Laboratory/Perchloric Acid Fumes
Our laboratory exhaust systems are designed to safely exhaust corrosive or explosive fumes and gases. Our units have been used for more than 50 years in perchloric acid fume exhaust systems. Exhaust paths are completely free of moving parts, meaning exhaust systems require little to no maintenance. Plus, our laboratory exhaust systems can be customized to your lab’s unique specifications, like adding a remote blower location, fabricating your system with 309 or 316 stainless steel or providing up to 3,000 fpm velocity when required.
LABORATORY/PERCHLORIC ACID FUMES
Background
Our customer, a large university located in the Southwest region of the United States had added greater research capabilities to its chemistry lab and required a Perchloric Acid Exhaust Solution.
Problem
Overall, the chemistry lab needed a unique solution to exhaust dangerous fumes safely while also maintaining the integrity of the exhaust system and outdoor structure.
Solution
Quickdraft provided a custom Venturi exhaust system with outdoor accessories and applied a special coating on the interior flow path of all ducting, since hydrochloric acid is corrosive to 316 stainless steel. An additional benefit of our Venturi exhauster is the “centering phenomenon” created by the unique and patented nozzle design of the Venturi which causes the exhaust air and fumes to remain mostly in the center of the unit, thus reducing the corrosive effect of the fumes and vapors on the metal.
Quickdraft added an extension to accommodate the 20 foot stack and a special removable spray nozzles to keep the system free of residue, thus enhancing the safety of the perchloric exhaust system. We added a TY stack component on the inlet of our Venturi unit to pull additional CFM into the exhaust system to obtain a total discharge airflow of at least 5000 CFM at a minimum velocity of 3000 FPM. We also provided the roof equipment and weather protection to round out this comprehensive exhaust system.
Results
The customer has not had any issues with lab exhaust since the new system was installed. Overall maintenance is drastically reduced, and students and faculty are able to safely complete their research without any issues.