When you have systems that have large standard open magnets that can generate stray fields, such as a non-homogeneous magnetic separation rack, the devices can be very dangerous. The magnetic fields generated all around the device and are known to have caused laboratory accidents in the past. Scaling up a process means that the stray fields will increase quickly with the size of the device.
This post is about biomagnetic separation with a magnetic separation rack, and how to scale-up this process. If you are interested in this topic, download our free ebook The Basic Guide to Scale-up Biomagnetic Separation Processes:
Cautions in an open magnetic separation rack
When you have a large standard non-homogeneous magnetic separation rack, you will need to have large ‘Caution’ areas around your device where certain people and items cannot go. People who have pacemakers, magnetic recording devices and devices with magnetic memory such as computers must be separated from this system.
In addition the ‘Danger’ area is also large and increases as the magentic separation rack increases. In this area, you will not be able to keep steel or magnetic materials in this zone (e.g. tools, scissors) because they can be attracted to the magnet and essentially be catapulted through the air, potentially harming individuals nearby.
Advantages of closed biomagnetic systems
By contrast, in a closed system such as in a homogenous biomagnetic system, where all of the magnetic field is confined in the working volume, there are only minimal stray fields no matter how large the system is.
These closed systems take up much less counter space, do not require that you clear valuable lab space for large ‘Danger’ and ‘Caution’ zones and direct all of the magnetic energy toward separating beads instead of leaking large quantities of energy into the surrounding area. Therefore, a homogeneous biomagnetic system is safer and cheaper to house than a non-homogeneous magnetic system, especially when scaling up to much larger processing systems.
Don't forget to check these posts from our blog in order to get a deeper insight into the scaling-up of biomagnetic separation processes:
- What is the Best Way to Scale Up the Separation Time Parameter?
- What is the Best Way to Scale Up When Different Volumes are Required?
- Why do IVD companies scale up their biomagnetic separation processes?
Check www.sepmag.eu/ebooks to access to FREE eBooks on the subject, or contact us. We will be glad to help you to achieve an efficient magnetic bead separation process!
