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Ensuring Carefree Operation, Safety, and Energy Saving at the laboratory For the world’s most advanced Research Project |
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Advanced Technology and Expertise of IAQ applied in the Critical Environment System |
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Profile of the Client |
Ensuring Carefree Operation, Safety, and Energy Saving at the laboratory For the world’s most advanced Research Project
ERATO (Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology) is an effort to support basic researches for fostering advanced science and technology that work on international levels in order to curve out the future of the country as well as to contribute to international society. It was launched by JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency) in 1981 and in 2006 it marked 25th anniversary. Based on its strategy for the future development of science and technology, it has successfully yielded some major results acknowledged on a worldwide basis. |
  An experiment using a fume hood (top) and the project plate (second) |
The project has pursued the basic studies on carbon-nanotubes in their research laboratory placed in the University of Tokyo, for which Yamatake's Critical Environment System was adopted.
"To recruit talented researchers and follow up on our research effort, we need a good research facility as well as a safe, comfortable laboratory environment. In that sense, with the introduction of their system, I believe, we could obtain a high quality facility that should meet world standards." (Dr. Eiichi Nakamura)
Dr. Nakamura, well acquainted with high quality laboratories and safety devices widely used in the West, positively adopted such advanced facilities and devices when he was in his former posts. Before the launch of the ERATO project, he introduced fume hoods and other facilities in his laboratory at the University of Tokyo.
"The Critical Environment System we adopted this time is excellent in safety and usability, the levels of which meet the requirements of the global standards. In addition, it also allows energy saving. I feel it is favorable that the attention is also given to cost performance. I hope that this will set a precedent for introduction of safe laboratory environment system and create a general trend, raising the standard of laboratory design in Japan, because good researchers are only attracted by good laboratories, I believe." "Dr. Nakamura"
From this standpoint, the project has accepted laboratory tours many times.
The function of fume hoods is to generate inward airflow so as to protect users from toxic gases. But only with a mechanism of simply exhausting gases, performance of fume hoods can drop when multiple hoods are used at the same time.
"From my own experience I know that when some fume hoods aligned in rows are used simultaneously, the efficiency of gas exhaustion can often be affected, and in that case I felt hesitant while carrying out my own experiment works. But thanks to the Critical Environment System free from this problem, I can start my work at any time I like. That is the value of this system." (Dr. Yutaka MATSUO, Leader of Functional Complex Group)
Another problem with conventional types of fume hoods is that when fume hoods are continuously operated for an extended time, performance of the air-conditioning system is affected.
"The Critical Environment System is equipped with Zone Presence Sensors that detect the condition of human attendance at fume hoods and signal the controller to optimize the airflow rate. This mechanism allows avoiding waste of energy. It also has a device for recording operating conditions of laboratory facilities. Researchers pay attention to the recorded data and become mindful of economy, providing motivation for energy saving. The effect is obvious. Compared to the conventional types of systems, operational costs have been reduced to almost the half." (Dr. Takao Kaneko, Research Manager)
This report was originally published in the August 2006 issue of Yamatake Group's
external house organ titled 'Savemation'.
