Alternatives to Traditional Fume Hoods: Ductless Enclosures And Fume Hoods

By Gary Roepke, Senior Project Engineer, Labconco Corporation

Safety is the primary purpose of any filtered enclosure or ventilated fume hood. In most situations, fume hoods remain the equipment of choice for ventilating hazardous airborne chemicals from the laboratory. However, there are applications where a ductless enclosure or ductless fume hood provides convenience and flexibility beyond what a traditional fume hood offers. For example:

• Ductless enclosures allow placement and flexibility in hard to duct areas such as the center or bottom level of a several story building.
• Ductless enclosures do not carry the initial expense and coordination of ductwork installation.
• Ductless enclosures are portable allowing them to be shared among several laboratories or stored when not in use.
• Ductless enclosures have no make up air requirements, and therefore may be used in air-starved laboratories.
• Ductless enclosures provide significant energy savings since costly tempered air is not exhausted from the laboratory.