Inert purge unit was developed to enable laboratories to comply with a new European Union law on the control of explosive mixtures in the workplace - the Atex directive
Genevac has announced the availability of a new inert purge unit for its EZ-2 range of solvent evaporators.
The EZ-2 inert purge unit was developed to enable laboratories to comply with a new European Union law on the control of explosive mixtures in the workplace (Atex directive 137) introduced on 1 July 2003.
The directive uses the familiar zoning concept to define increasing risk of a vapour/air mixture igniting explosively.
Lab managers must decide for themselves which zone their laboratory falls under for Atex 137 purposes.
The inside of an evaporator has to be categorised according to the solvents in use.
The EZ-2 solvent evaporator can safely remove most organic solvents without forming an explosive mixture of organic vapour and air, but for use with inflammable liquids such as diethyl ether it is now mandatory to use the EZ-2 inert purge unit.
The inert purge unit works by controlling the flow of nitrogen from a cylinder to the evaporation chamber and is interlocked with the EZ-2 operating system.
Flooding the chamber with nitrogen before evaporation commences removes the explosion risk entirely.
A run can only commence when the chamber has been purged to a pre-set over pressure, which is automatically detected by the EZ-2.
If this pressure is not reached, for example because the lid has not sealed properly or the drain valve has been left open, the EZ-2 fails safe and will not allow evaporation to commence.
In addition, the inert purge unit has an easy to read regulator indicating cylinder gas pressure and an interlock, which prevents purge commencing if the cylinder pressure is too low.
A secure key switch allows managers to dictate that purge must be used at all times if this is deemed necessary.
Taken together, this makes the new EZ-2 inert purge unit a valuable tool to help managers meet the requirements of this new directive in full and for any working solvent.
If managers are concerned about other solvents, such as pentane, which might pose a similar risk, the inert purge unit offers a convenient and cost-effective way to meet the requirements for use in a safe zone as set out in Atex 137.
