N°1 in ductless mobile enclosures
and vented chemical storage cabinets
for the total filtration of toxic gases

Choose your language

Home > Standards

The AFNOR NF X 15-211 : 2009 standard

A safety standard to guarantee your protection.

Appointed by the AFNOR, the Union de Normalisation de la Mécanique (UNM), composed of a college of experts (INRS, national organizations, professional syndicates), has established the AFNOR NF X 15-211 : 2009 standard. This standard applies to filtration fume hoods (also named recirculatory fume hoods or ETRAF) designed for research, analysis, education works,…. for all laboratories where chemicals subjected to professional exposure limit values (OEL or TLV) are manipulated. This standard sets forth performance criteria related to:

Filtration efficiency
Containment efficiency
Air face velocity, ...

This standard sets forth performance criteria related to:

Filtration efficiency	Containment efficiency	Air face velocity	Documentation included with recirculating fume hoods

The classes established by the standard

Class 1	Class 2
Filtration fume hood with safety reserve	Filtration fume hood without safety reserve
One main filtration level and one safety filtration level	One filtration level

Top

Classification according to filtration type

	Denominations according to the NF X 15 211:2009 standard	Denominations equivalence for erlab® products
Particles filtration*	Type P	Type P
Vapours filtration**	Type V	Type C
Particles and vapours filtration**	Type PV	Type PC

* : The particulate filter must be at least of H14 grade according to the NF EN 1822-1 standard
** : The filters for vapours must be submitted to two successive performance tests with Cyclohexane and Isopropanol for the filters designed to retain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). Another test for acid vapours is carried out with Hydrochloric acid.

Top

Filtration efficiency

It is defined by the filter capacity to retain noxious molecules manipulated within the enclosure and qualifies the quality of the recirculated air at the filter exhaust.

	Class 1	Class 2
Normal operation phase	Emissions concentration at the filter exhaust must be lower than 1% of the TLV
Detection phase	The concentration at the filter exhaust must be lower than 1% of the TLV, and the automatic saturation detector must warn the user	The concentration at the filter exhaust must be lower than 50% of the TLV
Safety operation phase	The concentration at the filter exhaust must be lower than 50% of the TLV ; its duration must not be lower than 1/12 of the normal operation phase duration.

Top

Containment efficiency of the enclosure

It is defined by the fume hood capacity to maintain chemical vapors or particles within the enclosure without any propagation in the laboratory environment.

To prove this efficiency, a test is carried out following the protocol described in the standard. SF6 (Sulfur Hexafluoride) tracer gas emissions are generated into the enclosure. A grid composed of sensors is placed in front of the working openings. Some samplings are done at the grid. Based on the emitted gas concentration and the samplings done (which will allow the determination of an average operator exposure to this tracer gas), it is possible to determine a containment performance level of the filtration fume hood. The containment threshold specified by the NFX 15-211:2009 standard imposes a maximum concentration of 0.1 ppm of SF6 gas at the measuring points on the grid.

Top

Air face velocity

It represents the fume hood capacity to create a dynamic barrier between the operator and the handling.

For filtration fume hoods with fixed front panel, the air face velocity at any point of the front openings must be between 0.4 and 0.6 m/s. They must be equipped with a permanent monitoring system for the air face velocity which also acts as a real time containment indicator.

Top

Documentation

Filtration fume hoods must be delivered with a booklet containing an exhaustive list of chemicals, certified by the manufacturer, that can be handled into the filtering fume hood in the conditions described in the AFNOR NF X 15-211: 2009 standard.
erlab has created the "CHEMICAL LISTING," a guide of authorized chemical agents, which analyzes 700 chemicals and lists the following information for each one:

The chemical name, its formula, its CAS number, its boiling point, its molecular weight, its saturation vapour pressure
The appropriate filter reference and its retention capacity during the normal operation phase
The type of saturation detection system for the filter(s)
The maximum quantity of the chemical that can be introduced within the enclosure
The name of the test laboratory having performed the test

Top

Would you like more information on the AFNOR NF X 15-211 standard? Click here

Download

AFNOR NF X 15-211 : 2009 Standard and Services Captair

SERVICES

Direct access to our other websites

Discover the erlab group, world leader in laboratory filtration technologies since 1968.

Real time communicating fume hoods equipped with the new Neutrodine® filtration technology.
For multi-disciplinary handlings

- Filters: High performance super activated carbon molecular filters for the filtration of air polluted by toxic gases compatible with all brands.
- Maintenance: The first international network of approved technicians for the maintenance of super activated carbon laboratory filtration systems of all brands.