ASHRAE 110 AM

The test is completed in a test laboratory with near perfect conditions. The purpose of this test is to allow users or buyers to compare fume hoods from different suppliers. By comparing the tests of each supplier, you can see the design of the fume hood and its performance compared with other facilities. You can also compare the energy costs of using a fume hood.

But this test will never show how the fume hood will work in your laboratory. It just tells you how it will behave compared with others under perfect conditions. However, because your laboratory is much more complex than the test laboratory, you will face many factors affecting performance. Each laboratory has a different laboratory ventilation system, which can also have a significant impact on performance.

Therefore, the usefulness of this test is to determine the design quality of the fume hood, not the performance in the actual laboratory.

ASHRAE 110 AI
 

This test is conducted on the no-load fume hood before use. This is a form of debugging.

If you have conducted an AM test on the fume hood, you can compare it with the AI test results. Therefore, if there is a significant difference in performance, it indicates that there is a problem with the building HVAC or laboratory ventilation system that needs to be solved.

The indoor ventilation system for air supply and exhaust, including fume hood exhaust, shall be fully operational. The airflow system in the laboratory shall be properly commissioned before starting the test. This includes calibrating airflow control; Automatic temperature control calibration; Gas supply balance; Complete the pipe crossing on the exhaust pipe.

If the initial test indicates that the fume hood does not operate as expected by the AM test, the test shall be stopped until the building problem is solved.

Once the fume hood has an acceptable AI test, we now know that the laboratory is safe for users. All laboratories shall conduct AI test before use to verify whether the whole system operates according to the design and the safety level is acceptable.

ASHRAE 110 AU
 

The last ASHRAE 110 test is conducted in the working laboratory, usually with normal equipment in place. Assuming we have acceptable am and AI test data, we are now testing the impact of user work practices on performance.

We often find that the failure to reach an acceptable level of fume hood in Au test is the result of changes in the laboratory ventilation system. These systems are very complex and require regular maintenance to perform as designed. Other times, it's just operational practices that can be corrected.

Regardless of the cause, this test will verify that the performance of the fume hood is acceptable.