Laboratory testing demands highly controlled water quality. An “average” water sample is often unsuitable because dissolved ions, trace organic compounds, residual chloramines, and sub-visible microbial contamination can negatively affect experimental accuracy. Many of these contaminants are present at extremely low concentrations and cannot be detected without specialized analytical equipment.
Flier’s engineers design customized reverse osmosis systems for laboratories to match the required water purity grade and daily water demand. Each system is engineered to provide consistent feed water quality, helping laboratories achieve reliable and repeatable test results.
According to ASTM D1193 standards, laboratory-grade water is classified into several purity levels. The three most commonly used grades are Type I, Type II, and Type III.
Type III water is typically used for:
Type II water is commonly used for:
Type I water is the highest purity laboratory water available. It requires a resistivity of 18.2 MΩ·cm at 25°C and is often optimized for ultra-low total organic carbon (TOC), with many laboratories targeting less than 10 ppb TOC.
Type I water is essential for applications such as:
Reverse osmosis for laboratories is commonly used as the primary pretreatment stage when producing Type I laboratory water.
A properly designed RO system can typically achieve:
For applications requiring Type I laboratory water, Flier’s Quality Water Systems integrates reverse osmosis with additional polishing technologies, including deionization, UV oxidation, and ultrafiltration, to deliver a complete engineered purification solution.
In many cases, yes.
A functioning laboratory reverse osmosis system can often be upgraded from producing Type II water to Type I water by adding polishing components such as:
Before recommending an upgrade, Flier’s evaluates membrane condition, current water purity, feed water quality, and system age to determine the most practical and cost-effective solution.
Laboratory reverse osmosis systems require much more than simply meeting daily water production capacity.
A properly engineered laboratory RO system considers:
Flier’s engineers evaluate all of these factors before recommending an appropriately sized system.
Total Organic Carbon (TOC) measures the amount of dissolved carbon-containing organic compounds remaining in purified water.
These contaminants may include:
Even TOC concentrations below 1 ppb can interfere with sensitive laboratory applications by:
Maintaining ultra-low TOC levels is therefore critical for laboratories performing high-precision analytical and research work.
