12
THE REMOVAL OF CONDENSATION FROM INSIDE THE INCUBATOR
Water vapour accumulates inside the incubator atmosphere from two sources, firstly from the evaporation
of the media in the Petri dishes and secondly by the hydrogen and the traces of oxygen being linked
together by the palladium catalyst. If this water vapour is not removed it will condense on the cooler
surfaces of the incubator walls and form pools of water. The cabinet however is fitted with a large
aluminium Condensation Plate which is kept a few degrees lower than the temperature inside the
incubator by a fan which blows cool air from the room onto its outer surface. This reduction in temperature
is sufficient to cause the excess water vapour inside the incubator to condense, run down its surface and
collect at the bottom and finally fall via a one-way valve into the gas trap bottle.
The humidity inside the incubator is controlled by the humidistat which is situated inside the unit just
behind the transfer lock. The humidistat switched the cooling fan on and off automatically as required.
THE WATER GAS TRAP TUBE
The water gas trap tube is situated on the outside of the unit at the rear of the left side. It has several
functions.
Firstly
, it is a safety device so that in the event of the gas inlet solenoid remaining open, the gas has a
way of getting out of the inlet without doing any damage.
Secondly
, it allows the operator to push their hands inside the cabinet without applying any undue
pressure. It must be remembered that all the gas that escapes via the gas trap is wasted, therefore every
effort must be made to minimise this wastage when working inside the incubator. If one arm is withdrawn
as the other is pushed into the unit, gas wastage can be reduced.
Finally
, the water gas trap tube is a collecting point for the condensation.
The water level should be checked daily. If the water level is too high it makes it difficult for the operator to
insert their arms and if the water is too low, there is a risk that gas will start to escape.
