Carbon dioxide incubator / gas jacket type carbon dioxide incubator / water jacket type carbon dioxide incubator technical information

CO2 incubator purchase and use
The CO2 incubator is widely used in the research and production of medicine, immunology, genetics, microbiology, agricultural sciences, and pharmacology. It has become one of the most commonly used conventional instruments in the above fields. A growth environment similar to cells / tissues in organisms such as constant pH (pH value: 7.2-7.4), stable temperature (37 ° C), high relative humidity (95%), stable CO2 level (5% ), A device for in vitro culture of cells / tissues.
The CO2 incubator mainly controls three basic variables related to the simulated in vivo environment: stable CO2 level, temperature, and relative humidity. To have a stable training environment, we must consider these three influencing factors. When purchasing, you should have a certain understanding of these "top priorities" to choose the instrument that suits you. However, other "small" factors cannot be ignored, because these will affect the use value and life of the instrument. When purchasing, it should be considered from all aspects.
1. Temperature control:
Maintaining a constant temperature in the incubator is an important factor for maintaining healthy growth of cells. When purchasing a carbon dioxide incubator, there are two types of heating structures to choose from: air jacket heating and water jacket heating. Although both heating systems are accurate and reliable, they have their own advantages and disadvantages. The water-jacketed incubator maintains a constant temperature through an independent hot water compartment surrounding the inner box. Hot water circulates in the tank through natural convection, and heat is transferred to the inside of the tank through radiation to maintain a constant temperature. The unique water jacket design has its advantages: water is a very good thermal insulation material. When a power failure occurs, the water jacket system can more reliably maintain the temperature accuracy and stability in the incubator for a long time ( The time to maintain the constant temperature is 4-5 times that of the gas-jacketed system). If your experimental environment is not stable (such as limited power consumption, or frequent power outages) and you need to maintain stable culture conditions for a long time, then a water-jacket-designed carbon dioxide incubator is your best choice. The gas jacket heating system directly heats the gas in the box through the heater in the box. The air-jacket design can quickly restore the temperature stability in the box under the condition that the temperature caused by the frequent opening and closing of the box door changes frequently. Therefore, compared with the water jacket type, the air jacket type has the characteristics of faster heating and faster temperature recovery than the water jacket type incubator, which is particularly beneficial for short-term cultivation and cultivation that requires frequent opening and closing of the door. In addition, for the user, the air jacket design is simpler than the water jacket type (the water jacket type needs to add water, empty and clean the water tank, and constantly monitor the operation of the water tank). When purchasing an air-jacketed incubator, it should be noted that in order not to affect the cultivation, the incubator should also have a fan to ensure the circulation and circulation of air in the box. This device also helps the temperature, CO2 and relative humidity in the box Quickly recovered.
In addition, some types of carbon dioxide incubators also have an outer door and an auxiliary heating system. This system can heat the inner door to provide a good humidity environment for the cells, ensure that the cell osmotic pressure remains balanced, and can effectively prevent the formation of condensate to maintain the incubator. Humidity and temperature inside. If your cultivation environment requires precise control, then this auxiliary system is essential.
2. CO2 control:
CO2 concentration detection can be measured by two control systems-infrared sensor (IR) or thermal conductivity sensor (TC). When the door of the carbon dioxide incubator is opened, CO2 leaks out of the chamber. At this time, the sensor will detect the decrease of CO2 concentration, and make a timely response, re-inject CO2 to restore it to the original preset level. The thermal conduction sensor (TC) monitors CO2 concentration by measuring the resistance change between two thermistors (one regulator is exposed to the cabinet environment and the other is closed). Changes in the CO2 concentration in the box will change the resistance between the two thermistors, thereby prompting the sensor to respond to adjust the CO2 level. One disadvantage of the TC control system is that changes in the temperature and relative humidity in the cabinet will affect the accuracy of the sensor. When the box door is opened frequently, not only the CO2 concentration, but also the temperature and relative humidity will fluctuate greatly, thus affecting the accuracy of the TC sensor. When precise culture conditions are required and the doors of the incubator are frequently opened, this control system is not very suitable. Infrared sensor (IR) as another optional control system has more accurate CO2 control capability than TC system. It uses an optical sensor to detect CO2 level. The IR system includes an infrared emitter and a sensor. When the CO2 in the box absorbs part of the infrared light emitted by the transmitter, the sensor can detect the amount of infrared reduction, and the amount of infrared light absorbed corresponds to the level of CO2 in the box. , So that the concentration of CO2 in the box can be obtained. Because the IR system is not affected by changes in temperature and relative humidity, it is more accurate than the TC system, and is particularly suitable for cell culture that requires frequent opening of the incubator door. However, this system is more expensive than the TC system, and it must be considered in conjunction with the budget.
3. Relative humidity control:
The control of the relative humidity in the incubator is very important. Maintaining a sufficient humidity level can ensure that the culture will not fail due to excessive drying. Large-scale carbon dioxide incubators use steam generators or sprayers to control the relative humidity level, while most small and medium-sized incubators generate moisture through the evaporation of humidity control panels (humidity pans) (the relative humidity they generate The level can reach 95-98%). Some incubators have a humidity reservoir that can retain moisture on the heated control panel, which can enhance evaporation. This reservoir can increase the relative humidity level by 97-98%. However, this system is also more complicated, and some unpredictable problems will appear during use due to the increase of complex structures.
4. Micro-processing control system:
Every user hopes that the instrument used can be convenient and easy to use, the use of micro-processing control system and other various functional accessories (such as high temperature automatic adjustment and alarm device, CO2 alarm device, password protection setting, automatic calibration system, etc.), It makes the operation and control of the carbon dioxide incubator very simple. The micro-processing control system is an operating system that maintains the steady state of temperature, humidity and CO2 concentration in the incubator. For example, PIC microprocessor control system, it can strictly control the gas concentration and reduce its loss to a very low level, to ensure that the cultivation environment is constant, and can ensure that the temperature in the box is accurate during the long-term cultivation process, and has LED display. Can set and correct temperature and CO2 concentration. Although different micro-processing systems have different names, their principles and control effects are not very different. You do n’t have to pay too much attention to the difference in their names when purchasing. The key is to find it convenient to use, easy to operate, and to achieve the The required control accuracy.
In addition, I think an alarm system is also indispensable, it can let you know the situation of the incubator in time and react to it, thereby minimizing the loss and ensuring the continuity of the experiment. Some incubators have an audible / optical alarm device. When the temperature changes to ± 0.5 ° C, or the CO2 concentration changes to ± 5%, it will automatically alarm; some have an alarm display function for abnormal CO2 concentration. These devices are designed for the convenience of users to reduce the tedious experiment process.
5. Control of pollutants:
Pollution is a major factor that causes cell culture failure. Therefore, manufacturers of carbon dioxide incubators have designed a variety of different devices to reduce and prevent pollution. The main way is to minimize the areas and surfaces where microorganisms can grow. And combined with automatic pollution removal device to effectively prevent the generation of pollution. For example, in view of the fact that the CO2 incubator is sometimes accompanied by mold growth during use, in order to ensure that the incubator is not contaminated and to ensure the biological cleanliness of the instrument cabinet, some companies have developed and designed enhanced CO2 incubators with UV cleaning ; There is also a special copper shell HEPA filter designed by the company that can filter the air in the incubator, can filter and remove 99.97% of particles above 0.3um, and can effectively kill microbial particles that are blocked in the filter during filtration; in addition, automatic sterilization The device can make the temperature in the box reach 90 ℃ to kill the contaminated microorganisms. When it is used in combination with the HEPA system, it can greatly reduce the pollution. These devices are essential for cell culture, but what kind of cleaning device should you choose? Of course, the more functions, the better the most suitable, but the price will also rise. If the funds are limited, you can only choose one that is cheaper. At this time, you should use some disinfectants and sterilizers together. Regular disinfection and sterilization can also achieve the effect of expensive instruments, but it is only a little more troublesome. In short, no matter what kind of device you choose, you must always keep the incubator clean and clean the box frequently, so as to increase the service life of the instrument, make the experiment run smoothly, and ensure the reliability of the results.
6. Other factors:
Each type of carbon dioxide incubator has different control ranges, control accuracy, and uniformity in temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration. At this point, you must have a certain understanding of the requirements of your laboratory before purchasing the instrument: What is the control range? The control accuracy requirement is very accurate, or can there be a certain floating range? Because sometimes too high precision does not seem to make much sense. Only when you have a comprehensive understanding of the products you need can you choose your best "partner". BioTonglonghubang provides you with the specific parameters of some company carbon dioxide incubators, from which you can get a specific comparison and analysis, maybe there will be your favorite instrument.
The volume of the incubator is also a factor that cannot be ignored. It is not enough to buy a small one, and it is wasteful and takes up space when it is large. The available volume of carbon dioxide incubator is very wide, including small (<40 liters), medium and large (> 700 liters), and each type has a different volume to choose from. At this time, you need to have a more accurate understanding of the range of the required incubator volume before purchasing, and reserve a little more space on this basis to ensure that it is needed from time to time.
In addition, some carbon dioxide incubators also have many special functions, such as the Thermogard fan management system, which realizes the intelligent adjustment of the air volume; there is a single-channel circulation system to ensure the uniformity of the temperature inside the incubator, while also reducing pollution ; LCD (liquid crystal) display system, silicone temperature sensor to measure temperature and so on. The selection of these various accessory devices is to facilitate the choice and use of the purchaser.

Matters needing attention in the use of carbon dioxide incubator:
1. The instrument should be placed on a flat ground, the environment should be clean and tidy, dry and ventilated;
2. Before the instrument is used, all control switches should be in a non-working state, and the speed control knob should be placed in the minimum position;
3. Do not adjust the pressure of the inflow gas to be too large, so as not to break the pipeline and damage the detector;
4. Close the door of the incubator to avoid gas leakage and affect the test effect;
5. Before each shutdown, each control switch should be in a non-working state before cutting off the power;
6. The operation password must be set by at least 3 people to avoid forgetting the password and turning on the instrument;
7. The cylinder gas needs to be pure and up to standard to avoid damage to the instrument;
8. Keep the air in the incubator clean and disinfect regularly;
9. Always pay attention to the amount of distilled water in the distilled water tank in the tank to maintain the relative humidity in the tank while avoiding the evaporation of the culture solution;
10. Not suitable for the cultivation of articles containing volatile chemical solvents, low-concentration explosive gas and low ignition point gas, and toxic substances.
11. Properly use and pay attention to the maintenance of the instrument to make it in good working condition, which can extend the service life of the instrument;
12. After the refrigeration system stops working, wipe the working chamber and glass observation window with a soft cloth;
13. During the continuous working period of the instrument, periodic inspection should be done every three months; check whether there are water drops, dirt, etc. on the motor and exposed refrigeration components; clean the dust and dirt on the compressor, condenser; check Fuses, control elements and fastening screws;
14. After long-term use of the instrument, natural abrasion is normal, and the manufacturer should be contacted for repair.

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