Comparison Chart
BEL-ART – SP SCIENCEWARE
™
Desiccators
When choosing a desiccator the following questions should be considered:
What storage environment is optimal or required?
Use this chart for an overview of the environment and benefits each method of
desiccation provides.
Automatic
Standard Desiccant Desiccant Regeneration Gas Purge Vacuum
Methods of Desiccation
Manual monitoring and operation.
Moisture is absorbed from air in
the unit by using a desiccant.
Once the desiccant is ‘saturated’
it must be regenerated through
heating, or replaced.
Electric fans and heaters
continuously regenerate
the desiccant to prevent
saturation and to automati-
cally maintain a low humidity
environment.
A slow steady flow of
inert gas (often dry
nitrogen) is provided.
Air and moisture are
removed from the
chamber by use of
a vacuum pump.
Flexibility to use any type of
desiccant (silica gel beads,
activated charcoal, etc.)
based on economics and
convenience.
Convenience, requires
minimal monitoring.
Achieve relative
humidity at a much
faster rate.
Best for total dry
storage or if air
could be damaging to
material being stored.
Portability. Precise control of humidity.
Operates on a set schedule
of desiccation followed by a
regeneration period.
Dust free and
desirable for
many applications
including clean room
environments.
Dust free and
desirable for
many applications
including clean room
environments.
Economical functionality. Most
desiccants can be regenerated
periodically.
Process uses silica gel beads
that last for thousands of
regeneration cycles.
Option to close
stopcocks and use
with regular desiccants.
Option to close
stopcocks and use with
regular desiccants.
Desiccators are an economical and reliable way to assure dry, dust-free
storage and organization of humidity sensitive products such as valuable
reagents or electronics.
Proper storage conditions can be optimized by selecting a desiccator size,
shape and control mechanism best suited to your application, space
requirements and items to be stored.
The four basic types of desiccators are standard, automatic, gas purge and
vacuum.