Laboratory Gas Generators - Staying in touch With

In recent years, the growing involving advanced analytical instruments in the pharmaceutical R&D and the continuous developments particularly in the field of LC/MS technology, have brought forth a significant increase in laboratory gas demands. With cost-cutting and process improvement being the main focus in this competitive global market, many pharmaceutical labs are making the switch from traditional gas supplies to laboratory gas generation devices. Pam Barnacle interviews Chris Pugh, Engineering Director at Peak Scientific Instruments, Ltd. about the latest developments in on-site gas generation technology and the numerous benefits gas generators can offer for that modern R&D lab. Q: What always be the most common issues Pharmaceutical labs meet with their traditional instrument gas fabrics? A: The rising cost of gas supplies is definitely the number problem for labs these. Especially when labs are investing in the newest, most sophisticated LCMS equipment they'll often have to deal with big increases in gas consumption rates. Weekly or monthly supply contracts for nitrogen gas cylinders and Liquid nitrogen Dewars can therefore become extremely expensive when adding up all the charges for the gas, the tank rental fees, the delivery fees, etcetera. The inconvenience of continuously having to empty bottles and tanks is another common complaint. It's a laborious process and will eventually take up much of time. Within exchange, you'll need to interrupt the research you're doing in your instrument and watch for the new tank or bottle always be put in place, before you begin again. Furthermore, we often see labs which might be already coping with space restrictions and on top of which have to run a considerable number of bulky liquid nitrogen tanks within that limited space. Needless to say, simply want some extra conducive to an operating and safe workplace. Then several logistical issues with bottled gas supply chain management; constantly having to keep on the surface of your stock control and getting procedures and when you really do need to order more tanks than initially anticipated, will you be able to get them in free time? Health & Safety issues also receive play, particularly with liquid nitrogen Dewars. You can get severe frostbite if you will not be wearing the very best protective gear when handling cryogenic tanks and you always have think about the likelihood of leaks and spills as well as fact that an average Dewar vents about four.3% of its contents on a daily basis. When a large quantity of nitrogen is suddenly released to the climate it can disperse oxygen and cause asphyxiation. Q: In doing what way can nitrogen generators offer a reply for problems? A: A nitrogen generator enables the lab to simply 'make' specific nitrogen at the moment. There's a lot more a should really store big bulky cylinders and tanks in the lab anymore; a single compact nitrogen generator can continuously supply your lab's total necessity for nitrogen gas without ever running from gas. For most labs the fast cost comparison with their existing gas supply signifies that a nitrogen generator offer them going back on purchase of less typical year. When you think of that cylinders may need to be changed once or perhaps twice a day, individuals valuable time that could be better spent more productively. Gas generators are created for 24/7 operation with minimal operator involvement. Simply plug & play and also the generator will automatically deliver the volume of nitrogen you'll need for your analytical instrument(s). Switching to an on-site gas generation solution will therefore also cause an trend of laboratory productivity as researchers can perform their work without trouble. Another major advantage of gas generators is they provide a standardized high purity of nitrogen, therewith eliminating any concerns about potential contaminants entering the gas stream and affecting the final results of your analysis. Purity specification of cylinders and tanks can vary depending inside the source and hydrocarbon contamination is still quite well-liked. Laboratory gas generators are created specifically for operation with analytical instruments regarding LC/MS cause contain top filtration technology which consistently removes all contaminants that are known to affect LC/MS operation, leaving clean, dry, phthalate-free nitrogen. Q: A person nitrogen generators work? A: 78% of the ambient air we breathe is made of nitrogen and essentially what a nitrogen generator does is to temporarily remove the nitrogen molecules from compressed ambient air, another thing the flow of gas is utilized for its intended purpose, the separated nitrogen simply disperses back in the ambient air maintaining the ambient proportion. The nitrogen generator uses either an oil-free compressed air supply, or their own built-in air compressors to secure a pressurized flow of ambient air through a so called hollow fiber nitrogen separation membrane. The membrane conditions the principle of selective permeation of different molecules from the membrane selection. Water vapor and oxygen molecules permeate faster and are vented back to atmosphere, get noticed . larger nitrogen molecules less slower and travel the particular whole time the membrane, effectively separating them from the other ambient air gear. The separated flow of nitrogen is then collected in the small internal receiver tank to allow precise associated with gas supply pressure and flow rate for the consuming device. Nitrogen generators for LC/MS will create the required gas flows at the moment only, meaning that they'll automatically go into stand-by mode when the instrument is not consuming any gas. This ensures minimum running costs and labs will actually be which will significantly reduce their energy consumption rates by switching from liquid tanks to on-site nitrogen generators. Q: How do the continuous innovations in LC/MS technology affect progress of new laboratory gas generators? A: Slimming few years we have witnessed quite a number of innovations in LC/MS/MS technology which had a principal impact on instrument gas requirements. In a cases, the degree of nitrogen required has more than doubled, various other cases a higher nitrogen supply pressure is needed, or multiple different gas flows for certain instrument for example. Peak Scientific quickly found that the existing gas generator products close to the market weren't any longer able to match the ever increasing gas demands from the newest instruments since a result new product developments were needed . As an artist and manufacturer of gas generators, we always need to be on track with poor content . developments in the market. For that reason we work closely with instrument manufacturers assure that our range of gas generators is roughly date capable to meet broad variety several gas requirements in the laboratory segment. LC/MS manufacturers are launching new products every year and the very last thing them attended to realize how crucial it through using be able to offer their customers a made-to-measure gas generator solution in their instrument. Operational cost of new equipment a great important thing to consider at point of purchase and generators are big part in minimizing those bargains. With the increasingly range of of different gas requirements out there, new generator products frequently custom needed for specific instruments. Quite regularly, instrument manufacturers approach Peak Scientific straight away to develop a bespoke gas generator in a new instrument or technology that set in the direction. As a company we always welcome these challenges to design the most cost-effective and convenient gas supply solution, over and above our clients' expectations. But it isn't just the instrument's requirements that are taken into account when it appears to developing new products. Our customer's wishes and suggestions are also taken on board and we always the particular changing operational requirements contemporary labs, to ensure to continuously improve our products' performance and ease of use. Q: Are you able to name a few examples of these improvements? A: Our newest product ranges a lot more compact in comparison with previous generator selections. Space is money as they say; particularly in laboratories. For the reason we made sure our generators do require up a lot more space than absolutely necessary. The majority of our nitrogen generators for LC/MS can be either wall-mounted or they can fit under any standard lab-bench. Another major improvement was the decrease in noise levels on our generator models with built-in air converters. At less than A reduction of maintenance intervals and enhancement of our built-in compressor and filtration technology also make the generators increased equipped for continuous operation. More and more labs are running samples 24/7, and our generators require to be qualified to keep at the top of those operational conditions. We even developed a special range of fail-safe generators with internal air supply, designed for situations where unplanned down-time simply isn't an option and confidence in the generator is important. Furthermore, and purchase have a selection of self-contained generator models which are capable of supplying gases to multiple instruments at the same time. This is specially useful for labs where house air supplies aren't readily made available. Q: A person the alterations in the laboratory gas generator market benefit pharmaceutical labs nowadays? A: With instrument manufacturers becoming more involved with gas supply solutions nowadays, laboratories often have the choice to purchase an entirely instrument package from their instrument vendor, which already includes a fervent gas dynamo. This enables simplified purchasing from distinct source, whilst at the same time offering the peace of mind that generator will see the instruments' exact gas demands with regards to flow-rate, purity and pressure. Another benefit the current gas generator market has to offer is point . amount of several generator options you can decide from appropriate now. Each lab situation varies and has its own unique requirements for gas supplies depending about the type and quantity of instruments these kinds of are operating. Will be always a good solution available and Peak Scientific's dedicated specialists will than pleased to assist labs with determining the right solution for them. Q: What do you predict for future developments associated with gas generator market? A: Peak Scientific tend to be bringing range of custom-design products into the LC/MS market this summer and we're also wanting to launch several entirely new product ranges later this year. As average lab sizes increase and moving to larger premises, we're also seeing a growth market in high purity/ high flow nitrogen generators that are able to supply multiple labs, or any laboratory building from a sole source. We have dedicated a specific section individual business development of quick and efficient solutions for large scale laboratory nitrogen projects. Labs can feel comfortable knowing that bulk nitrogen tanks are more time the only option. This certainly not period to be complacent, just like any new developments in analytical instrument technology or the actual world laboratory market overall, may well call for that development of one other new generator product immediately. For us, as well as for our own customers; the opportunities are endless. For more visit http://www.peakscientific.com