CO2 incubator purchase and use

The CO2 incubator is widely used in the research and production of medicine, immunology, genetics, microbiology, agricultural science, and pharmacology, and has become one of the most commonly used conventional instruments in laboratories in the above-mentioned fields, and it has been simulated in an incubator box. The growth environment of a similar cell/tissue in organisms such as constant pH (pH: 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 controls three basic variables that are relevant for simulating the in vivo environment: stable CO2 levels, temperature, and relative humidity. To have a stable culture environment, it is necessary to consider the influencing factors of these three aspects. When purchasing, it is necessary to have a certain understanding of these "emphasis on top priority" in order to choose the instrument that suits them. However, other aspects of "small" factors can not be ignored, because these will affect the instrument's use value and life. When purchasing, it should be considered from various aspects.

1. Temperature Control:

Maintaining a constant temperature in the incubator is an important factor in maintaining the healthy growth of cells. When choosing a CO2 incubator, there are two types of heating structures to choose from: air-jacketed heating and water-jacketed heating. Although both heating systems are accurate and reliable, they all have their own advantages and disadvantages. The water jacketed incubator maintains a constant temperature by surrounding the interior with a separate hot water compartment. Hot water circulates in the tank through natural convection, and the heat is transmitted to the inside of the tank through radiation so that the temperature is kept constant. The unique water jacket design has its advantages: water is a good insulation material, and when the power is off, the water jacket system can maintain the temperature accuracy and stability in the incubator more reliably for a long time ( Maintaining a constant temperature is 4-5 times longer than the air-jacketed system. If your experimental environment is not very stable (such as limited power or frequent power outages) and you need to maintain stable culture conditions for a long time, the water jacketed CO2 incubator is your best choice. The air-jacketed heating system directly heats the gas in the tank through a heater inside the tank. The air-jacketed type design can quickly recover the temperature stability in the case when the temperature caused by the frequent opening and closing of the door is changed. Therefore, compared with the water jacket type, the air-jacketed type has the characteristics of faster heating and quicker recovery than the water jacketed incubator, which is particularly advantageous for short-term cultivation and requires frequent opening and closing of the door. In addition, the air-jacketed design is more simplified for the user than the water-jacketed type (the water-jacketed type requires the water tank to be filled with water, emptied and cleaned, and the operation of the water tank is often monitored). When purchasing air-jacketed incubators, it should be noted that in order to not affect the cultivation, the incubator should also have a fan to ensure the circulation and circulation of air inside the cabinet. This device also contributes to the temperature inside the cabinet, CO2 and relative humidity. The rapid recovery.



In addition, some types of CO2 incubators also have an external door and an auxiliary heating system. This system can heat the internal door, provide the cells with a good humidity environment, ensure that the osmotic pressure of cells maintains a balance, and can effectively prevent the formation of condensate to keep the incubator The humidity and temperature inside. If your training environment requires precise control, then this auxiliary system is essential.


2.CO2 control:
CO2
Concentration detection can be measured with two types of control systems—infrared sensors (IR) or thermal conductivity sensors (TC). When the door of the CO2 incubator is opened, CO2 leaks out of the casing. At this time, the CO2 sensor detects CO2 concentration and reacts in a timely manner. The CO2 is re-injected to restore the original preset level. The working principle of the thermal conductivity sensor (TC) monitoring CO2 concentration is achieved by measuring the resistance change between two thermistors (one regulator exposed to the enclosure environment and the other closed). Changes in the CO2 concentration in the tank will change the resistance between the two thermistors, which will cause the sensors to react to achieve CO2 regulation. One of the disadvantages of the TC control system is that changes in the temperature and relative humidity inside the box affect the accuracy of the sensor. When the door is opened frequently, not only the CO2 concentration, temperature, and relative humidity will also fluctuate greatly, thus affecting the accuracy of the TC sensor. When precise culture conditions and frequent opening of the incubator door are required, this control system becomes less applicable. Infrared Sensor (IR) as another optional control system has more accurate CO2 control than TC system. It uses an optical sensor to detect CO2 level. The IR system includes an infrared transmitter and a sensor. When the CO2 in the cabinet absorbs some of the infrared rays emitted by the transmitter, the sensor can detect the reduction of infrared rays, and the amount of infrared rays absorbed corresponds exactly to the level of CO2 in the cabinet. Therefore, the concentration of CO2 in the box can be found. Because the IR system will not be affected by changes in temperature and relative humidity, it is more accurate than the TC system and is particularly suitable for cell cultures that require frequent opening of the incubator door. However, this system is more expensive than the TC system. At this time, it must be considered in conjunction with the budget.

3. Relative humidity control:

The control of the relative humidity inside the incubator is very important. Maintaining a sufficient humidity level ensures that the culture will not fail due to excessive drying. Large CO2 incubators use steam generators or nebulizers to control relative humidity levels, while most medium and small incubators use humidity control panels (humidity
Evaporation of pans produces moisture (which produces a relative humidity level of 95-98%). Some incubators have a humidity reservoir that retains moisture on the heated control panel (humidity
Reservoir), which enhances evaporation, this reservoir can increase relative humidity levels by 97-98%. However, this system is also more complicated. Due to the increase of complex structures, some unforeseen problems will also appear during use.

4. Microprocessor control system:

Each user wishes to use the instruments that are easy to use, the microprocessor control system and other various function accessories (such as high-temperature automatic adjustment and alarm devices, CO2 alarm devices, password protection settings, automatic calibration systems, etc.), This makes the operation and control of the CO2 incubator very simple. Microprocessor control system maintains incubator temperature, humidity, and CO2
Concentration steady-state operating system. For example, the PIC microprocessor control system can strictly control the concentration of gas and reduce its loss to a very low level to ensure that the culture environment is constant, and can ensure that the temperature inside the chamber during the long-term cultivation is accurate, and there are LEDs.
Display, can set, correct temperature and CO2 concentration. Although the names of different microprocessing systems are not the same, their principles and control effects are not very different. When purchasing, they do not need to care too much about the difference in their names. The key is to feel that they are convenient to use and easy to operate, and they must be able to achieve Required control accuracy.


In addition, I think an alarm system is also indispensable. It allows you to know in a timely manner the status of the incubator and react to it, thereby minimizing the loss and ensuring the continuity of the experiment. Some incubators have sound/light alarms, temperature variations of ±0.5°C, or CO2
When the concentration changes by ± 5%, it will automatically alarm; some have CO2 concentration alarm display. These devices are designed to facilitate the user and reduce the tedious and experimental process.

5. Control of pollutants:

Pollution is a major factor in the failure of cell culture. As a result, manufacturers of carbon dioxide incubators have designed many different devices to reduce and prevent the occurrence of pollution. The main approach is to minimize the areas and surfaces where microorganisms can grow. In combination with automatic decontamination devices to effectively prevent pollution. For example, in view of the fact that CO2 incubators are sometimes accompanied by mold growth, some companies have developed enhanced CO2 incubators with UV cleaning to protect the incubator from contamination and to ensure biological cleanliness in the instrument housing. There is also a company designed special copper shell HEPA filter can filter the air in the incubator, can filter out 99.97% of the 0.3um or more particles, and can effectively block the filter during the microbial particles blocked in the filter; In addition, automatic sterilization The device enables the temperature inside the chamber to reach 90°C to kill contaminating microorganisms. When combined with the HEPA system, it can greatly reduce pollution. These devices are essential for cell culture, but what kind of cleaning device is chosen? Of course, the more functions, the better and the most suitable, but the price will rise. If the funds are limited, only one price can be chosen to be cheaper. At this time, some disinfectants and bactericides should be used in conjunction with disinfection and sterilization. The effect of your equipment can also be achieved, but it is only a little more troublesome. In short, no matter what kind of device you choose, you must always pay attention to keeping the incubator clean, and often clean the cabinet, so as to increase the service life of the instrument and to make the experiment run smoothly and ensure the reliability of the results.


6. Other factors:
Each type of CO2 incubator temperature, humidity and CO2
The control range of the concentration and the control accuracy and uniformity are all different. At this point, before purchasing the instrument, you must have a certain understanding of the requirements of your own laboratory: how large is the control range? Is the control accuracy very accurate or can there be a certain range of float? Because sometimes too high precision does not seem to make much sense. Only by having a thorough understanding of the products you need can you choose your best "partner". The BioTrailer provides you with specific parameters for some companies' CO2 incubators, from which you can get a specific comparison and analysis, maybe there will be your favorite instrument in it.



The volume of the incubator is also a non-negligible factor. It is not enough to buy a small one, but it is also a waste and a large place. Carbon dioxide incubators are available in a wide range of sizes, including small (<40 liters), medium and large (>700 liters), and each type has a different volume. At this time, you need to have a more accurate understanding of the scope of the required incubator volume before purchasing, and on this basis, more space is reserved to ensure that the need for.


In addition, some CO2 incubators also have many special features, such as the Thermogard
Fan management system to achieve intelligent adjustment of air volume; single-channel circulation system to ensure uniformity of temperature inside the incubator, while also reducing pollution; LCD (liquid crystal) display system, silicone temperature sensor to measure temperature, etc. . The selection of these various attachment devices is to facilitate the selection and use of the purchaser.

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