Genie’s Perchloric Acid Fume Hoods
This entry was posted on Monday, May 7th, 2012.
Genie offers Perchloric acid fume hood for the safe handling of Perchloric acid. Perchloric acid is a dangerous oxidizer when in contact with organic materials it can create explosive reactions. Due to this fact, specially designed fume hoods for these applications have been designed.
The Genie Perchloric Acid fume hood has the same aerodynamic design as the flush mount airfoil series, with 45-degree angle around the fascia and a flush-mount radiused airfoil across the bottom to minimize turbulence and provide increased performance.
This hood is a battle tank built, the interior is integrally welded type 316 stainless steel also welded to the type 316 work surface, then buffed and polished to a #4 finish. The top is 1 ¼” thick with a ¼” dish to retain any dangerous spills. The airfoil and sash are made from type 316 stainless.
Perchlorics are water soluble chemical so water is used to help contain the hazards. Each hood is equipped with a water wash-down system to provide complete coverage of the area behind the back baffles. The work surface needs to be watertight because of the manual wash-down that must be done after experiments. There is a built-in trough to capture runoff.
For safety reasons these fume hoods are single usage, meaning only acid digestion of Perchlorics is be allowed. It should never be used for general purpose chemistry. Each individual Perchloric acid fume hood must have its own dedicated ductwork and exhaust system. They can never be connected to a central HVAC system. The ductwork should be a straight run and short as possible, meaning these hoods need to be on the top floors of a lab or in single story builds.
The exhaust fan needs to be explosion proof and out of the airstream to further minimize the risk of fire or explosion. Also, the ductwork will need a wash-down system as well to prevent acid crystals from forming. It must include the entire ducting, blower, and exhaust stack. And remember to always break down and remove all experiment from the hood and turn off the exhaust blower prior to wash-down cycle.
Perchloric hoods should always be constructed from stainless steel. It is not suggested to use any form of plastic because of the potential fire hazard. Many local fire codes will not allow the use of plastics in Perchloric hoods. Be safe and stick with stainless steel.
Contact Genie Scientific today to speak with a fume hood expert.
