A vacuum glove box is framed for a negative pressure environment inside a usual room. In a compact vacuum glove box taking the assistance of a vacuum pump, gases along with air are passed off and are supplanted by nitrogen and argon gas. This creates a research-friendly environment without any possible chance of suffocation of reactive gases.
These vacuum glove boxes are generally air-locked rooms having gauges and flanges which helps for the passage of oxygen without applying costly inert gases.
Features:
A compact vacuum glove box is of an unusual layout in the outside market. It promises to create a working atmosphere in the lab or studio in a very less operating time. The full box is composed of stainless steel material without any chemical corrosion and also is convenient for cleaning. No pollution takes place with these boxes. The winow from where one can view is broad, transparent, and luminous. Also, there is a perforated electrical socket present in the vacuum glove box making it easy for the scientists to use. One can also arrange an electrical furnace inside the globe box for semi-heat conduction.
Tips while buying the glove box
When one is thinking to buy a compact vacuum glove box he should consider the following points:
- Any latex or rubber gloves as part of the equipment are not capable of extreme temperature and prevention of corrosion.
- One must opt for a vacuum pump based on the size of the glove box.
- In most markets, plates are only present in STX-3 boxes and not in other kinds like AOT-STX boxes.
- A 5-6 mm thick stainless steel plate is better than any 3-4 mm stainless steel plate.
- It can be considered as a bulky cargo because of its heavyweight ranging between 130-150 kg.
And as an additional tip for buying a vacuum glove box,one must opt for such a box keeping in mind the dimension of the laboratory door.
Common methods for operating compact vacuum glove boxes
When one operates a Compact Vacuum Glove Box there are certain common methods one has to follow for its swift functioning. Some of the methods used are listed below:
The first one is the process of regeneration. In this process, one has to clean the tangled oxygen and water (H20) from the cleanser. This is the most common process for a given box and must be undergone at least one time in an entire year.
For this minimum 140 cu. ft of the mentioned gas in the glove box requirements are needed.
The second procedure is called purging which is done when the oxygen or the water level is about a hundred PPM. In that case, one should continue to purge until the oxygen level comes down below a hundred ppm. It is essential after the process of regeneration also.
One should also perform purging when there are more chemicals and solvents are present inside the compact vacuum glove box.
Another essential process to follow for a compact vacuum box is the pressure fixing inside the glove box. It is advised by the experts to adjust to increasing the pressure of the box to such a level that comforts the researcher. One can also go for a default pressure setting system if one does not know much about the manual setting of pressure.
If a glove box is left unused for many days then a pressure setting in positive will be ideal.
The next method is that of leakage testing. This is especially needed after one alters any gas cylinder. At that time checking for regulators and other cylinder connections is mandatory. One can take the help of an operational manual for checking leakages in an altered way.
One must also do an antechamber test by following the instructions given in the manual. To eliminate the maximum percentage of oxygen and hydrogen from the room the practice of evacuation and refilling is required at least two times. If bringing a quality compact vacuum glove box then they have an automatic functioning system which will proceed with the other experiment-related task side by side the process of evacuation and refilling.
Thus, one must purchase a compact vacuum glove box keeping into consideration all the necessary details associated with it and for further convenience should also know the processes involved for maintaining the stability of this vacuum give boxes.
