Nitrogen blowdown evaporators have become increasingly popular in analytical laboratories seeking to improve sample throughput and efficiency. Biotage's TurboVap® LV offers processing capabilities for 48 samples simultaneously. However, as with any laboratory equipment, potential users should carefully consider both the benefits and limitations before making an investment decision. Various user experiences and technical discussions have highlighted several significant drawbacks that laboratories should evaluate when considering nitrogen blowdown evaporation technology.
The Biotage TurboVap LV (48-position model) ranges from $11,000 to $14,000. However, this makes the TurboVap 2-4 times more expensive than comparable alternatives. This price difference consistently comes up as a barrier to adoption, particularly for academic laboratories and smaller facilities operating under tight budget constraints. The TurboVap's premium pricing makes it a significant capital investment decision that many laboratories simply cannot justify without clear evidence of proportional benefits.
One of the most significant operational complaints concerns the TurboVap LV's excessive nitrogen gas consumption. The 48-position TurboVap LV requires 160 L/min of nitrogen. By comparison, the comparable 48 position MULTIVAP requires just 33 L/min of nitrogen.
General laboratory nitrogen usage for evaporation can be expensive depending on the equipment utilized. One Reddit user in the r/massspectrometry subreddit documented that nitrogen gas can cost laboratories approximately $300 per week in compressed nitrogen purchases alone.
This dramatically higher gas consumption creates ongoing operational expenses that, whether labs use nitrogen cylinders or generators, translate to more frequent cylinder replacements or expensive high-capacity generators capable of meeting the elevated flow requirements. When added to the already-high purchase price, total cost of ownership becomes a serious concern for budget-conscious laboratories.
The TurboVap LV can only accommodate one tube size at a time per rack configuration. Users must purchase different racks for different tube dimensions and physically swap them out when changing sample types. This means:
- Multiple racks required: Labs working with different tube dimensions must purchase separate racks for each tube size
- Physical rack swapping: Users must stop work, remove one rack, and install another when changing sample types
- Workflow disruption: This inflexibility creates inefficiencies, particularly for labs processing diverse sample types or sharing equipment across multiple research teams
For shared laboratory facilities or multi-project environments, this lack of flexibility represents a significant operational bottleneck.
This is a common attribute of parallel evaporators which concentrate batches of samples. Labs working with three or more different sample vial sizes would be better off with a flexible sample concentrator.
The TurboVap LV is only available in a 48 sample position configuration. For smaller laboratories that don't require this capacity, the system represents a significant over-investment in both purchase price and ongoing nitrogen consumption costs. Conversely, for fast-growing analytical labs that need to process 60 or more samples at a time, this means purchasing a second complete unit—effectively doubling the already high purchase price, nitrogen consumption, and bench space requirements. Unlike competitive systems that offer scalable capacity options (ranging from 6 to 100 positions), the TurboVap LV's fixed capacity makes it less adaptable to varying laboratory needs.
Technical documentation confirms the TurboVap LV's water bath operates from ambient to only 90°C. This restriction becomes problematic when evaporating solvents such as:
- Heptane (boiling point: 98 °C)
- Pyridine (boiling point: 115 °C)
- Toluene (boiling point: 111 °C)
- Water (boiling point: 100 °C)
The TurboVap's 90°C limitation means slower evaporation rates for many common solvents or, in some cases, the complete inability to effectively concentrate certain samples. Users working with these solvents find themselves choosing between accepting dramatically longer evaporation times or looking for alternative equipment entirely. By comparison, the dry block MULTIVAP parallel evaporator is capable of reaching 120 °C.
The combination of high purchase costs ($11,000-$14,000), extremely high nitrogen consumption (160 L/min), tube size inflexibility requiring multiple rack purchases, fixed 48-position capacity unsuitable for many laboratory sizes, and limited temperature range (90°C maximum) creates cumulative challenges that laboratories must carefully weigh when considering the TurboVap LV.
For laboratories seeking more flexible capacity options, lower nitrogen consumption costs, or higher temperature capabilities, exploring competitive nitrogen blowdown evaporators with scalable designs and lower operational costs may provide better alignment with long-term laboratory needs and budget constraints.
Before making a significant capital equipment investment, ensure the TurboVap LV's specifications, capacity, and operational costs align with your laboratory's current and anticipated future sample preparation requirements.