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This is the second in our series of articles introducing things you may not know about the Whitley range of products – read on and you may find out something new about your workstation or spiral plater that could make your working life easier.
DYK2: Whitley Hypoxystation Humidifier
The Whitley H35 Hypoxystation can be fitted with an optional automatic humidifier but we are often asked the question: how does it work?
How do I know when I need to add moisture?
A sensor on the Hypoxystation determines when moisture should be added to the atmosphere in the chamber, based on the relative humidity (RH) level you have set.
How is the moisture added?
A boiler, maintained at a holding temperature of just under the boiling point of water, is quickly brought up to an operating temperature of 105°C. Then a small amount of water from the reservoir of de-ionised water situated on the side of the cabinet is added to the boiler using a peristaltic pump. This water is instantly converted into a fine plume of steam. A fan-assisted airflow gently introduces the steam into the chamber. This is absorbed rapidly by the chamber atmosphere.
How often does this happen?
The process is automatically repeated until the sensor determines that sufficient moisture has been added.
Does the operator have to do anything?
Other than setting the required RH using the touchscreen, keeping your cabinet clean as you normally would and replenishing the water reservoir when prompted by the system – no!
What about introducing contamination?
The water is sterile, it is heated to 105°C and the steam is introduced as a fine plume of water vapour so there is little risk of contamination. No trays of standing water required!
Extensive laboratory tests during product development proved that using this method did not introduce contamination. Interestingly, even when we deliberately added bacteria to the water reservoir, we proved that by boiling the water and introducing moisture in the form of steam, no bacterial contamination was transferred to the workstation chamber.
How did DWS come up with this system?
We looked at a lot of different methods of introducing moisture but after comprehensive testing we found that this was the only system that did not introduce contamination. The Whitley Humidifier is rapid and responsive, allowing you to adjust the RH on demand unlike using a tray of water.
If you have any further questions about this process, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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