OPERATOR'S MANUAL BIOPROtect II Vent to ... - Baker Company

I - FUNCTION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE BIOPROtect II CABINETThe BIOPROtect II is a Class II Bio-Containment Enclosure designed to house laboratory robotics orlarge apparatus that would not ordinarily fit in a standard Class II Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC). Someimportant features of the BIOPROtect II include, vertical laminar airflow, a front access opening, as well assupply & exhaust HEPA filters. The unit is designed to protect not only the environment and the peopleusing the cabinet, but also the product within from airborne contaminants. The BIOPROtect II can beconfigured to vent three different ways. Vent to the room, Vent to a Canopy Exhaust Connection (C.E.C.)via a house exhaust system or, Vent to a Hard Exhaust Connection (H.E.C.) via a house exhaust system.Although your unit has passed a microbiological test, a modification of NSF/ANSI standard-49-2002e, theBIOPROtect II is not currently listed with the NSF.Airflow Inside the BIOPROtect II CabinetFigure 1 shows the name and location of component parts and the typical airflow pattern of theBIOPROtect II.The stainless steel metal diffuser (1) just below the supply HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filterassures that the work area is bathed in HEPA filtered air. The supply air stream splits so that some isdirected into the front grille (2) and the balance is pulled into the perforated grilles on the rear wall (3). On aflat table top, in the absence of any obstacles, the air should split roughly in the center of the table.Because the cabinet must take in air to replace the air which is expelled through the exhaust filter, thesame quantity of room air enters the cabinet through the eight inch front access opening. The flow of theintake air provides the personnel protection (containment) aspect of the cabinet.The front grille of the cabinet is integral to the large hinged doors. These doors, as well as the side andrear walls, are maintained under a negative pressure. Air is drawn from the front intake grilles, into thehollow doors, and into the side walls. In this manner the outside air that is drawn into the cabinet as intake isnot allowed to penetrate the table top area of the cabinet.Any and all contaminated air that is captured in the cabinet’s negative pressure plenums (front doors,sidewalls, rear walls or upper plenum) is pulled into the cabinet’s blower (4). The blower discharges into a steelbox that is a common plenum for the supply and exhaust HEPA filters (5). In this manner, all the air that ishandled by the cabinet is HEPA filtered. The BIOPROtect II will exhaust a quantity of air (6) equal to thatreceived at the front intake grilles. If a leak should occur in a contaminated pressure plenum the negativepressure will create suction and pull air in, not allowing it to escape into the laboratory. If there is a leakfrom the positive pressure plenum, the surrounding negative pressure area will recapture the contaminated airand recirculate it through a HEPA filter.Page 1 of 54