2019 BATH & CHILLER RESOURCE GUIDE

Questions to Ask When Buying Choosing the Right Fluid a Bath or Chiller for Your Chiller

Water Bath Basics Baths and Chillers: All Roads Lead to Efficiency Features to Consider When Buying a Laboratory Water Bath HomogenizerBath & Chiller Resource Resource Guide Guide ?

may be best. These baths can control temperature within Questions to ±0.1°C of the desired temperature. What if I am dealing with non-routine samples or Ask When analyses? For laboratories that have a wide variety of processes or Buying a Bath regularly run into non-routine samples or analyses, using a more robust system may help speed up preparation and downstream analysis. Many vendors offer advanced systems or Chiller capable of highly precise temperature control, plus the ability to perform reciprocal or orbital agitation. Some systems also by Lab Manager come with the ability to pre-program temperature controlled shaking protocols, which can save money by freeing up What type of bath or chiller is needed for my technician time. sample type or downstream analysis?

Depending on the sample type, there are a variety of different options available for water baths and chillers. For example, incubating cultures may require continuous TOP 5 QUESTIONS YOU agitation. To accommodate this need, many manufacturers SHOULD ASK WHEN BUYING offer hot water baths with different shaking protocols A BATH OR CHILLER including reciprocal and orbital options. Another important 1. Does the product have any exclusive features? consideration is the size of the water bath as it must be able What sets it apart from other vendors’ chillers or baths? to accommodate the vessels you require. 2. What is the warranty period? What does it cover? 3. Are service plans available? If so, is there an on-site option? How can a bath or chiller accommodate 4. Does the unit have the appropriate cooling or heating temperature-sensitive samples or processes? capacity for the application? Is there enough reserve capacity to account for environmental cooling or A wide variety of baths and chillers are available that can heating losses? accommodate temperature sensitive samples. Most water baths 5. Does the manufacturer offer the necessary accessories are outfitted with heating and cooling capabilities, usually for the application? (tubing, fluid, adapters, electronic interfaces, etc.) controlled by either analog or digital means. For more precise control on temperature sensitive samples, a circulating bath

Lab Manager 2 HomogenizerBath & Chiller Resource Resource Guide Guide

But, there’s more to consider. Water Adding the right type of water can extend the life of a water bath and keep the surface intact. However, a commercial algicide or biocide should also be added to completely avoid the Bath Basics lagoon syndrome. It turns out that using the right kind of The need to clean water makes a difference in a water bath Even after taking these measures, a water bath must still be by Mikey May cleaned regularly. For full cleaning protocols, consult the manual or manufacturer. Depending on the water bath, different ven though they are frequently used, water baths guidelines may be advised. might be the most neglected pieces of equipment in a Elab. Their use involves heating water to about 98.6°F, Without specific instructions, a few general rules help. First, placing containers in the bath, taking them out, adding more no bleach! Like the wrong water, bleach can corrode stainless containers, and on and on, creating the perfect environment for steel. Next, no abrasives! Instead, stick with soapy water and a growing algae, bacteria, and fungus. Luckily a few easy steps soft cloth. If desired, a commercial product made specifically for can prevent your water bath from becoming a lagoon. cleaning water baths can be used.

Scientists use water baths for a wide variety of applications. Some labs clean their baths with hot water. For that, about At St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN), assistant professor of 140°F water for 30 minutes or so should kill any living biology John L. Giannini uses a water bath to change the contaminants in a water bath. Even after that, it’s still a good temperature of enzyme reactions. “The most important thing idea to empty the bath and manually clean out any lagoon is to keep your water clean by changing it often,” Giannini says. leftovers. The question is: What’s the best way to do that? Take a bead break Pick the right water If keeping the water clean is just too much work, replacing It turns out that using the right kind of water makes a difference the water with beads may be a good solution. For applications in a water bath. Tap water contains dissolved ions and can where a bath doesn’t circulate or shake, the water can be cause issues from scaly buildup to chlorine-driven corrosion. swapped for beads. Therefore, it is not the ideal choice for water baths. Then, it all works the same, but the bath stays cleaner. Some scientists use water from a lab purification unit. However, However, even with beads, some cleaning is still required. Now even this water can corrode stainless steel. This is because some and then – depending on how a bead bath is used – the beads lab purification units include a salt back flush that can leave must be removed and cleaned using ethyl alcohol. corrosive sodium ions in the water. Water containing these ions can even put pits in a water bath’s surface. The best approach to heating things in a lab depends on the lab and, often, the existing equipment. No matter which method is Instead, the best choice is to use distilled or deionized water. selected—water or beads—the cleaning doesn’t go away.

Lab Manager 3 Bath & Chiller Resource Guide

Product Spotlight:

The general purpose water bath is a fundamental product in the lab. Many manufacturers often sacrifice quality and innovation strictly to meet the demands of a tight budget. PolyScience believes you can have both, as well as convenience, durability and safety. Our goal with our water baths has always been is to strike a perfect balance between cost and reliable precise temperature control. Something we have once again achieved with our new generation of PolyScience water baths. 50 years of research and innovation have come together to offer you the best water bath with the greatest ease of use on the market. Learn More

Featured Manufacturer

PolyScience PolyScience specializes in precise liquid temperature control and for more than 50 years, PolyScience has been providing precise liquid temperature control solutions to a wide variety of markets. We offer products that will control the temperature for as low as -100 and up to 200 degrees Celsius and achieve stabilities of plus or minus 0.004 degrees Celsius. The simple idea that innovation and the belief that we can always grow, improve and create has been at the core of what continues to make us a leader in the temperature control industry. www.polyscience.com

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When using a water bath, contamination prevention is essential. Toward that end, having a stainless-steel reservoir is a good Features to start and transparent covers allow the user to observe the procedure without continually opening the bath. However, users have additional options when it comes to the material Consider of construction. While stainless steel is the most common material, ceramic interiors may be easier to keep clean. When Buying Regularly draining and replacing the fluid in the water bath is another key way to avoid contamination, and buyers should consider how easy that process is going to be. Whether the a Laboratory water bath has a drain built in, and whether the drain is a simple valve that can be easily opened or requires a screwdriver to open, can make a big difference for the user. Two new Water Bath water bath features that have received positive feedback are an integrated drain hose that makes the bath cleaner and easier to From construction material to accessories, empty, and removable hinge covers that allow one to retrieve numerous options are available samples without having to place the cover (likely to be dripping with condensation) on the lab bench. By Erica Tennenhouse Additional features that make a water bath simpler to use lthough typically used for heating and thawing in include digital controls, integrated timers, and the ability to cell culture, water baths have a variety of applications operate in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. Because baths are Ain research labs, from material characterization to typically shared within the lab, having presets can make it histological studies. Whatever the application, those thinking more convenient to switch settings between users. A calibration of purchasing a new water bath for their lab should consider the feature can save the user time and money by removing reliance range of available features that can facilitate safety, help avoid on a third-party company to perform calibration. contamination, and make the unit flexible and easy to use. A water bath must be flexible enough to accommodate the Water bath safety is all about having over-temperature range of samples and devices that will be placed inside it, from limiters and audible alarms that warn the users of extreme test tubes to test tube racks to flasks of all different sizes. For temperatures. One situation that is best avoided is having the example, if users want to incubate an Erlenmeyer flask that is heater remain on after all the water in the bath has evaporated. taller than the depth of the bath, they require a lid that can be It is therefore important to have a safety mechanism in place configured to allow the neck of the flask to stick out but still that can automatically turn the system off when dry running cover the rest of the bath to minimize evaporation. Ring covers is detected. Buyers concerned with safety should seek out UL- are available to enable such a setup. listed water baths, and that CE and CSA certifications can be helpful to have as well. Finally, a feature that should not be overlooked is the availability of technical support.

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Two extremes Choosing the In applications that take more chilling, scientists often select a more sophisticated fluid, such as silicone oil. Most chillers will work with a water-antifreeze combination or silicone Right Fluid for oil. For example, some researchers prefer a low-viscosity silicone oil—such as a pure silicone fluid called 3 cSt—even for temperatures down to -60°C. The viscosity has to be low Your Chiller enough to pump the oil through the chiller. For many silicone oils, the viscosity is too high for pumping at low temperatures. Many labs use chillers to control the cooling needed for some processes Scientists, however, pick among more than just antifreeze and silicone. One kind of fluid can even come in many forms. by Mike May At low temperatures, flammability is no concern for silicone Picking the best fluid for your application oil, but it can be a worry at high temperatures—beyond those demanded of a chiller, though. It’s a difficult balance because Perhaps surprisingly, the fluid selection for chillers involves you need a fluid that is pumpable, but that constrains the flash more than science. After 9/11, import laws changed so that those point to a high point. importing and selling a fluid were considered the manufacturer. Therefore, many companies now rely on domestic suppliers. This Ups and downs of old school means that some vendors might not carry the fluids – or versions from a particular manufacturer – that they once did. Still, every Despite the options of advanced fluids, don’t forget an obvious choice—water. Approximately half of the people using lab chillers scientist can find many chiller fluids to consider. to cool down glassware just use water. This fluid is inexpensive, non-toxic, and inflammable. It might grow some algae, but as long The most common approach as you clean it regularly, damage to equipment should be limited. The most commonly used fluid in recirculating chillers for use Old school, though, is not always the best, especially when it below 5°C is a mixture of water and antifreeze. This antifreeze comes to heat capacity. Water requires the most energy to change is the same as what you would find in your car. It’s very cheap its temperature, compared with a water-antifreeze mixture or and very affordable. silicone oil. In general, a water-antifreeze mixture requires about 10% less energy to change its temperature than water does, and Not all chiller manufacturers, though, supply fluids. Some silicone oil takes even less energy: only about 50% as much as manufacturers will recommend some readily available fluids water. In many cases, researchers select the fluid based on the that you can use throughout specific temperature ranges. amount of heat it will extract rather than the temperature range. Typically, an antifreeze mixture covers a temperature range of -40°C to 30-50°C. This simple mixture can be adjusted for So when it comes to keeping lab processes cooled off just right, lower temperatures by increasing the amount of antifreeze. For the fluid might matter more or less than some researchers example, a 50:50 ratio of water to antifreeze will work for -30 to envision. For many circumstances, the old standby—water—still 70°C. If your temperature is just below 0°C, you can get away works just fine. In other circumstances, only more sophisticated with 20% antifreeze and 80% water. fluids will do. To pick the best chiller fluid for a particular application, a scientist must consider the desired temperature In addition to being readily available and inexpensive, a water- range, energy requirements, safety, and so on. Once all of the antifreeze mixture is not flammable. factors get assessed, a scientist can pick the best option.

Lab Manager 6 Bath & Chiller Resource Guide

Product Spotlight: TECA’s newest Thermoelectric Cold Plate product offers a new option for histology laboratories (or anywhere a quiet, low profile cold plate is needed). At just over 2.5 inches high it is scaled for use at individual microtome stations. The ERGO-900 is built with Peltier technology, which is known for its longevity and low maintenance needs. Competing readily with other embedding center cold plates, TECA’s ERGO- 900 can uniquely be used either with existing paraffin dispensing centers or with individual sectioning stations. TECA’s Model ERGO-900 is a reliable, virtually maintenance-free Peltier plate which uses a very quiet fan and a design optimized for robust performance.

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Featured Manufacturer

TECA TECA’s Peltier cold plates, liquid chillers, and even enclosure coolers have been trusted in laboratories worldwide for decades. We work closely with our vendors to develop the tightest possible temperature control. We listen to our customers to offer the most desired features, such as communications software and multiple sensing options. Each lab is unique and customization is frequently provided by our talented engineering team. TECA often builds custom or modified products for our lab customers. The reliability and flexibility of TECA’s Peltier based cooling & heating products helps to speed processes on the benchtop. Made in the USA, TECA products have a history of being cited research studies. www.thermoelectric.com

Lab Manager 7 Bath & Chiller Resource Guide

cost on the other. Speed means the time it takes to reach a particular temperature, which becomes a factor when chillers Baths and are shared. Managers should consider a more powerful chiller or bath circulator with shorter time to temperature, despite the higher price tag and energy consumption. One trick for Chillers: All shortening time to temperature for a bath circulator involves displacing some of the fluid with a displacement block. Less fluid in the bath requires less energy to heat and cool and Roads Lead therefore shortens the time to temperature. Energy-saving modes can offset energy required for rapid tem- to Efficiency perature ramping as well. Traditional recirculating chillers and bath circulators operate at full cooling all the time. Tempera- With baths and chillers, the solution is the tures are maintained by heating the fluid against the cooling same for achieving temperature control, gradient. Problem: the heater consumes more energy than does cost-effective cooling protocols, energy the cooling mechanism. In energy-saving mode, cooling ramps savings, and long operating life down after reaching the set temperature, so less cooling— and more important, less heating—is required to maintain By Angelo DePalma temperature, resulting in less energy used during steady-state temperature soaks. ost-effectiveness comes down to cost of ownership, which involves balancing space, time, and energy consumption. Factors to consider CLaboratory space is at a premium and costs money. Recirculating chillers or bath circulators with small footprints for a When selecting a chiller, one must strike a balance between given power rating are a great way to maximize limited lab space. meeting the minimum performance specifications and allow- ing for increased cooling demand. For example, an undersized Time also costs money. Premium bath circulators feature a degree chiller will run consistently at maximum capacity without of programmability, so users don’t need to leave their location to meeting a lab’s cooling needs. Conversely, a significantly over- adjust or turn the device on or off. Related is remote control from sized chiller will consume more energy than will a properly a tablet, phone, or computer. Lab managers should consider units sized chiller by cycling component power on and off more controlled via Bluetooth rather than through a conventional wire- frequently. Running components for a short time can also less or Ethernet network. Because Bluetooth operates at a short negatively affect the product’s lifespan. range, IT departments don’t need to be involved at all. Chiller location can also affect the efficiencies of both the Remote apps should provide full functionality (including tem- chiller and the cooling process. Air-cooled chillers require perature programming), monitoring, alerting when tempera- unhindered airflow through the condenser and proper tures fall out of spec, and multi-cooler capability. They should ventilation for warm air exhaust. Inadequate space around help catch issues before they become problems. the chiller or poor room ventilation combined with a dirty condenser can lead to less than optimal performance and, in Cost of ownership extends to maintaining industry appropri- the worst case, can damage the chiller and the process due to ate records because audits and violations cost money. Highly inadequate cooling. regulated industries or businesses should record and maintain records in a form that cannot be doctored. Chillers contain powerful pumps, compressors, valves, and fans that all work together to keep your process at the proper Speed versus cost temperature. These moving parts can make considerable noise, which can adversely affect nearby workers. To counteract this Another aspect of time savings involves the trade-off between effect, consider purchasing a chiller with environmentally speed on one hand and energy consumption and acquisition friendly features that reduce noise through efficient operation.

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