JPH0246357Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the invention] a. Purpose of the invention (industrial application field) The steam sterilizer according to this invention is suitable for use in highly infectious areas such as biohazard rooms for genetic recombination and isolation wards for infectious diseases. It is installed in a place where bacteria are handled and acts to completely prevent the bacteria from leaking outside.

(Prior Art) For example, in a biohazard room where genetic recombination is carried out, highly toxic bacteria are handled, so the experimental equipment used must be sterilized before being taken outside. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3, the biohazard chamber 1 is provided with a steam sterilizer 2 that communicates between the inside and outside of the chamber 1. This steam sterilizer 2 has an opening of a sterilization container 3 into which high-temperature, high-pressure steam can be freely sent, both inside and outside the biohazard chamber 1, and both openings can be opened and closed by doors 4a and 4b that can be operated independently of each other. There is. Reference numeral 5 denotes an air shower room for preventing bacteria attached to workers from being carried outside.

When taking laboratory equipment etc. used in the biohazard room 1 outside, open the door 4a on the indoor side with the door 4b on the outside of the steam sterilizer 2 closed.
After the laboratory instruments used in the biohazard chamber 1 are stored in the sterilization container 3, the door 4a is closed, and high-temperature, high-pressure steam is sent into the sterilization container 3 to sterilize the laboratory instruments. When the predetermined sterilization process is completed, the door 4b on the outdoor side is opened while the door 4a on the indoor side is closed, and the sterilized laboratory instruments and the like are taken out to the outdoor side.

The basic structure of the steam sterilizer 2 is as shown in FIG. 4, for example. That is, the sterilization container 3 that stores experimental instruments and the like that are objects to be sterilized has an inner cylinder 6 into which the objects to be sterilized can be taken in and out, and a container for heating the objects to be sterilized and the air (including water vapor) inside the inner cylinder 6. It consists of an outer cylinder 7 surrounding this inner cylinder 6. Steam generated by a boiler (not shown) is introduced into the outer cylinder 7 through a steam supply pipe 11, and is further introduced into the outer cylinder 7 through a pipe 9 which has both ends opened into the inner and outer cylinders 6 and 7 and has an on-off valve 8 in the middle. It is introduced into the inner cylinder 6.

When sterilizing an object to be sterilized, first close the on-off valve 8 and exhaust the air in the inner cylinder 6 using a vacuum pump (not shown) to extract the air from the object to be sterilized. After performing a vacuum process to facilitate the penetration of water vapor into the inner cylinder 6, the on-off valve 8 is opened and the inner cylinder 6 is opened.
High-temperature, high-pressure steam is sent inside to heat and sterilize the objects to be sterilized. When the sterilization process for a predetermined period of time is completed, the on-off valve 8 is closed, and the inside of the inner cylinder 6 is evacuated again to dry the object to be sterilized that got wet with water vapor during the sterilization process. During each stroke, the water vapor fed into the inner and outer cylinders 6, 7 is condensed and liquefied, and the condensed water is discharged through the trap 10.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, the conventional steam sterilizer constructed and operated as described above suffers from the following disadvantages.

That is, when the air in the inner cylinder 6 that constitutes the sterilization container 3 and stores the object to be sterilized is discharged by a vacuum pump, or when the drain generated due to condensation of water vapor in the inner cylinder 6 is discharged by the trap 10. When discharging through the tube, the bacteria in the inner cylinder 6 mixes with the air and drain and leaks out to the outside.

The steam sterilizer of the present invention eliminates the above-mentioned disadvantages.

b. Structure of the invention (Means for solving the problem) The steam sterilizer of the invention is equipped with a sterilization filter in the middle of the exhaust pipe that discharges the gas in the sterilization container to the outside, into which high-temperature, high-pressure sterilization steam can be freely sent. In addition, a heating container and an on-off valve are installed in the middle of the drain pipe that discharges the condensate generated in the sterilization container, starting from the sterilization container side, and high-temperature, high-pressure steam is sent around the heating container. It is surrounded by a flexible steam jacket.

(Function) When sterilizing objects to be sterilized using the steam sterilizer of the present invention configured as described above, the objects are stored in a sterilization container and the sterilization process is performed as in the case of conventional steam sterilizers. The air inside the container is exhausted through the exhaust pipe, but at this time, bacteria mixed in the air and sent into the exhaust pipe are captured by the sterilization filter and do not leak outside.

After the air in the sterilization container is discharged, high-temperature, high-pressure steam is sent into the sterilization container to heat and sterilize the object to be sterilized, which has been stored in the sterilization container in advance.
At this time, a portion of the water vapor sent into the sterilization container condenses and becomes drain, which flows into the heating container through the drain pipe. At this time, the on-off valve provided in the middle of the drain pipe is closed, so the drain is stored in the heating container. When the condensate in the heating container has accumulated to a certain extent, high-temperature, high-pressure steam is sent into the steam jacket to heat and sterilize the condensate in the heating container, and then the on-off valve in the middle of the drain pipe is opened to complete the sterilization process. drain the drain.

(Example) Next, the present invention will be explained in more detail by explaining the illustrated embodiment.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the invention. A steam supply pipe 11 has one end connected to the outer cylinder 7 of the sterile container 3 consisting of an inner cylinder 6 and an outer cylinder 7, and the other end communicates with a steam supply device such as a boiler. A valve 12 is provided. One end of an intake pipe 13 and a branch pipe 14 are connected to a portion of the steam supply pipe 11 between the first on-off valve 12 and the outer cylinder 7, respectively. Among these, a sterilization filter 15 is provided at the other end of the intake pipe 13, and a check valve 16 and a second on-off valve 17 are provided in order from the side of this sterilization filter along the way. A safety valve 18 is provided at the other end. Reference numeral 9 denotes a pipe whose both ends are connected to the inner cylinder 6 and the outer cylinder 7, respectively, and a third on-off valve 8 is provided in the middle of this pipe 9.

In the middle of the exhaust pipe 19, which has one end connected to the upper part of the inner cylinder 6 and the other end connected to a drainage facility, a fourth on-off valve 20 and a sterilization filter 21 are installed in order from the inner cylinder 6 side.
A bypass pipe 26 for shortening the fifth on-off valve 22 and a fifth on-off valve 22 and a check valve 23 are provided.
A sixth on-off valve 24 and a trap 25 are provided in the middle. Also, the pipe 4 separated from the exhaust pipe 19
0 is provided with a tenth on-off valve 41 and a vacuum pump 42.

On the other hand, the lower end of the first drain pipe 27 whose upper end is connected to the bottom of the inner cylinder 6 communicates with the heating container 28 . One end is connected to a drain port provided at the bottom of this heating container 28, and a seventh on-off valve 29 and a check valve 3 are connected in the middle.
The other end of the second drain pipe 31 provided with the drain pipe 19 communicates with the exhaust pipe 19 to a drainage facility. The upper end of the depressurizing pipe 45, whose lower end is connected to the upper end of the heating container 28, is connected to the inner cylinder 6, and
When the internal pressure rises, this pressure is released into the internal cylinder 6.

Further, the lower end of the third drain pipe 32, which has an upper end connected to the bottom of the outer cylinder 7 and has a trap 43 and a check valve 44 in the middle, communicates with the drain pipe 19 to a drainage facility.

The heating container 28 is surrounded by a steam jacket 33, which branches from the steam supply pipe 11 at a portion closer to the steam supply device than the first on-off valve 12.
Branch steam supply pipe 35 with an eighth on-off valve 34 in the middle
is in communication with this steam jacket 33. Furthermore,
The bottom of the steam jacket 33 is connected to the upper end of a drain pipe 39, which is provided with a ninth on-off valve 36, a trap 37, and a check valve 38 in the middle.

When an object to be sterilized is sterilized by the steam sterilizer configured as described above, the object to be sterilized is stored in the inner cylinder 6, and then the first on-off valve 12 and the third on-off valve 8 are opened, Steam is sent into the inner cylinder 6 to replace the air in the inner cylinder 6. At this time, in addition to the first and third on-off valves 12 and 8, the fourth and sixth on-off valves 20 and 24 are opened, and the other on-off valves 17 and 22,
29, 34, and 36 are closed. By sending water vapor into the inner cylinder 6, the pressure inside this inner cylinder 6 reaches the second level.
As shown in part a of the solid line A in the figure, a mixed gas of water vapor and air is discharged from the exhaust pipe 19, and the partial pressure of water vapor in the inner cylinder 6 rises. exhaust pipe 1
Bacteria contained in the mixed gas discharged from 9 are
Since the germs are collected by the sterilizing filter 21 in the middle of the exhaust pipe and the sterilizing filter 21 is exposed to high temperatures, these bacteria do not leak out to the outside while still alive.
Air is discharged from the fourth on-off valve 8 while the third on-off valve 8 is closed.
Open the tenth on-off valves 20 and 41, and
This can also be done by operating the inner cylinder 6 to create a vacuum.

Once the air in the inner cylinder 6 has been discharged to a certain extent, the fourth on-off valve 20 in the middle of the exhaust pipe is closed, and the pressure in the inner cylinder 6 is increased as shown in part b of Fig. 2. The interior of the inner cylinder 6 is brought to a high temperature and high pressure state as shown in part c of the figure, and the objects to be sterilized stored in the inner cylinder 6 are sterilized.

A part of the water vapor sent into the inner cylinder 6 for air discharge or sterilization is condensed within the inner cylinder 6 and is sent into the heating container 28 through the first drain pipe 27. When the drain (condensed water) in the heating container 28 reaches a certain level or more, the eighth on-off valve 34 in the middle of the branch steam supply pipe 35 is activated based on the signal from the water level sensor installed in the heating container 28. When opened, high-temperature, high-pressure steam is sent into the steam jacket 33 to heat the drain inside the heating container 28. When the temperature of the drain in the heating container 28 reaches a temperature sufficient for sterilization, a timer is started and the eighth on-off valve 34 is closed after a certain period of time. The sterilized drain in the heating container 28 is drained into the second drain pipe 31 after completing the sterilization of the objects to be sterilized stored in the sterilization container 3 and discharging high-temperature, high-pressure water vapor from the inner cylinder 6. The seventh on-off valve 29 in the middle of the process is opened to discharge the water.

A sterilization filter 2 is used when discharging the air inside the inner cylinder 6.
When the objects to be sterilized stored in the inner cylinder 6 are sterilized, the bacteria captured in the inner cylinder 6 are removed by a part of the high-temperature, high-pressure water vapor sent into the inner cylinder 6 through a sterilization filter 2.
Sterilize by pumping into 1. In order to sterilize the sterilizing filter 21 in this way, during the sterilization process in which high-temperature, high-pressure steam is sent into the inner cylinder 6, the fifth and tenth on-off valves 22 and 41 are closed, and the fourth and fourth on-off valves 22 and 41 are closed. This is done by opening the on-off valves 20 and 24 shown in No.6. When each opening/closing valve is controlled in this manner, new water vapor corresponding to the amount of drain discharged through the trap 25 is successively fed into the sterilizing filter 21, thereby sterilizing the bacteria trapped in the sterilizing filter 21. Therefore, when replacing the sterilizing filter 21, the surrounding area will not be contaminated by bacteria adhering to this filter.

After the sterilization work is completed, the third on-off valve 8 is closed and then the fifth on-off valve 22 is opened to rapidly discharge the water vapor in the inner cylinder 6. Furthermore, if necessary, vacuum pump 4
2, the interior of the inner cylinder 6 is evacuated and the object to be sterilized wet with sterilization steam is dried.

c. Effects of the invention Since the steam sterilizer of the invention is configured and operates as described above, it is possible to completely prevent bacteria attached to the objects to be sterilized stored in the sterilization container from leaking out of the sterilization container, and to reduce toxicity. It is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of infection accidents caused by strong bacteria.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the steam sterilizer of the present invention, Figure 2 is a diagram showing pressure changes inside the sterilization container during sterilization, and Figure 3 is a diagram showing the steam sterilizer installed. A schematic cross-sectional view showing a biohazard room,
FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a conventional steam sterilizer. 1: Biohazard room, 2: Steam sterilizer,
3: Sterile container, 4a, 4b: Door, 5: Air shower room, 6: Inner cylinder, 7: Outer cylinder, 8: (Third) on-off valve, 9: Pipe, 10: Trap, 11: Steam supply pipe, 1
2: first on-off valve, 13: intake pipe, 14: branch pipe,
15: Disinfecting filter, 16: Check valve, 17: Second on-off valve, 18: Safety valve, 19: Exhaust pipe, 20:
Fourth on-off valve, 21: Sterilization filter, 22: Fifth on-off valve, 23: Check valve, 24: Sixth on-off valve,
25: Trap, 26: Bypass pipe, 27: First drain pipe, 28: Heating container, 29: Seventh on-off valve, 30: Check valve, 31: Second drain pipe, 32:
Third drain pipe, 33: Steam jacket, 34: Eighth on-off valve, 35: Branch steam supply pipe, 36: Ninth on-off valve, 37: Trap, 38: Check valve, 39: Drain pipe, 40 : Pipe, 41: Tenth on-off valve, 42:
Vacuum pump, 43: Trap, 44: Check valve, 4
5: Pressure relief pipe.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A sterilization filter is installed in the middle of the exhaust pipe that discharges the gas in the sterilization container to the outside, into which high-temperature, high-pressure sterilization steam can be sent, and a sterilization filter is installed in the middle of the drain pipe that discharges the condensate generated in the sterilization container. A heating container and an on-off valve are provided in order from the container side,
A steam sterilizer that consists of a heating container surrounded by a steam jacket that can freely send high-temperature steam.