Cost effective design of Next Gen Instrument Lab using PACTA

Instrument labs may not be purpose-built. During capacity scale-up, and to avoid new-build, normal laboratory space and even office space is re-purposed for instrument lab use, resulting in sub-optimal layouts, poor environmental control and inefficient utility deliveries.

Compromised lab spaces often result in

• lower throughput,
• OHS-issues,
• and higher maintenance and operational costs.

In contrast, lab spaces designed specifically for instrumentation analytics offer the opportunity to match spatial, environmental and utility needs from day one, as proper programming is performed at the onset.

Lab programming includes consideration to workflows, growth, flexibility and maintenance, and to physical and mechanical requirements. The lab manager, the maintenance staff and lab planner / designer must do a comprehensive programming effort in order to optimize efficacy and long-term operational costs.

The equipment is highly calibrated, very expensive and sometimes very large and/or heavy. All design elements, but particularly the cabinetry; need to be designed with the equipment in mind:

• Stability. Accessibility. Ergonomics.
  The base cabinets selected for instrument labs must be able to remain level, and maintain stability to allow for the precise calibration for which some of these machines are known.
  They may need to be designed at non-traditional heights to accommodate the ergonomic operation of the equipment. Consider what can be altered, and what not; e.g. solvent bottles can be brought down, as long as they are above pump level.
• Housekeeping
  Proper cabinetry helps keep things out of the way in the instrument lab. Avoid having waste containment buckets everywhere.
• Most processes occurring in instrument labs are contained within the instruments themselves, reducing the risk/frequency of spillage. However, proper tubing must be assured, inspection of tubes must be easy, and an overflow alarm for liquid waste should be considered.
  

All of the facility’s analytical instruments/requirements should be consolidated into clustered labs due to simplicity, unique layout, HVAC and utility requirements. The location should

• maximize adjacency to users
• maximize adjacency to vertical transportation when in multi-story buildings
• allow convenient access to utility systems (HVAC, gasses, purified water system, etc.)
• provide for the appropriate disposal of solid and liquid waste

Several factors drive the room layout:

• Safe handling during operation and maintenance,
• Accessibility of equipment,
• HVAC requirements,
• Ease of maintenance,
• Ergonomics

Layout considerations:

• Locate PACTA-cabinets either back-to-back or along the walls. The pulls-outs ensure the access for maintenance and calibration from side and rear, and the traditional circulation space around the equipment is not needed.
• Place benches used for sample preparation, administration, logging, write-up space either in neighboring rooms, or in the open lab near the windows and perimeter walls to improve access and work flow.
• Determine the appropriate bench height and depth to accommodate ergonomic use of the instruments. Consider adjustable PACTAs to provide the best conditions.
• Adhere to proper equipment access guidelines; maintain a clear space in front of PACTA’s and benches of approx. 50 in. No maintenance space behind is needed. Remember, normally instrument lab modules are larger/wider than typical labs to accommodate the deeper benches and additional access aisles – this is not the case when using PACTA cabinets.
• Group the appropriate instruments together considering the sizes (height and depth) and function (e.g., liquid or gas chromatograph) of equipment. The latter component also serves to streamline utility requirements and waste flows. Also, consider grouping equipment with intensive heat rejection to isolate/localize HVAC requirements.

Once the layout is set and the lab components are in place, it is time to consider the air itself. In an instrument lab, there are some key aspects of conditioning the space:

1. airflow
2. temperature and humidity requirements
3. operations
4. room pressurization.

In a lab environment, airflow is critical whether the room is occupied or not. In instrument labs, designing the optimum air change rates to create the proper room conditions should be based on the worst case scenario of these three factors:

• Heat load of equipment. Equipment exhaust requirements.
  Typically, this factor is the worst case due to the high concentration of heat-producing equipment. Many instruments just dissipate the heat into the room and need to be factored into sizing the HVAC cooling load. Using PACTA’s, this issue is neutralized. The PACTA-cabinets collects the heated exhaust air from the instruments. The air does not contribute to the rooms temperature.
• Maintaining appropriate air change rates.
  Industry guidelines exist as to the air change rate, however there are no code minimum or maximum requirements.

Gas Delivery System

Compressed lab air and lab gasses are essential to the operations of an instrument lab. Primary ways to deliver compressed gasses to the lab environment and distribute throughout are:

• Central compressed gas systems
• Point-of-use compressed gas cylinders located inside the lab.

Gas piping is routed above and below ceiling, depending on the room and on code. Installations should allow for visual inspection per the International Fuel Gas Code and for leakage testing.

The gas outlets are surface-mounted at the back of lab benches, some permanently connected to instruments. Flexible cords are more and more frequently used. Regulators and handles must be easily accessible.