Johnson Controls recently donated two FlowSafe Stable Vortex™ Fume Hoods and an air handler unit to the Ray W. Herrick Laboratories at Purdue University, supporting two separate projects and further enhancing the Johnson Controls-Ray W. Herrick Laboratories partnership.

The fume hoods will help aid research funded by numerous federal government grants, which are focused on additive manufacturing (3D printing), energetic materials, and polymer processing. The fume hoods are utilized to exhaust chemicals throughout the processing and protect lab occupants from harmful chemicals.

Traditionally, variable air volume (VAV) fume hoods are used when conducting this work, but Herrick Laboratories needed a fume hood that did not require an extensive exhaust system infrastructure.

“Johnson Controls maintains an important relationship with Ray W. Herrick Laboratories at Purdue University, and we remain proud in supporting the research the laboratory will conduct with our fume hoods,” Johnson Controls Director of Healthy Buildings Services and Solutions Jon Douglas said. “It is critical for these fume hoods to provide high-quality ventilation systems that allow for the efficient exhaustion of chemicals, while also enabling Herrick Laboratory researchers to continue improving the amount of clean air in their buildings.

FlowSafe Stable Vortex™ Fume Hoods are constant volume fume hoods that exhaust the same amount of air consistently all the time and have a stable flow of air without needing re-balancing, thus saving energy in the process. What makes this fume hood unique from others is the stable vortex. The vortex allows for the fume hood to operate at lower exhaust airflows, all while still maintaining containment.

"The new fume hoods from Johnson Controls will allow us to process and handle hazardous materials and chemicals in a lab space that previously did not have a safe ventilation system,” Herrick Labs Research Engineer Bryce Geesey said. “Now that we have two large, state-of-the-art fume hoods we can pursue more impactful materials in our research with the confidence that we can handle these compounds safely."

At the Ray W. Herrick Laboratories, testing and research is also being conducted to deliver comfort and safety within a smart building infrastructure. The donated Johnson Controls air handler made by Kreuger will support a new project at Herrick’s Human-Building Interactions Laboratory (HBIL).

“We truly appreciate the generosity of our friends, colleagues, and alumni at Johnson Controls who continue to be strong partners with the Ray W. Herrick Laboratories and Purdue University writ large,” Ray W. Herrick Laboratories Director Jeff Rhoads said. “Relationships akin to this allow us to build upon our world-class research in heating, ventilation, and cooling, while also pursuing new research directions related to materials and sensing.”