FindenserTM – Can Reduce the Risk of laboratory Floods and Meet Water Reduction Goals

Our latest product is Findenser™, developed in conjunction with a leading pharmaceutical company which wanted to reduce the amount of water used in its laboratories.

Did you know that a standard glass water condenser uses 150 litres of water (equivalent to a bath) in just one hour?

Findenser is comprised of a glass condenser and an external finned aluminium jacket, between which a small amount of water is permanently sealed. The design of the glass inner and finned jacket mean Findenser has a much greater surface area and heat transfer capacity than a standard air condenser making it a ‘super air condenser’. Tests have shown that it can replace the need for water-cooled condensers in over 95% of common chemistry applications. Requiring no running water to operate, Findenser helps reduce consumption of a precious resource and eliminates the costs associated with water purchase and disposal.

So, why is it important to conserve water anyway? Research estimates that by 2030 global freshwater demand will be 40% above current supply and there will be an increased risk of water scarcity as the climate warms. Leading organisations have started to look at water as a key business issue and set water reduction targets.

Many universities and research facilities are starting to test Findenser, which was launched in March this year and an additional benefit has come to light, as James Lynch, a final year student from the Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies at the University of Bath explains. “The building that we work in can have big changes in water pressure mainly at night and this can cause piping to blow off the standard water condenser causing the reaction to boil dry. We chose to look at the Findenser as we had recently had a flood for this reason. Findenser not only removed the worry of possible flooding but as the Findenser doesn’t need to be close to a water source it freed up space within a work area so that we could have more equipment running at the same time.”

Findenser can be used in vessels up to 2 litres with up to 1 litre of solvent. It comes with a variety of popular joint sizes.