Lab Gas Safety & Choosing the Right Generator - Europe 

Extracted text

Your local gas generation partner
Lab Gas Safety and choosing the right generator

Confidential, unpublished property of Peak Scientific Instruments Ltd. Do not duplicate or distribute. Use and distribution limited solely to authorized personnel. © 2019 Peak Scientific Instruments Ltd.

Today

-

Introduction to Peak Scientific, our products & service
Gas safety in the laboratory
Covid-19 and gas safety
LC-MS gas – key considerations
GC gas – key considerations
Useful links and further reading

About Peak, our products & service

Inside Peak

Gas generators for scientific applications
Business Focus

>500 Staff globally
Over 50% internationally, outside UK

>50,000 generators
Global install base

Established 1997
Over two decades experience in the laboratory gas market

Our Promise
Our commitment is to provide laboratories with a reliable gas
generation solution that delivers long term value. We achieve
this through exceptional product design, and direct global onsite support that is unmatched in our industry.
We take a vested interest in customer outcomes and strive
to be a valued partner in their success by delivering
exceptional service over the life of our product.

Our service – local to you EMEA

Directly supporting our customers in the field
is central to our proposition.
Rapid response and >95% First Time Fix
Rate (FTFR) ensures maximum uptime.

Why a Peak gas generator?

Gas generators provide a number of benefits

Convenience
Gas on-demand, no
cylinders to change or
maintain supply stocks

Green
No repeated gas
deliveries, energy
efficient

Consistency
Consistent gas quality
and supply, no impurities
or running out of gas

Economy
Eliminate on-going costs
of cylinders, manage
lifetime running costs

Safety
No pressurized
compressed gas
cylinders in your lab

Independent
Reduce reliance on third
party suppliers for gas
deliveries

Certification

Evaluated and certified to ensure
compliance with both EMC and
electrical safety of the system in the
laboratory environment.

Certified to ensure it can be safely
operated, without risk of radiation
frequencies causing
interference/damage.

Peak gas generators meet the
stringent demands of one of the
world’s most respected safety
marks.

Confidential, unpublished property of Peak Scientific Instruments Ltd. Do not duplicate or distribute. Use and distribution limited solely to authorised personnel. © 2020 Peak Scientific Instruments Ltd.

Gas safety in the laboratory

Gas safety in the laboratory

On-site gas storage has many risks:
 Handling heavy cylinders poses a risk to lab worker health
 Pressurized cylinders contain risk of potential explosion
 Inert gases pose a risk of asphyxiation following leaks from
cylinders or dewars
 Hydrogen cylinders have potential to reach explosive limits if
displacing air

All of these dangers can be
avoided by installing an
on-site gas generator

Nitrogen safety

Effects of decreasing O2 levels

O2 (Vol %)

Effects and Symptoms

18-21

No discernible symptoms can be detected by the individual. A
risk assessment must be undertaken to understand the causes
and determine whether it is safe to continue working

11-18

Reduction of physical and intellectual performance without the
sufferer being aware.

8-11

Possibility of fainting withing a few minutes without prior warning.
Risk of death below 11%.

6-8

Fainting occurs after a short time. Resuscitation possible if
carried out immediately.

0-6

Fainting almost immediate. Brain damage, even if rescued.

Ref. EIGA Hazards of inert gases and oxygen depletion, IGC Doc 44/09/E

Effects of decreasing O2 levels
 A lab measuring 5m x 5m x 3m has an air volume of 75000L
 O2 content would normally be 21% (15,750L)
 11% O2 content is 8250L

 If we displace 7500L, there is a serious risk of death
7500L = <11L LN2
7500L = <1 tank of N2
Nitrogen gas generators only temporarily separate Nitrogen and Oxygen,
meaning that they pose no risk to lab personnel

Ref. EIGA Hazards of inert gases and oxygen depletion, IGC Doc 44/09/E

Nitrogen in the lab
Both Nitrogen dewars and cylinders store enough liquid or gaseous nitrogen to pose
a significant risk of asphyxiation in the event of a leak.

LN2 Dewars
1L of LN2 = 698 L N2 gas
50L dewar contains 34,800L gas

Gas Cylinders
A 50L cylinder contains 9000L
gas at 200bar pressure

Gas generators
Contain <50L gas at <8.5
bar pressure

Ref. EIGA Hazards of inert gases and oxygen depletion, IGC Doc 44/09/E

Hydrogen safety

Confidential, unpublished property of Peak Scientific Instruments Ltd. Do not duplicate or distribute. Use and distribution limited solely to authorised personnel. © 2020 Peak Scientific Instruments Ltd.

Confidential, unpublished property of Peak Scientific Instruments Ltd. Do not duplicate or distribute. Use and distribution limited solely to authorised personnel. © 2020 Peak Scientific Instruments Ltd.

Confidential, unpublished property of Peak Scientific Instruments Ltd. Do not duplicate or distribute. Use and distribution limited solely to authorised personnel. © 2020 Peak Scientific Instruments Ltd.

Confidential, unpublished property of Peak Scientific Instruments Ltd. Do not duplicate or distribute. Use and distribution limited solely to authorised personnel. © 2020 Peak Scientific Instruments Ltd.

Lab Gas Safety &
Covid-19

Reducing contact transmissions with a gas generator
Deliveries:
 Consider the number of deliveries
to your lab and facility of bottled or
liquid gas
 With a gas generator these
deliveries can be removed as gas is
generated on demand

Reducing contact transmissions with a gas generator
Manual Handling
 When changing over cylinders and
dewars contact needs to be made
with the cylinder and it can be
awkward to maneuver
 A gas generator offers simple
maneuverability and easy to clean
buttons and surfaces to reduce the
spread of covid 19 in your facility

LC-MS gas – key considerations

LC-MS gas – key considerations
What do you need to know to find out the best gas solution for your LC-MS?
-

What is your instrument make and model?
Number of instruments to supply?
Gas solution validated by instrument manufacturer?
Is there a suitable compressed air supply in the lab already?
What level of product support & reliability is needed?

Contact your local Peak Scientific sales representative to find out more or contact Peak Scientific at
www.peakscientific.com/contact

Interest/Consideration (Video)

Compressor vs compressor free units

Compressor-based
Plug and play with internal compressor,
ready to supply gas

Compressor-free
Requires a supply of air to operate, either
house-air or independent compressor

GC gas – key considerations

GC gas – key considerations

What do you need to know to find out the best gas solution for your GC?
-

Do you need carrier and/or detector supply?
Number of GCs/detectors to supply?
What flow rate/purity is required?
What level of product support & reliability is needed?

Contact your local Peak Scientific sales representative to find out more or contact Peak Scientific at
www.peakscientific.com/contact

Helium shortage



Helium prices continue to increase




Supply in many regions is greatly reduced





>50% increase over the past 10 years
Limited availability for some labs
Restrictions on number of cylinders

Alternative carrier gases can be used for
many GC methods




Precision H2 Trace & N2 Trace
Labs having developed their own methods
Simple analyses focusing on a small
number of analytes

Changing carrier gas

 Check that your GC method can use an
alternative carrier gas
 Read information on what is involved in
changing carrier gas
 Discuss the best generator options for
your lab setup with Peak or input your
requirements using the GC calculator

Precision Series

• Continuous and consistent supply of laboratory-grade gas
• Safer and more convenient than cylinders or dewars
• Compact, modular, stackable system
• Complete GC gas solution from a single generator stack
• Hydrogen, nitrogen and zero air to supply gas for carrier,
detector, reference, flame support and sample preparation
• Low lifetime maintenance
• 12 month warranty across the range, 3 year PEM cell
warranty on hydrogen models

Interest/Consideration (Video)

Useful links & further reading
Peak Website: www.peakscientific.com
•Product support
•Application notes
•FAQ
Peak ResourceSpace: http://resources.peakscientific.com
• User manuals
• Data sheets
• Useful information