Learn Whether or Not You Need an Optical Particle Counter for Your Lab Setting.
An optical particle counter is a sophisticated instrument that detects and measures particles present in liquids and in the air. While liquid particle counters have many uses in industry, it is the aerosol particle counters that affects individual lives most of all.
An optical particle counter detects and measures particles by either light blocking or light scattering. As the air passes through a laser beam, particles in the air either block the light or scatter it. The amount of light blocked or scattered in an optical particle counter is picked up by a photo detector which measures the dimensions of the particles. By refraction and diffraction, an optical particle counter measures the size and number of particles present in the sample being tested.
A type of positive displacement pump, rotary vane pumps are used to provide proper carbonation for the soft drinks that out of a dispenser. Because of their excellent handling of low-viscosity materials like refrigerants, rotary vane pumps are also extensively used for beer cooling systems and other laboratory needs.
Rotary vane pumps have vanes mounted on a rotor inside a cavity. Liquid is drawn into the cells with large volume intake. During rotation the vanes, driven by centrifugal force, extend from their slots, gliding in and out of the rotor, and form compression cells. With the decrease in the volume of the cells during rotation, air pressure increases forcing out the liquid on the discharge side of the rotary vane pumps.
Its unique design enables rotary vane pumps to become variable displacement pumps. By allowing the centerline distance from the rotor to the eccentric ring to change, the displacement of rotary vane pumps can be altered. This allows rotary vane pumps to even pump in reverse by moving the ring far enough. This characteristic makes rotary vane pumps efficient hydraulic oil control pumps and energy saving devices.
It is estimated that about 10 percent of the pumps used in industry are rotary pumps. The various uses of rotary pumps are the carbonation of soft drinks, power steering and automatic transmission in automotives, flight instruments, altitude and heading indicators in aeronautics, laboratory freeze dryers and vacuum experiments in physics.
Rotary pumps are positive displacement type pumps consisting of gears, lobes, rotary pistons, vanes and screws inside a stationary casing. The liquid to be moved is trapped between the stationary casing and the other elements. Each rotation of the elements draws in and displaces a specified quantity of the liquid.
Rotary pumps work extremely well with highly viscous liquids. Compared with centrifugal pumps, rotary pumps have a number of advantages:
- Rotary pumps move liquid at a constant rate and pressure.
- The specific gravity of the liquid being moved is determined by resistance.
- No radical thrust is transferred to the shaft.
- Rotary pumps will not shear sensitive petrochemicals and polymers.
There are three main types of rotary pumps, which we provide in our online store.
- Gear Type – This involves two side-by-side gears, the teeth of which are meshed together. As the gears rotate opposite each other, a current traps the liquid between the teeth and the outer casing, eventually releasing the fluid as the rotation continues.
- Screw Type – Two scres are mounted on parallel shafts, which rotate in opposite directions. The turning of these screws draws in and discharges the liquid with each rotation cycle.
- Moving Vane Type – Vanes in a cylindrical rotor housed within the same shap draw in and discharge the liquid being moved.
No matter what type of rotary pumps you’re seeking for your laboratory – or other – needs, we will have them in our online store. We only carry rotary pumps from the most trusted providers. Check us out today!
Moving liquids or gases under high pressure calls for piston pumps. Where plants or laboratories require a continuing flow of chemicals, piston pumps are also ideal. Moreover, the design of piston pumps makes them portable and easily adaptable to a variety of uses. Piston pumps are designed to keep on working for a long time, making it possible for manufacturers to issue lifetime warranties on the units they sell.
There are two basic types of piston pumps. One type, known as hydraulic pumps is designed to pump fluids of various characteristics. The other type of piston pumps called pneumatic pumps is intended for moving air and gases.
All types of vane pumps operate on the same principle. A rotor with slots is eccentrically supported on a thin, rounded, smooth disk-like cam. Sealed into the cam by two side plates, the rotor is located close to the cam’s walls forming a cavity in the shape of a crescent. Vanes are slotted into the impeller. When the rotor rotates, the vanes are pushed to the walls of the housing. Through holes in the cam, fluid is forced into the pumping chamber by the housing and cam entering the empty spaces created by the vanes, rotor, cam and side plate. As the rotor continues rotating, the fluid is forced into the crescent-shaped space on the opposite side where it is compressed and exits the discharge port.
The advantages of vane pumps are the ability to develop good vacuum and run dry for short periods of time. This characteristic makes vane pumps ideal for handling thin liquids at comparatively high pressures. Conversely, vane pumps are not good with abrasive materials and have a complicated housing with many parts.
Find quality vane pumps for your lab equipment needs by visiting our online store today.
Although vane pumps are good at moving moderate viscosity liquids, they are excellent with low viscosity liquids like liquified petroleum gas, solvents, refrigerants, alcohol, fuel oils and gasoline. Vane pumps, which have no metal-to-metal contact, are able to perform at top performance when handling these liquids.
Vane pumps are available in a variety of configurations with either sliding, flexible, swinging, rolling or external vanes. The different types of vanes have their individual advantages. To move large solids, external vane pumps are the preferred type. Flexible vane pumps are better at handling small solids and create a good vacuum. For moving small amounts of vapor, flexible vane pumps have an advantage.
There are a few different types of these particle counters including the following:
- Handheld – This convenient, but powerful optical particle counter allows you to test the air quality in your home or workplace on the go, so to speak.
- Portable – Although not as small as the handheld particle counter, this type can sit in one place or be moved around on a tray, therefore allowing it to function as a standalone instrument or as part of a central monitoring system.
- Remote – A remote optical particle counter is a system in which small counters are placed in each room or section. The ifnormation gathered by these units is fed to a central monitoring location, which in turn controls the individual terminals.
No matter what kind of optical particle counter you need for your laboratory equipment needs, you will no doubt find them in our online store.
When considering a purchase of a laboratory instrument such as a vacuum pump or particle counter, such equipment for lab research and reproducible results requires a very important decision. In fact, even simple equipment for laboratory use as commonly used as beakers, hotplates, flasks or stirrers should be carefully compared as to value and dependability before being made a part of your lab toolbox. Should a laboratory instrument fail to perform during an important experiment, critical data may be lost or contaminated and all of your hard work must be repeated. So, always choose the equipment for lab work very carefully making certain that your lab suppliers stand behind their products and will service or replace that laboratory instrument if failure occurs. New Star Environmental only offers for sale those lab products that meet stringent lab criteria and those that have proven records of great performance. The best equipment for laboratory success comes from New Star.
New Star Environmental has become known as a science shop for the science lab by offering laboratory equipment throughout the years to those purchasers who demand value. Products such as hotplates and hot plate stirrers, particle counters, vacuum pumps, laboratory glassware to name a few of the most popular items. But we also are known for the more sophisticated instruments of high precision that are used in stack monitoring and stack samplers as well as calibration instruments that are critical to confirming the accuracy of environmental monitoring and laboratory instruments. Our line of personal sampling pumps that are manufactured by Buck are unmatched in price and performance. So, when you have needs for laboratory equipment, look first to the science shop because we cater to your science lab with the latest technology, value and customer service.
