JP7680890B2 - Autoclave with drying function - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an autoclave with a drying function that sterilizes objects to be sterilized placed in an enclosed space using a high-temperature fluid.

Autoclaves are heat sterilization devices that use a high-temperature fluid (steam, air, water, etc.) to sterilize objects placed in a sealed space. Some autoclaves are equipped with a mechanism for drying the objects after sterilization, as described in Patent Document 1, for example.

The device described in Patent Document 1 has a sterilization tank in which the objects to be sterilized are placed, and circulation piping formed outside the sterilization tank. The circulation piping is equipped with a heat exchanger as a condenser and a gas-liquid separator. The gas in the sterilization tank is led to the circulation piping, and is cooled by the heat exchanger, causing the moisture contained in the gas to condense and become liquefied. The liquefied moisture is separated from the gas components by the gas-liquid separator and discharged outside the circulation piping. As a result, gas with reduced humidity is returned to the sterilization tank, facilitating the drying of the objects to be sterilized after sterilization.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-45354

In this conventional configuration, it was necessary to lay piping outside the sterilization tank and place a heat exchanger and a gas-liquid separator, which made the overall system configuration including the autoclave complicated and required large-scale installation work. Another problem was that the installation space for the entire system was large.

The present invention aims to provide an autoclave with a drying function that can promote drying of objects to be sterilized after sterilization and improves the above-mentioned problems.

The present invention is an autoclave with a drying function that includes a sterilization treatment section having a space for placing objects to be sterilized and supplying a high-temperature fluid containing moisture to the space to sterilize the objects to be sterilized, and a dehumidification section provided facing the sterilization treatment section, all of which are housed in a sealable housing. The dehumidification section includes an airflow generating section that takes in gas present in the sterilization treatment section, guides the gas through the dehumidification section, and then forms a circulating airflow that is returned to the sterilization treatment section; a cooling section that cools the gas taken in from the sterilization treatment section to separate moisture contained in the gas; and a heating section that is continuous with the cooling section downstream of the circulating airflow and heats the gas guided from the cooling section.

With this configuration, the dehumidifying unit is located inside the housing, making the whole unit compact. And since it is equipped with a heating unit, the drying speed can be increased by directing heated gas at the object to be sterilized.

The dehumidifying unit forms the inner wall of the housing, and the dehumidifying unit can be stacked so that the cooling unit is located on the outside and the heating unit is located on the inside.

This configuration allows the drying function to be achieved on the wall surface of the heat sterilizer, and the dehumidifying section does not get in the way when items to be sterilized are put in and taken out.

Then, an airflow discharge section facing the sterilization treatment section is provided further inward of the heating section, and the airflow discharge section has a number of through holes on the surface facing the sterilization treatment section, and the gas guided from the heating section is discharged from each through hole.

With this configuration, air with reduced humidity can be released into the sterilization processing unit through multiple through holes, allowing for efficient drying.

The sterilization processing unit may be provided with a gas introduction unit that introduces gas from outside the housing, and gas may be introduced by the gas introduction unit when the dehumidification unit is operated.

This configuration also allows for drying by introducing outside air, making drying even more efficient.

The present invention makes it possible to prevent the overall system configuration, including the heat sterilization device, from becoming complicated, and makes installation work simpler than in the past. It also makes it possible to prevent the overall system installation space from becoming too large.

1 is a schematic diagram of a vertical cross-sectional view of the front side showing the configuration of an autoclave with a drying function according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a vertical cross-sectional view of the side surface of the autoclave with a drying function. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a vertical cross-sectional view of a cooling section of the dehumidification section of the autoclave with drying function. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a vertical cross-sectional view of a heating section of the dehumidification section of the autoclave with drying function. FIG.

The present invention will be described with reference to one embodiment and drawings. Note that the sterilization process performed before drying in this embodiment is configured in the same way as in the past. For this reason, only a brief description will be given. Also, while Figure 1 shows the schematic configuration of an autoclave with drying function (hereinafter referred to as "autoclave") 1, the piping and openings connecting the inside and outside of the housing 4 are not shown.

As shown in FIG. 1, the autoclave 1 of this embodiment includes a sterilization processing section 2 and a dehumidification section 3 in a sealable housing 4. The housing 4 of this embodiment is generally rectangular. However, this is not limited to this, and it can also be generally cylindrical, especially when the inside is under high pressure. Although not shown in detail, an openable and closable hatch is provided at one end of the housing 4 (the left end shown in FIG. 2). This hatch can be opened to load and unload the object to be sterilized X, and by closing the hatch, the inside of the housing 4 can be sealed to prevent leakage of high-temperature fluid. This sealing can also be achieved so that the sterilization processing section 2 can be pressurized to perform sterilization.

The sterilization treatment section 2 is also called the "sterilization chamber", and has a space 21 in which the object to be sterilized X is placed, as in the conventional case, and is a section in which a high-temperature fluid containing moisture is supplied to the space 21 to sterilize the object to be sterilized X. The high-temperature fluid is, for example, high-temperature steam or hot water. For this reason, the sterilization treatment section 2 is provided with a nozzle or the like capable of spraying the high-temperature fluid into the space 21, and the high-temperature fluid generated outside the housing 4 is introduced into the space 21. In the sterilization process, the object to be sterilized X is heated and sterilized by the high-temperature fluid hitting the object to be sterilized X in the sterilization treatment section 2. Examples of the object to be sterilized X include, but are not limited to, pharmaceutical and food products.

As shown in Figure 2, for example, a dolly (not shown) can be parked alongside the autoclave 1 with the hatch open, and the object to be sterilized X can be moved in and out by moving it in the depth direction. A rail R for loading and unloading is provided on the inner surface of the lower part of the sterilization processing section 2, and a support table Y carrying the object to be sterilized X can be moved in and out of the sterilization processing section 2 along the rail R for loading and unloading. Note that what is shown is a configuration in which frames containing multiple objects to be sterilized X are stacked in the vertical direction, but the arrangement of the objects to be sterilized X in the sterilization processing section 2 is not particularly limited.

The dehumidifying section 3 is a section provided facing the sterilization processing section 2. In this embodiment, the dehumidifying sections 3 are provided symmetrically on both sides of the sterilization processing section 2 in the horizontal direction (on the left and right sides in FIG. 1). The dehumidifying process by the dehumidifying section 3 operates after the sterilization process is completed (it can also be overlapped with the final stage of the sterilization process). It is preferable to perform the dehumidifying process continuously (without a gap) after the sterilization process is completed. This is because the sterilization object X is heated during the sterilization process, and the sterilization object X is expected to dry due to its own heat.

The dehumidification unit 3 includes an airflow generating unit 31, an airflow guiding unit 32, a cooling unit 33, a heating unit 34, and an airflow discharging unit 35. The cooling unit 33, the heating unit 34, and the airflow discharging unit 35 each have a space inside, are large in the vertical and depth directions, and are layered in the inside-outside direction of the housing 4, and are configured by stacking three layers adjacent to each other from the outside to the inside (sterilization processing unit 2 side). The layers of the cooling unit 33, the heating unit 34, and the airflow discharging unit 35 have approximately the same thickness (however, this is not limited, and the thickness dimension can be changed for each layer). The airflow generating unit 31, the cooling unit 33, the heating unit 34, and the airflow discharging unit 35 are partitioned by side partitions 36 except for the part through which the airflow passes. The dehumidification unit 3 of this embodiment forms the inner wall of the housing 4.

The airflow generating unit 31 is provided to generate an airflow inside the dehumidification unit 3. In this embodiment, a centrifugal fan is used in which the central axis of rotation is provided along the vertical direction and the airflow is generated in the horizontal direction. As the airflow generating unit 31, various means other than a centrifugal fan can be used. The airflow generated by the airflow generating unit 31 flows to the outside of the housing 4 through the airflow guiding unit 32 provided above the sterilization processing unit 2 so as to spread on both the left and right sides of the airflow generating unit 31 in FIG. 1. Therefore, the airflow generating unit 31 takes in the gas present in the sterilization processing unit 2, guides it to the dehumidification unit 3, and then forms a circulating airflow F (shown by an arrow in FIG. 1, etc.) that returns the gas to the sterilization processing unit 2. The sterilization processing unit 2 and the airflow guiding unit 32 are separated by a horizontal partition wall 37 except for the part through which the airflow from the sterilization processing unit 2 to the airflow generating unit 31 passes.

The airflow generating section 31 is also used to stir the high-temperature fluid in the sterilization process. In other words, it is also used to stir the high-temperature fluid in the space 21 when the high-temperature fluid is introduced into the sterilization processing section 2 to perform sterilization in the sterilization process. At this time, the heating operation of the cooling section 33 and the heating section 34 are not performed, and the cooling section 33, the heating section 34, and the airflow discharge section 35 simply function as a passage for passing the circulating airflow F. However, it is also possible to perform the heating operation of the heating section 34 in order to assist in the heating of the sterilization processing section 2 in the sterilization process and to reduce the amount of pure steam used when introducing pure steam into the space 21.

The cooling section 33 is connected at its upper end to the left and right ends of the airflow guide section 32 in FIG. 1, and is a section that separates the moisture contained in the gas by condensing and liquefying it by cooling the gas taken in from the sterilization processing section 2. As shown in FIG. 3, a heat exchange pipe 331 that passes a cooling fluid (cooling water, refrigerant, etc.) supplied from the outside of the housing 4 is arranged in the space of the cooling section 33, and the airflow passing through the cooling section 33 can be cooled by touching the heat exchange pipe 331. The heat exchange pipe 331 shown in FIG. 3 is folded back to increase the efficiency of heat exchange with the airflow passing through the cooling section 33. Note that the shape shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example, and the heat exchange pipe 331 in the cooling section 33 may have various shapes. For example, the heat exchange pipe 331 may be provided with fins protruding in the radial direction, or may have a different folded shape. Since the moisture separated by the cooling section 33 is in liquid form, it falls below the cooling section 33 and is discharged to the outside of the housing 4. The cooling section 33 can reduce the moisture contained in the circulating air flow F that is returned to the sterilization processing section 2 and dehumidify it.

The heating section 34 is connected to the cooling section 33 downstream of the circulating airflow F, and heats the gas led from the cooling section 33. The heating section 34 in this embodiment is connected to the cooling section 33 at the lower end, and the airflow passes through this connected section. By heating the gas in this manner, the amount of saturated water vapor per unit volume of the gas increases, so that the humidity of the gas can be reduced. The heating section 34 can supply high-temperature gas with reduced humidity to the sterilization processing section 2, so that the sterilization target X placed in the sterilization processing section 2 can be effectively dried. As shown in FIG. 4, a heat exchange pipe 341 for passing a heating fluid (steam, heat medium, etc.) supplied from outside the housing 4 is arranged in the space in the heating section 34, and the airflow passing through the heating section 34 can be heated by touching the heat exchange pipe 341. As with the cooling section 33, the heat exchange pipe 341 shown in FIG. 4 is folded back to increase the efficiency of heat exchange with the airflow passing through the heating section 34. Note that the shape shown in FIG. 4 is merely an example, and the heat exchange pipe 341 in the heating unit 34 may have various shapes. For example, the heat exchange pipe 341 may be provided with fins that protrude in the radial direction, or may have a different folded shape.

Airflow discharge section 35 is located downstream of heating section 34 in the circulating airflow F and faces the side of sterilization processing section 2, and discharges the gas led from heating section 34 to sterilization processing section 2. In this embodiment, airflow discharge section 35 communicates with heating section 34 at the upper end, and the airflow passes through this communication section. Airflow discharge section 35 has a number of through-holes 351 on the surface facing sterilization processing section 2, and disperses and discharges the gas led from heating section 34 from each through-hole 351.

The airflow discharge section 35 configured in this manner can discharge an airflow consisting of high-temperature, low-humidity gas from the multiple through-holes 351 into the sterilization processing section 2, so that the airflow can be directed at the sterilization objects X placed in the sterilization processing section 2 in a manner that is less likely to cause uneven distribution. This allows for efficient drying.

In this embodiment, the airflow is passed through the through-hole 351 that penetrates the plate-like side partition 36 that belongs to the airflow discharge section 35, but a nozzle may be provided in the airflow discharge section 35 so that the airflow can be discharged in the form of a jet, for example. In this way, the airflow can reach the object to be sterilized X that is located away from the dehumidification section 3.

The dehumidification section 3 has a three-layer structure consisting of a cooling section 33, a heating section 34, and an airflow discharge section 35. The circulating airflow F in the dehumidification process flows from top to bottom in the cooling section 33 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, flows from bottom to top in the heating section 34 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, and flows from top to bottom in the airflow discharge section 35 as shown in FIG. 1, and flows from a number of through holes 351 to the sterilization treatment section 2. Thus, in the dehumidification section 3 of this embodiment, the circulating airflow F flows while meandering in the vertical direction. Here, in the cooling section 33, the density of the gas increases as it is cooled, so the flow of the circulating airflow F from top to bottom is promoted. Similarly, in the heating section 34, the density of the gas decreases as it is heated, so the flow of the circulating airflow F from bottom to top is promoted. In addition, the airflow discharge section 35 does not have heat exchange piping like the cooling section 33 and the heating section 34, so the ventilation resistance is small. Therefore, the circulating airflow F can be smoothly guided from the heating section 34 to the airflow discharge section 35.

The autoclave 1 of this embodiment is configured as described above. According to the autoclave 1 of this embodiment, the dehumidification section 3 is provided inside the housing 4, so the entire system can be made compact. Therefore, unlike the conventional configuration, there is no need to perform piping work for the dehumidification configuration outside the sterilization tank and to place a heat exchanger and a gas-liquid separator. This simplifies the configuration of the entire system including the autoclave and prevents the installation work from becoming large-scale. In addition, the installation space for the entire system can be made smaller than in the past. And, since the heating section 34 is provided, the drying speed can be increased by applying the heated gas to the object X to be sterilized.

This configuration is particularly useful when sterilization must be performed under pressure and vacuum drying is not possible.

In addition, since the dehumidifier 3 in this embodiment forms the inner wall of the housing 4, the drying function can be achieved on the wall portion of the autoclave 1, and there is no need to form a protruding portion into the space 21 of the sterilization treatment unit 2, so the dehumidifier 3 does not get in the way when the object to be sterilized X is put in and taken out.

According to this embodiment, the overall configuration of the system including the autoclave 1 can be prevented from becoming complicated, and the installation work can be simplified compared to the conventional art. In addition, the installation space for the entire system can be prevented from becoming large.

The present invention has been described above with reference to one embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, although not shown, the sterilization processing unit 2 can be provided with a gas introduction section that introduces gas from outside the housing 4, and gas can also be introduced by the gas introduction section when the dehumidification unit 3 is operated. By providing a gas introduction section in this manner, in addition to drying using the dehumidification unit 3 of the above embodiment, drying by introducing outside air can also be used, allowing for even more efficient drying. However, when introducing outside air, the degree of dryness is affected by the humidity of the outside air, so the amount of outside air introduced must be set taking this into consideration.

In the above embodiment, the airflow generating unit 31 and the airflow guiding unit 32 are disposed above the sterilization processing unit 2, and the cooling unit 33, the heating unit 34, and the airflow discharge unit 35 are disposed on both the left and right sides of the sterilization processing unit 2. However, for example, the airflow generating unit 31 may be disposed on the side of the sterilization processing unit 2, or the cooling unit 33, the heating unit 34, and the airflow discharge unit 35 may be disposed only on either the left or right side of the sterilization processing unit 2, and the positional relationship of the dehumidification unit 3 to the sterilization processing unit 2 can be freely set.

In addition, the blade angle of the fan that constitutes the airflow generating unit 31 can be varied so that the direction of the airflow generated by the airflow generating unit 31 during the sterilization process is directed toward the sterilization processing unit 2 (downward in this embodiment), and the airflow can be directed directly into the sterilization processing unit 2. This allows for efficient agitation of the high-temperature fluid during the sterilization process.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Autoclave (with drying function) 2 Sterilization treatment section 21 Space of sterilization treatment section 3 Dehumidification section 31 Airflow generation section 32 Airflow guidance section 33 Cooling section 331 Heat exchange piping (cooling section)
34 Heating section 341 Heat exchange piping (heating section)
35 Air flow discharge section 351 Through hole 36 Side partition 37 Horizontal partition 4 Housing X Object to be sterilized Y Support stand F Circulating air flow R Rail for loading and unloading

Claims (3)

a sterilization processing unit having a space in which objects to be sterilized are placed and supplying a high-temperature fluid containing moisture to the space to sterilize the objects to be sterilized;
a dehumidifying unit provided facing the sterilization processing unit,
The dehumidification unit includes an airflow generating unit that takes in gas present in the sterilization treatment unit, guides the gas through the dehumidification unit, and then returns the gas to the sterilization treatment unit; and
A cooling unit that separates moisture contained in the gas by cooling the gas taken in from the sterilization processing unit;
a heating section that is continuous with the cooling section on the downstream side of the circulating air flow and heats the gas guided from the cooling section ,
The dehumidifying unit constitutes an inner wall of the housing,
An autoclave with a drying function , wherein the dehumidifying section is stacked so that the cooling section is disposed on the outside and the heating section is disposed on the inside . An airflow discharge section facing the sterilization treatment section is provided further inward of the heating section,
2. The autoclave with drying function according to claim 1 , wherein the air flow discharge section has a number of through holes on a surface facing the sterilization treatment section, and discharges the gas guided from the heating section from each of the through holes. a gas introduction unit that introduces a gas from outside the housing into the sterilization processing unit,
3. The autoclave with drying function according to claim 1 , wherein the gas introduction section also introduces gas when the dehumidification section is operated.