JP4590140B2 - High-pressure steam sterilizer and high-pressure steam sterilization method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a high-pressure steam sterilization apparatus and a high-pressure steam sterilization method for sterilizing an object such as an endoscope using high-pressure steam .
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a high-pressure steam sterilization apparatus (autoclave apparatus) has been widely used as a means for achieving reliable sterilization in a short time. In the high-pressure steam sterilization process, first, a preheating process for warming the chamber itself of the sterilization apparatus and the sterilized object is performed. Subsequently, an air exclusion process is performed in which air inside the chamber and the object to be sterilized is excluded by, for example, evacuation. This is the pretreatment of the sterilization process. Subsequently, steam is supplied into the chamber, and the temperature and pressure in the chamber rise. At the same time, the object to be sterilized is also heated. When the set temperature is reached, sterilization is performed by maintaining the temperature for a certain period of time. Thereafter, the steam is exhausted from the chamber, and the sterilization object is dried and cooled, and the series of sterilization steps is completed.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the conventional high-pressure steam sterilization apparatus and the high-pressure steam sterilization method, the time required for the pretreatment that is the preheating process and the posttreatment that is the drying / cooling process is longer than the sterilization time (maintenance time of the set temperature). . That is, since most of the processing time is subjected to preparation for sterilization and post-processing, the entire processing time is long instead of the sterilization time, and the processing efficiency is poor.
[0004]
Therefore, under such a technical background, various requests have been made by users of the apparatus. For example, when a metal or resin instrument that does not absorb water is used immediately after sterilization, there is a desire to omit the drying step and perform sterilization in a short time. In addition, when the used instrument is sterilized and stored in a sterilized state, the instrument must be sterilized in the packaging state of being stored in a sterilization pack or sterilization case. Even if it takes a long time, there is also a demand to perform the drying process sufficiently and store it in the storage in a completely dry state.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, since the content of sterilization processing required by the user varies depending on the type and situation of the object to be sterilized , the advent of a high- pressure steam sterilization apparatus and a high-pressure steam sterilization method that can meet various needs of the user is highly desired. .
[0006]
The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to provide a high- pressure steam sterilization apparatus and a high-pressure steam sterilization method that can reduce processing time and meet various sterilization needs. There is to do.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, a high-pressure steam sterilization apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage unit that stores an object to be sterilized, and air in the storage unit and the object to be sterilized at the same time as preheating the object to be sterilized and the storage unit. In order to eliminate the problem, a warm water supply means for supplying warm water to the storage unit , a discharge valve and a discharge pump are disposed in a discharge pipe for discharging the warm water supplied to the storage unit, in a state where the exhaust valve is opened at the time of discharge, and hot water discharging means for the housing part to the discharge pump is operated to discharge the hot water from the storage portion to the negative pressure, the when the hot water is discharged an air inflow preventing means for preventing the entry of air into the housing part, in order to sterilize the interior of the receiving portion and the object to be sterilized after the hot water has been discharged, a steam supply means for supplying steam to the accommodating portion It is characterized by having .
[0008]
According to such a configuration, the two processes of the conventional preheating process and the air exclusion process can be realized by performing the hot water supply process by the hot water supply means only once, so that the entire processing time can be shortened. In this case, if an operation means for selecting an arbitrary process from a plurality of types of sterilization processes by selecting or combining the hot water supply means, the steam supply means, and the discharge means is provided, it can meet various sterilization needs. can do.
In order to solve the above problems, a method autoclaving of the present invention includes the steps of storing in the storage portion of the object to be sterilized, and hot water supply step for supplying hot water to said accommodating portion, the gas into the housing part A step of discharging the hot water from the storage unit while preventing the inflow of the hot water to make the storage unit have a negative pressure, and a step of supplying steam to the storage unit to sterilize the object to be sterilized. It is characterized by that.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0010]
FIG. 1 shows a high-pressure steam sterilizer 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in the figure, this high-pressure steam sterilization apparatus 1 has a chamber 2 as a storage unit in which an object to be sterilized is stored and a sterilization process is performed inside. A supply nozzle 3 for supplying steam, hot water, and cold water and a discharge port 4 for discharging air and water from the chamber 2 are provided in the chamber 2. In addition, an exhaust port 5 is provided in the upper part of the chamber 2 for extracting the air in the chamber 2 to the outside.
[0011]
In addition, the sterilizer 1 is provided with an operation panel 6 as an operation means. When this operation panel 6 is operated, the sterilization apparatus can be operated, and an arbitrary process can be selected from a plurality of types of sterilization processes in which hot water supply means, steam supply means, and discharge means described later are selected or combined. Can do. The operation panel 6 can display measurement data such as the pressure and temperature in the chamber 2.
[0012]
Further, the sterilizer 1 is provided with a door 7 for opening and closing the chamber 2. When the door 7 is closed, the gap between the chamber 2 and the door 7 is sealed by packing (not shown), and the inside of the chamber 2 is sealed.
[0013]
The circuit configuration of the high-pressure steam sterilizer 1 is shown in FIG. As shown in the drawing, one end of a supply pipe line 8 is connected to the supply nozzle 3 provided in the chamber 2. Further, the other end of the supply pipe 8 is branched into four, and a water supply pipe 9 for supplying cooling water into the chamber 2 and a steam supply means for supplying steam into the chamber at each branch part, respectively. Are connected to a steam supply pipe 10, a hot water pipe 11 as hot water supply means for supplying hot water into the chamber 2, and an air pipe 12 for supplying air into the chamber 2. The water supply pipe 9 has a water supply valve 13 and a check valve 14 in the middle thereof, and the steam supply pipe 10 has a steam supply valve 15 and a check valve 16 in the middle of the hot water pipe. The passage 11 has a hot water valve 17 and a check valve 18 in the middle thereof. Further, an air valve 19, a check valve 20, and a compressor 21 are disposed in the middle of the air conduit 12.
[0014]
In addition, a discharge pipe 22 serving as a discharge means for discharging hot water, steam, or the like supplied to the chamber 2 is connected to the discharge port 4 provided in the chamber 2. The discharge pipe 22 has a discharge valve 23 and a discharge pump 24. Further, an exhaust pipe 25 is connected to the exhaust port 5, and an exhaust valve 26 is disposed in the middle of the exhaust pipe 25.
[0015]
Next, the operation of the high-pressure steam sterilizer 1 having the above configuration will be described.
[0016]
First, an object to be sterilized is stored in the chamber 2 of the sterilizer 1 and the door 7 is closed. When the door 7 is closed, the inside of the chamber 2 is sealed. Here, when there is no need to dry the article to be sterilized and it is desired to perform sterilization in a short time, a “no drying / with rapid cooling” process including a rapid cooling process is selected on the operation panel 6. Then, the sterilization temperature and sterilization time are set on the operation panel 6. Thereby, a sterilization process is started.
[0017]
FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the “no drying / fast cooling” process. When this process is started, the exhaust valve 23 is closed and the exhaust valve 26 is opened to prepare for storing hot water in the chamber 2 (step S1). Thereafter, the hot water valve 17 is opened, and hot water is supplied into the chamber 2 through the hot water pipe 11 and the supply pipe 8 (step S2).
[0018]
When hot water is supplied and stored in the chamber 2, the air in the chamber 2 is exhausted through the exhaust pipe 25. At this time, the object to be sterilized stored in the chamber 2 is preheated by being immersed in warm water.
[0019]
Subsequently, it is confirmed whether or not the hot water is stored up to the specified water level and the chamber 2 is filled with the hot water (step S3). When the hot water is stored up to the specified water level and the chamber 2 is filled with the hot water, the hot water valve 17 is closed, the supply of hot water is stopped, and the exhaust valve 26 is closed (step S4). At this time, the air in the chamber 2 is removed by being filled with hot water. That is, in this warm water supply process, the conventional preheating process and air exclusion process are performed simultaneously.
[0020]
Subsequently, the discharge valve 23 is opened, and the discharge pump 24 is operated (step S5). Thereby, the hot water stored in the chamber 2 is discharged out of the apparatus through the discharge pipe 22. At this time, since all the valves other than the discharge valve 23 are closed, air or the like does not flow into the chamber 2, and the chamber 2 after the hot water is discharged is set to a negative pressure state. Further, during this time, it is confirmed whether or not the discharge pump 24 has been operated for a specified time required for discharging the hot water in the chamber 2 (step S6). The specified time is calculated in advance based on the capacity of the chamber 2 and the capacity of the discharge pump 24, and is stored in advance as a specified time in a control unit (not shown) of the sterilizer 1. When the discharge pump 24 operates for a specified time, the discharge pump 24 is stopped and the discharge valve 23 is closed (step S7). This is the pretreatment process of the sterilization process.
[0021]
When the above pretreatment process is completed, the steam supply valve 15 is opened, and steam is supplied into the chamber 2 through the steam supply pipe 10 and the supply pipe 8 (step S8). During this time, the output of a temperature sensor (not shown) that measures the temperature in the chamber 2 is monitored to check whether or not the temperature in the chamber 2 has reached a designated temperature (sterilization temperature) designated by the user (step). S9). When the temperature in the chamber 2 reaches the specified temperature, the steam supply valve 15 is closed (step S10).
[0022]
It is confirmed whether or not a designated time (sterilization time) designated by the user has elapsed since the temperature in the chamber 2 reached the designated temperature (step S11). When the specified time elapses and the sterilization process ends, the steam in the chamber 2 is discharged. That is, the exhaust valve 26 and the exhaust valve 23 are opened, and the steam is discharged out of the apparatus through the exhaust pipe 25 and the exhaust pipe 22 (step S12). At the same time, the air valve 19 is opened and the compressor 21 is operated (step S13). As a result, air is supplied into the chamber 2, and the vapor in the chamber 2 is immediately discharged out of the chamber 2. Since the air supplied at this time is clean air through a filter (not shown), the object to be sterilized is not contaminated.
[0023]
Thereafter, it is confirmed whether or not the compressor 21 has operated for a specified time (step S14). This specified time is a time necessary for discharging the vapor in the chamber 2, is specified in advance by experiments, and is stored in the control unit of the sterilizer 1. When the specified time elapses, the discharge valve 23 is closed, the compressor 21 is stopped, and the air valve 19 is closed (step S15). Thereafter, the water supply valve 13 is opened, and cooling water is supplied into the chamber 2 through the water supply line 9 and the supply line 8 (step S16). Thereby, the article to be sterilized in the chamber 2 is cooled by the supplied water. The water supplied at this time is sterilized water so that the object to be sterilized is not recontaminated.
[0024]
When the cooling water is supplied into the chamber 2, it is confirmed whether or not the material to be sterilized has been supplied to a specified water level soaking in water (step S17). When the specified water level is reached, the water supply valve 13 is closed (step S18). Subsequently, the discharge valve 23 is opened, the discharge pump 24 is operated, and the water in the chamber 2 is discharged outside the apparatus (step S19). At this time, it is confirmed whether or not the discharge pump 24 operates for a predetermined time (step S20), and after operating for the specified time, the discharge pump 24 is stopped (step S21). At this time, all the water supplied into the chamber 2 is discharged out of the apparatus. Thus, when cooling of the article to be sterilized is completed, a series of “no drying / with rapid cooling” sterilization process ends.
[0025]
On the other hand, when a used instrument is sterilized and stored in a sterilized state, it is necessary to perform a sterilization process in a packaged state in which an object to be sterilized is stored in a sterilization pack or sterilization case. In this case, in order to store the sterilized instrument in a sufficiently dry state in a storage, a process including a long drying process is performed as shown in the flowchart of FIG. The process of FIG. 4 is obtained by deleting steps S16 to S21 in the “no drying / rapid cooling” process of FIG. 3, and the last compressor operation time is set long in order to sufficiently dry the sterilized object. (In step 15, the specified time for operating the compressor 21 is set longer). In the case of this process, since there is no rapid cooling with water at the end, immediately after sterilization, the inside of the chamber becomes hot and becomes easy to dry. Therefore, the article to be sterilized is dried by the air sent by the compressor 21 for a long time.
[0026]
As described above, the high-pressure steam sterilization apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes the chamber 2 as a storage unit that stores an object to be sterilized, hot water supply units 11, 17, and 18 that supply hot water to the chamber 2, and the chamber 2. Steam supply means 10, 15, 16 for supplying steam to the chamber 2, and discharge means 22, 23, 24 for discharging the hot water or steam supplied to the chamber 2. Therefore, the conventional two steps of the preheating step and the air exclusion step can be realized by performing the hot water supply step by the hot water supply means only once, and the entire processing time can be shortened.
[0027]
That is, when a device that does not absorb water is to be processed in a short time without the drying step, the chamber 2 and the object to be sterilized can be heated in a short time by filling the chamber 2 with warm water, and the preheating step Can be shortened. At the same time, the air in the chamber 2 can be eliminated by filling the chamber 2 with warm water. After the chamber 2 is filled with hot water, the hot water is discharged by the discharge pump 24, whereby the chamber 2 is evacuated to a negative pressure state. Since the pre-processing up to this point can be performed once in and out of the hot water, the processing time can be shortened compared to the conventional pre-processing step ( preheating step + evacuation step). Further, after the sterilization process is completed, the cooling time can be shortened by supplying cold water into the chamber 2.
[0028]
Moreover, the sterilization apparatus 1 of this embodiment is provided with the operation means 6 which selects arbitrary processes from the several types of sterilization process process which selected or combined the said warm water supply means, the said steam supply means, and the said discharge means. Therefore, it can respond to various sterilization needs.
[0029]
FIG. 5 shows a modification of the circuit configuration of the high-pressure steam sterilizer 1. As shown in the figure, the circuit according to this modification has a configuration in which the water supply line 9 and the steam supply line 10 merge instead of connecting the hot water line 11. That is, when hot water is supplied into the chamber 2, the water supply valve 13 and the steam supply valve 15 are opened, whereby water and steam are mixed in the supply line 8 and supplied as hot water into the chamber 2. The When water is supplied into the chamber 2, water is supplied by opening the water supply valve 13 and closing the steam supply valve 15. On the other hand, when supplying steam into the chamber 2, steaming is performed by closing the water supply valve 13 and opening the steam supply valve 15.
[0030]
According to such a structure, the connection of the hot water pipe line can be omitted, and the structure can be simplified.
[0031]
By the way, since the sterilizer is designed to sterilize by bringing high-pressure and high-temperature steam into contact with the object to be sterilized, when the object to be sterilized is cooled, it is converted into moisture when the high-pressure steam contacts the object to be sterilized. This becomes water droplets and accumulates in the chamber. This is called drain, but if this drain is not efficiently discharged out of the chamber, a cold spot (a part where the temperature does not reach the specified temperature) is generated, and high temperature steam can be reliably brought into contact with the object to be sterilized. There is a possibility that it cannot be done.
[0032]
The chamber (high-pressure vessel) of the sterilizer is generally made of stainless steel, etc., and conventionally the drain (water droplets) generated in the chamber is guided to the exhaust / drain pipe by polishing the surface thereof. However, this method has its limitations, and water droplets may not flow well due to polishing variations and accumulation of impurities.
[0033]
Therefore, in the sterilization apparatus 1 of the above-described embodiment, by applying a super water-repellent coating in the chamber 2, drain (water droplets) generated in the chamber 2 is efficiently guided to the exhaust / drain pipe. (Drain can be efficiently discharged out of the chamber 2). Specifically, as shown by hatching in FIGS. 6 and 7, a super water-repellent coating is applied to the inner surface of the chamber 2 and the inner surface of the door 7 so that the drain is efficiently discharged out of the chamber 2. . In order to discharge drain more efficiently, it is desirable to apply a super water-repellent coating also to the inside of the discharge pipe 22. As the kind of super water-repellent coat, it is preferable to use a fluororesin coat, titanium oxide or the like.
[0034]
Compared with conventional means such as polishing the surface of stainless steel, etc., not only can polishing be done and the production cost can be reduced, but also drainage can be discharged out of the chamber 2 so that high temperature steam can be reliably discharged. It can contact an object to be sterilized.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the high- pressure steam sterilization apparatus and high-pressure steam sterilization method of the present invention, the processing time can be shortened and various sterilization needs can be met.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main body of a high-pressure steam sterilizer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a circuit configuration diagram of the high-pressure steam sterilizer of FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a “no drying / with rapid cooling” process of the high-pressure steam sterilizer of FIG. 1;
4 is a modification of FIG. 3 and is a flowchart of processing steps including a drying step that is long in time.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a modification of the circuit configuration of FIG. 2;
6 is a perspective view showing a modified example (horizontal chamber) of the chamber of the high-pressure steam sterilizer of FIG. 1; FIG.
7 is a perspective view showing a modified example (longitudinal chamber) of the chamber of the high-pressure steam sterilizer of FIG. 1. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... High-pressure steam sterilizer 2 ... Chamber (storage part)
6. Operation panel (operation means)
10 ... Steam supply pipe (steam supply means)
11 ... Warm water pipeline (warm water supply means)
22 ... discharge pipe (discharge means)

Claims (4)

A storage section for storing objects to be sterilized;
In order to preheat the object to be sterilized and the storage part and at the same time to exclude air inside the storage part and the object to be sterilized, hot water supply means for supplying hot water to the storage part;
A discharge valve and a discharge pump are disposed in a discharge pipe for discharging the hot water supplied to the storage unit, and the discharge pump is operated with the discharge valve being opened when the hot water is discharged from the storage unit. Hot water discharging means for discharging hot water from the storage unit to make the storage unit have a negative pressure ;
Air inflow prevention means for preventing inflow of air into the storage section when the hot water is discharged;
Steam supply means for supplying steam to the storage unit in order to sterilize the storage unit and the inside of the object to be sterilized after the hot water is discharged;
A high-pressure steam sterilization apparatus comprising: A storage section for storing objects to be sterilized;
In order to preheat the object to be sterilized and the storage part and at the same time to exclude air inside the storage part and the object to be sterilized, hot water supply means for supplying hot water to the storage part;
A discharge valve and a discharge pump are disposed in a discharge pipe for discharging the hot water supplied to the storage unit, and the discharge pump is operated with the discharge valve being opened when the hot water is discharged from the storage unit. Hot water discharging means for discharging hot water from the storage unit to make the storage unit have a negative pressure ;
Air inflow prevention means for preventing inflow of air into the storage section when the hot water is discharged;
Steam supply means for supplying steam to the storage unit in order to sterilize the storage unit and the inside of the object to be sterilized after the hot water is discharged;
An operation means for selecting an arbitrary process from a plurality of types of sterilization processes selected or combined with the hot water supply means, the steam supply means, and the discharge means;
A high-pressure steam sterilization apparatus comprising: Storing the article to be sterilized in the storage unit;
A warm water supply stage for supplying warm water to the storage unit;
A hot water discharge stage that discharges the warm water from the storage unit and makes the storage unit have a negative pressure while preventing gas from flowing into the storage unit ;
Sterilizing the article to be sterilized by supplying steam to the storage unit;
A high-pressure steam sterilization method comprising: After the step of sterilizing the article to be sterilized,
Exhausting the steam from the housing;
Supplying gas to the storage section;
Supplying water to the storage unit;
Discharging the water from the storage;
The high pressure steam sterilization method of Claim 3 characterized by the above-mentioned.

Images