What Are The Correct Opening And Closing Techniques for The Operation Window of A Fume Hood?

The correct opening and closing of the operation window of the fume hood is crucial for ensuring experimental safety, maintaining ventilation effectiveness, and guaranteeing the convenience of operation for laboratory personnel. The following is a detailed introduction from several aspects including pre-operation preparations, opening techniques, closing techniques, and handling of special situations:

Preparations before operation

Check the window status: Before opening or closing the operation window of the fume hood, carefully inspect the window for any damage, such as whether the glass has cracks or the frame is deformed. If any abnormality is found, the use should be stopped immediately and professional personnel should be contacted for repair to avoid the leakage of harmful gases or other safety accidents caused by the damage of the window during operation.

Clean the operation area: Ensure that the operation area inside the fume hood is clean and tidy, with no accumulated debris. Debris may impede the normal opening and closing of the window, and may also be carried by the airflow during operation, interfering with experiments or damaging equipment.

Activate the technique

Slow and steady operation: When opening the operation window of the fume hood, the movement should be slow and steady, avoiding rapid and forceful pulling. A sudden and forceful opening may cause a violent collision between the window and the frame, which not only damages the window and the frame but also may lead to an instant disruption of the airflow inside the fume hood, affecting the ventilation effect. For example, just like we gently open a door instead of pushing it hard, this can reduce the impact on the door and the surrounding structures.

Follow the correct direction: Open the window in the direction specified in the design of the fume hood. Generally speaking, the Windows of most fume hoods slide up and down or push and pull left and right. Operations must be carried out strictly in this direction. If forced to open in the opposite direction, it may cause the window to derailment, get stuck or damage the transmission components.

Control the opening amplitude: Reasonably control the opening amplitude of the window according to the experimental requirements. When conducting experiments that produce a large amount of harmful gases, the window should be opened to a considerable extent to ensure sufficient ventilation so that the harmful gases can be discharged in a timely manner. When conducting some experiments that are sensitive to airflow, such as microanalysis experiments, the opening amplitude can be appropriately reduced to minimize the interference of airflow on the experiments. However, it should be noted that the window should not be completely closed. A certain gap should be maintained to ensure a continuous airflow inside the fume hood and prevent the accumulation of harmful gases within it.

Closing technique

Ensure the experiment is completed: Before closing the operation window of the fume hood, make sure that the experiment is over and that the harmful gases inside the fume hood have been basically discharged. It can be judged by observing the exhaust conditions of the fume hood and detecting the concentration of harmful gases, etc. If the window is closed before the experiment is completed or the harmful gases are completely discharged, it may cause the harmful gases to leak into the laboratory environment, posing a threat to the laboratory personnel.

Close and check slowly: When closing the window, operate slowly as well to avoid generating excessive impact force. During the closing process, pay attention to observing whether the window can close smoothly and whether there is any lag or abnormal noise. If any abnormality is found, the shutdown operation should be stopped immediately, the cause checked and dealt with.

Fully closed in place: Ensure that the window is fully closed in place to make it closely adhere to the frame and prevent the leakage of harmful gases. You can determine whether the window is closed well by gently shaking the window or observing whether the sealing strip fits tightly.

Handling of special circumstances

Window stuck: If the window gets stuck during the opening or closing process, do not operate it forcefully to avoid damaging the device. First, check if there are any foreign objects blocking. If so, carefully remove the foreign objects. If there are no obvious foreign objects, it might be a problem with the transmission components. Professional maintenance personnel should be contacted for handling.

In case of emergency, such as fire or leakage of harmful gases, the operation window of the fume hood should be closed promptly to reduce the spread of harmful gases. At the same time, corresponding measures should be taken in accordance with the emergency plan of the laboratory, such as evacuating personnel and activating the emergency ventilation system, etc.