Basic Documentation
Table Of Contents
- About this Application Guide
- Chapter 1–Introduction
- Chapter 2–Goals of the Laboratory Environment
- Chapter 3–Unique Ventilation Needs of a Laboratory Facility
- Chapter 4–Ventilation Systems Classification
- Chapter 5–Laboratory Facility Exhaust Systems
- Chapter 6–Laboratory Containment Units - Ventilation
- Chapter 7–Room Ventilation, Makeup Air, and Pressurization Control Systems
- Chapter 8–Laboratory Temperature and Humidity Control Systems
- Chapter 9–Laboratory Emergencies - Ventilation System Response
- Chapter 10–Laboratory Ventilation System - Validation
- Chapter 11–Laboratory Ventilation System - Commissioning
- Glossary
- Index
Laboratory Exhaust Air
ROOF
Figure 3. Individual Exhaust System Arrangement Illustrating Separate Exhaust Fans
and Exhaust Stacks.
Choosing the most applicable arrangement for a facility includes many
considerations. The first is typically cost which must include the initial cost and
ongoing costs. Ongoing costs primarily include electrical power and maintenance.
Aside from cost, other considerations include space requirements, expansion
considerations, reliability and redundancy. All of these factors are individually
addressed in this section.
Individual Exhaust Systems
Individual exhaust systems, similar to Figure 3, are commonly used in many
laboratories. As Figure 3 illustrates, each containment unit (chemical fume hood,
exhausted biosafety cabinet, and sometimes even a canopy hood or specialty
exhaust) is separately ducted to an individual exhaust fan typically located on the
roof. Each exhaust fan must also have a discharge stack to ensure that the exhaust
is discharged sufficiently high above the roof to prevent re-entry into fresh air intakes
or exposure to a worker that may be on the roof. An individual exhaust arrangement
is suitable for certain laboratory facilities since it can offer these advantages:
• It may use a short simple exhaust duct arrangement and be the most cost
effective solution for a facility with a limited number of containment units that
are located in different areas of a building.
• Each containment unit has its own fan, so an individual fan failure only
affects the one containment unit.
• Individual exhaust systems are simple to set up and maintain.
In general, individual exhaust system configurations are most applicable to a single
story building with a small number of containment units, especially when the
containment units are located some distance apart.
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