Applications of Gas Mixing Systems for Biological Research

The systems developed by Environics for blending, diluting and mixing gases allow mixes of precise composition to be achieved for a large array of applications in the clinical field. The gas concentrations that can be attained for calibration at one or multiple points range from percentages to ppb levels. The Environics mixers are highly accurate, a feature which makes them the first choice for laboratory and research gases.

Human Breath Simulator. Image Credit: Environics

One instance is the Environics Biological Atmosphere Incubation Mixers which is used to generate reliable and precise mixtures of required gases for all kinds of laboratory or clinical situations, such as for a reduced oxygen environment specifically required to grow anerobic organisms, or a high (enriched) oxygen environment required to grow many types of cells, viruses and other organisms in dense cultures.

These systems also find use in generating specially designed constant gas environments for a clean room setup. In all these cases, the advantage of using these mixers is the ability to substitute cylinders or bulk tanks of a single gas for the more expensive cylinders of blended gases.

Flexibility

All Environics Atmosphere Mixer systems are automated to produce the right gas mix, by dilution and blending various gases. The Series 4000, for instance, operates to generate complex gas mixes dynamically with eight or less balanced gaseous components. The concentration of individual components alters independently in automatic response to user-defined settings. All the systems can be customized.

Optics Research. Image Credit: Environics

Accuracy

Gas mixers from Environics are built upon tight control of gas flow through thermal mass flow controllers. While these typically offer an accuracy limit of +/- 1% of full-scale flow, with the Environics systems they achieve limits within +/- 1% of setpoint because of the effective calibration and computerization of processes. Thus Environics controlling technology produces a tenfold improvement in thermal mass flow controller accuracy, as documented in the Full-scale error vs. Setpoint error document.

These systems are also highly repeatable in their mixing, to within +/-0.05% of full scale.

Oxygen service requires cleaned systems, for instance using Environics gas mixers. The company strongly advises that all systems that will have oxygen levels above 25% at any point should be cleaned thoroughly, to component level.

Gas Mixer. Image Credit: Environics

Tubing and Seals

Environics gas mixing systems can be fitted with many types of tubing and seal options according to the user demands, made from a range of materials. Tubing is made of Teflon, stainless steel, Hastelloy or Monel, while seals come in Buna-N, Kalrez^®, Viton^®, Neoprene or metal.

Custom Systems

There are thousands of Environics systems operating at various locations, which has resulted in a large library of applications and customized solutions. There are also many options such as audiovisual alarms, email alerts, humidification or ozone creation, to tailor the system to the client needs.

Some custom medical systems already set up are described below:

Medical Device Gas Mixing

The requirement was to generate custom mixtures of carbon dioxide, oxygen helium for a set of devices including blood gases, lung diffusion, medical lasers, pulmonary function span, and mixtures for aerobic and gases and medical drugs.

Human Breath Simulation

Here the client wanted to simulate the human breathing system, for which a humidified gas resembling human breath, and which could be adjusted. required for supply to a breath simulator.

Sickle Cell Anemia Research

This system was set up to look into various concentrations of oxygen their effects on sickle cells in patients with sickle cell anemia

Optic Research

In one setting the result of exposing the cornea to hypoxia during the performance of LASIK surgery was evaluated using the Reduced Oxygen Delivery Device (RODD).

Cancer Research

This research required a system in which the effects of oxygen on the cells of a liver cancer could at different gas blend levels.

Living Skin Transport

In this the need was for a system to preserve living skin undamaged in since such skin is used to treat many types of open wounds including skin grafting, surgical wounds, burn wounds, diabetic or leg ulcers and pressure sores.

Medical Grade Welding

The client required a system of gas blending to provide a gas which could keep the similar to atmospheric conditions within a glove box system which could be used to weld medical products (such as pacemakers and components of cochlear implant systems that are implanted subcutaneously behind the ear) using laser welding.

Glove Boxes for Gas on Demand

A system was set up to generate a gas atmosphere with precise and stable requirements to for medical applications

This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Environics, Inc.

For more information on this source, please visit Environics, Inc.