Laboratory Centrifuge

Laboratory Centrifuge

* Used to sediment or deposit rapidly particles such as cells which may be suspended in a fluid.
* The speed is 3000 rpm + 10 minutes (suitable for blood and body specimen).
* The time of centrifugation is equally important for a definite period to obtain the desired effect.

Types of Centrifuge

Hand centrifuge

* Fixed to the bench, the handle is rotated manually. It gives low speeds only.


Motor-driven centrifuge

* Operated thorough main electricity supply.
* The tubes may be kept in a fixed angle head or in a swing out head.


Microhematocrit centrifuge

* Also motor driven for finding out packed cell volume (PCV) of red blood cell (RBC).
* In this, blood-filled capillary tubes are spun and later the percentage of RBC-filled column is estimated

Use and Care

* Strong potential for harming users due to the high speed at which they operate
* Should be installed according to the manufacturer specifications
* Do not locate the instrument near areas containing flammable reagents or where vibration will cause items to fall off nearby shelves.

Routine Maintenance

Clean interior, condenser coils, fan, and screens.

Investigate unusual noises or vibrations.

Inspect for evidence of wear, cracks in fitting, corrosion, uneven wear, or signs of fatigue:

* Head, shaft head and coupling
* Rotor
* Brushes and bearings
* Power supply
* Motor and lubricant
* Gaskets, seals, mounts and lubricants

Analytical Balance

* Accurate and precise instruments used to measure masses.
* Require a draft-free location on a solid bench that is free of vibrations.
* Should be calibrated periodically with a standard mass

Operating Instructions

* Before turning on, be sure that the doors are closed and the pan is not touching the draft ring.
* Turn on by pushing down on the gray bar and letting up quickly.
* Push again if the digital readout does not show 0.0000 g.
* Place object in the center of the pan and close door's.
* Allow display to stabilize; (g) will appear after the numerical display.
* Read (record) result, remove object from pan, leave doors closed and re-zero if necessary.

Care and Use

* Do not bump or place objects on the bench after zeroing the balance.
* Mass powders on paper or dishes. Handle objects with tongs, tweezers, gloves, or paper to prevent fingerprints.
* Let hot objects cool before massing.
* Mass hygroscopic materials rapidly since they will absorb water during massing.
* When making repetitive massing always use the same procedure.
* It should be kept perfectly horizontal by altering the screws on which the equipment stands.
* Chemicals, etc should never be placed directly on the pans. Weigh them in a container.
* The balance should be at rest before adding or removing the weights or chemicals.
* Before taking the reading, the glass window of the instrument should be closed.
* DO NOT go off and leave spilled chemicals on or around the balance

Analytical Balance

Water Bath

Device that maintains water at a constant temperatureElectrically heatedHas a thermostatic temperature regulatorProvide temperature ranging from room temperature to 100◦C. Various sizes to suit various workloads are available. Types of water bath.

Unstirred water baths

The cheapest laboratory baths Least accurate temperature control because the water is only circulated by convection and so is not uniformly heated.

Stirred water baths

Have more accurate temperature control.In-built pump/circulator or a removable immersion thermostat / circulator (some of which can pump the bath liquid externally into an instrument and back into the bath).

Shaking water baths

Have a speed controlled shaking platform tray (usually reciprocal motion i.e. back and forwards, although orbital motion is available with some brands) to which adaptors can be added to hold different vessels.

Cooled water baths

Available as either an integrated system with the cooling system (compressor, condenser, etc.) built into the laboratory water baths or using a standard water bath as above using an immersion thermostat / circulator with a separate cooling system such as an immersion coil or liquid circulated from a circulating cooler.

Boiling water baths

Usually designed with an analogue control to control water temperature from simmering up to boiling and have a water level device so that the bath does not run dry and an over temperature cut-out thermostat fitted to or near the heating element.

Cooling circulators

Vary in size, cooling capacity / heat removal, temperature accuracy, flow rate, etc. and are used to cool laboratory water baths or remove heat from another piece of equipment by circulating the cooled water / liquid through it and back to the circulator 1

Water Bath Controls Temperature Control: All water baths have a control to set temperature. This control can be digital or a dial. Often there is an indicator light associated with this control. When the light is on the water bath is heating. When the water bath reaches the set temperature, it will cycle on and off to maintain constant temperature.

Safety Control: Most water baths have a second control called the safety. This control is set at the maximum temperature the water bath should attain. It is usually set just above the temperature control. Often an indicator light is associated with the safety control. If the water bath reaches the temperature that the safety control is set at, the light will go on. It will be impossible for the water bath to heat higher than the safety setting even when the temperature setting is higher. If your water bath stays a temperature lower than the temperature control setting, try increasing the safety control setting.

Shaking Control: Shaking water baths have additional controls for shaking. The shaking mechanism can be turned on or off. The speed of shaking can also be set. Cultures grown in liquid media are often shaken to allow constant mixing with air and oxygen with the culture

Incubator

Incubator

* Works on electricity
* Regulates temperature thermostatically
* Necessary for various investigations where body temperature 37◦C or otherwise incubation is required

Types of Incubator

Refrigerated Incubator

* These incubators allow operation with high precision at any temperature in their range.
* Ideal for below ambient use or shelf-life trials.

CO2 Incubator

* For cell culture work which requires accurately controlled CO2 concentration and high humidity within the chamber.
* These models provide particularly stable operation without condensation in the chamber.

Analogue Incubator

* Designed for routine incubation, these models provide consistent incubation with minimized drying out of agar plates.

Digital Incubator

* These floor standing incubators offer large capacities and are also ideal for housing racks of equipment like roller culture apparatus.
* Internal power sockets are included.

Autoclave

Autoclave

* Specialized piece of equipment designed to deliver heat under pressure to a chamber, with the goal of decontaminating or sterilizing the contents of the chamber.

Types of Autoclave

* Front loading (cylindrical chamber or rectangular chamber from 40 litre to 700 litre)
* Top loading (cylindrical chamber from 60 litre to 200 litre)
* Pass through or double-ended (so that load enters in one room and is taken out when autoclaved via other door in an adjoining room). Cylindrical chambers of 150 or 200 litre and rectangular chambers of 350, 450 or 700 litre).
* Most sizes of laboratory autoclaves can be supplied as either electric heating (heats water in the autoclave to produce the steam) or steam heating (live steam introduced from external source)

General Safety Procedures

* Personnel who operate the autoclave must be trained to understand proper packaging, loading, labeling, as well as operation and emergency procedures.
* Always manipulate hot items with a thick glove designed for this purpose.
* At the completion of the cycle, allow the autoclave unit to cool down before opening.
* Then stand back and crack the door slowly so as to allow the excess steam to escape.
* Some older autoclaves have little or no heat shielding.
* Warning signs alerting users to these hot surfaces should be placed next to the autoclave to remind personnel of this hazard. Do not stack or store combustible materials such as cardboard or plastic containers, or flammable liquids next to the autoclave.

Analyzers Instruments

ARCHITECT ci 8200

* This analyzer is the first truly Integrated Clinical Chemistry and Immunoassay Analyzer to be installed in the Asia Pacific region.
* It delivers a faster turnaround time, with 83 Assays on Board; it has the ability to generate 1,400 tests per hour

Cell-DYN 3700 Analyzer

* In the Haematology section the laboratory has a cell counter system, which is fully automated.
* It has a sample loader and can provide continuous closed sampling at any given time.
* The analyzer has a multi-parameter function and its technology incorporates the laser as an optical count and impedance count as an electrical impu lse.
* To be more precise and accurate, these two methods interact or complement each other before a final result is reported

Dia-Med Gel Card Analyzer

* In transfusion medicine department, the laboratory has a semi-automated Gel Card ID System.
* To ensure reliability and to enhance patient care the laboratory does all the cross-matching and donor screening for atypical antibodies in the Gel Card System.
* This system offers standardization, and a rapid, simple way to detect blood incompatibility and also to detect atypical antibodies present in the blood.

Automated Vitek 32 Analyzer

* In medical microbiology department, the laboratory has installed the first automated Vitek 32.
* Following the National Committee of Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS), the analyzer automatically identifies the genus species of the bacteria present and the antibiotic sensitivity testing all at the same time.
* This saves time and ensures reliability of test results.

Fume Hood

Fume Hood in Chemistry Lab (KLMU)

In chemistry laboratories, fume hood is a large piece of scientific equipment that is commonly found. It is designed to limit a person’s exposure to hazardous fumes. There are two main types of unit exist which are ducted and recalculating. Basically, the principles for all units are same in which air is drawn in from the front of the cabinet by a fan and expelled either outside the building, or made safe through filtration and fed back into the room. In recent years, laboratory fume manufacturers have developed and introduced energy-efficient low flow or high performance fume hoods designed to maintain or improve operator protection while reducing expensive HVAC operating costs.

Perchloric acid unit is featured by a waterwash system in the ductwork. Due to Perchloric acid fumes settle and form explosive crystals, it is vital the ductwork is cleaned internally with a series of sprays.Waterwash unit fume hoods have an internal wash system that cleans the interior of the unit, to prevent a build-up of dangerous chemicals. Scrubber unit fume hoods absorb the fumes through a chamber filled with plastic shapes, which are doused with water. The chemicals are washed into a sump, which is often filled with a neutralizing liquid. The fumes are then dispersed of in the conventional manner

Introduction to Water Distiller

Pesticides, fertilizers and industrial pollution enter our water as it cycles through the environment. As water moves through the atmosphere and ground, it acts like a large sponge and picks up mineral, chemical and gaseous pollutants.

To find water that has not been affected by pollution finds us drilling deeper and deeper wells. This water has been under ground a long time and contains heavy mineral contents. These minerals are not in balance with those found in the human blood stream, and can cause or aggravate health problems such as bladder stones, arthritis and hardening of the arteries to mention a few.

Any quality water distiller will remove most solids, salts, nitrates, bacteria and even heavy metals. Most water distillers on the market today require activated carbon filtration to remove organic chemicals, but some of the filters deteriorate with use, "dumping" stored chemicals into the purified water if not regularly replaced.

In addition, some contaminants boil at a lower temperature than water. These may rise and condense with the steam, tainting the purified water. Holes in the condensing coil don't do much but waste steam. Any stainless steel distiller has a strong likelihood of actually adding metallic contaminants; some other distillers add plastic residues.

Different Types of Distiller

Water DistillerTM

Description

* Scientifically designed to assure removal of volatile chemical contaminants.
* Made from inert Pyrex glass to eliminate the metallic contamination that can be caused by stainless steel.
* The clear PyrexR components of the Water DistillerTM make the distillation process strikingly observable.

Advantages

* Small
* Automatic
* Portable
* Easy to use & clean

Comparison with other types of distiller

The Process

* The Water DistillerTM, uses a two-stage system to remove disease-causing biological, mineral and chemical contaminants.
* First, cooling water is circulated through the condensing coil (A), warming to nearly boiling temperature. Dissolved gas bubbles appear in the coil and are discharged into the reservoir (B), either escaping here or discharged (C) to the drain.
* In the second stage, some chemicals left after step one may rise with the steam to be vented (F) from the condensing chamber (D), while others remain in the boiler (E) to be washed down the drain with minerals and other heavy contaminants. Test results reveal better than 98% removal of toxic wastes on a consistent basis, without carbon filtration.

One Gallon Water Distiller

Product Description:

* This distiller provides laboratory grade water using the oldest and most effective method of water treatment.
* With this unit you can make purified water whenever you need it, right at the bench for a gallon.
* The distiller removes up to 99% of most tap water contaminants.
* Includes carbon cartridge which aids in removing volatile organics.
* Its ease of operation makes it ideal for any medical or laboratory application
* Unit automatically shuts off at 1 gallon cycle.