed, regardless of sash position. Even with a multi-speed blower, the technician needs to adjust the blower speed with a rocker switch when moving the sash. Often the technician would rely on their airflow monitor (if they have one) to alert when face velocity was outside a predetermined safe range.

With the I-S option, the hood communicates with the blower to adjust air volume to keep technicians safe without the need for human monitoring. For added safety and installation ease, the Guardian™ Digital Airflow Monitor, sensor switches, Intelli-Sense multi-speed controller and all associated wiring is factory installed. Add a work surface, with or without a sink, solvent, acid or standard base cabinets and an Intelli-Sense Coated Steel, Fiberglass or PVC blower and you are on your way to energy savings.

Still on the fence about why I-S hoods are the right choice? How about a couple of examples?  

Example 1 – Limited Supply Air:

Many labs have a limited amount of supply air, which directly affects fume hood quantity and capability. For instance, a lab renovation project has a supply air capacity of 2300 cubic feet per minute (CFM), research needs dictate three 6’ fume hoods are necessary and the organization has an internal safety standard of testing hoods with the sash fully open at 100 feet per minute (fpm).

At the organization’s testing parameters, a traditional 6’ hood will require 1150-1250 CFM, each. At this rate of consumption on a constant volume system, the lab would be limited two fume hoods. Since many applications can be conducted with the sash at 18” open or less, an I-S hood can provide solutions for installing an additional hood.

At 18” open with 100 fpm face velocity, our I-S Fume Hoods use 720 CFM, a savings of 430 CFM per hood; a constant volume hood will still require 1150-1250 CFM at any sash position. Three I-S Fume Hoods at 18” sash height consume 2160 CFM, thus providing the right number of hoods without major ventilation modifications and expense. This scenario will require the technicians to be conscious of other hoods when needing to work at full open sash positions, but without the I-S solution, the renovation is limited to two fume hoods.

Example 2 – Night Setback:

Continuing with the above example, perhaps this lab also wants to conserve energy when the lab is not in use (overnight). I-S hoods can be calibrated to a low-flow setting when the sash is closed. If the above lab is 6250 square feet and needs to accommodate 4 air changes per hour (ACH) during lab vacancy, a total 25,000 cubic feet per hour needs to be exhausted, roughly 420 CFM. At this rate, the three I-S hoods can be set to exhaust 140 CFM each to accommodate for unoccupied air change requirements for the lab––again an option unavailable with a constant volume system.

I-S Fume Hoods, providing the exceptional high-performance fume hoods Labconco is known for, now with Automatic Position Exhaust.

Have a question about how I-S Fume Hoods would fit into your lab? Contact one of our Project Development Managers for a free assessment. 

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