JPS6347464B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sterilization method and a sterilization apparatus using sterilization gas. More specifically, the present invention relates to a sterilization method and a sterilization device that can efficiently sterilize objects to be sterilized.

Gas sterilization, steam sterilization, radiation sterilization, and other methods are generally used to sterilize medical instruments. Of these, steam sterilization and radiation sterilization often cause material deterioration due to high heat or radiation, so there are naturally limits to the materials that can be used. On the other hand, gas sterilization is sterilized under mild conditions and is free from such problems and is widely used for various products. However, the gas sterilization method has the problem of requiring a large amount of time. In other words, when performing gas sterilization, a sufficient sterilization effect cannot be obtained unless the object to be sterilized is kept in contact with the sterilizing gas for several hours or more. Since a similar amount of time is required to remove the sterilizing gas, the time required for one cycle is approximately 10 to 20 hours, which is extremely inefficient.

The present invention has been made in view of the current situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method that can efficiently perform gas sterilization. Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that can efficiently perform gas sterilization. The present invention achieves these objectives by sequentially performing preheating of the object to be sterilized, treatment with sterilizing gas, and removal of sterilizing gas in adjacent chambers.

That is, in the present invention, the object to be sterilized is stored in a first chamber and preheated to approximately the sterilization temperature, and then the preheated object to be sterilized is transferred to an adjacent second sealable chamber, the object is sealed, and sterilization gas is supplied. The sterilization gas is introduced and held at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time to perform sterilization, and then transferred to a third chamber adjacent to the second chamber to remove the sterilization gas remaining in the object to be sterilized. It is a sterilization method. The present invention also provides a preheating chamber for preheating the object to be sterilized to approximately the sterilization temperature, a sterilization chamber for introducing sterilizing gas and maintaining it at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time, and a sterilization gas remaining in the object to be sterilized. This sterilizer is characterized in that degassing chambers are connected in this order to remove degassing chambers, and that it has means for transferring the object to be sterilized that has been processed in each chamber to the next chamber.

FIG. 1 is a partially sectional front view of one embodiment of the sterilizer of the present invention. The apparatus is composed of a preheating chamber 1, a sterilization chamber 2, and a degassing chamber 3, and a conveyor 7 is installed in each chamber as a means for transferring objects 4, 5, and 6 to be sterilized to the next chamber. Preheating chamber 1
is a chamber for preheating the object to be sterilized to approximately the sterilization temperature, and the object to be sterilized is heated by heating the wall surface of the chamber to a constant temperature or by circulating heated air or steam inside the chamber. Heating can also be done using microwaves. The heating conditions are controlled so that the temperature of the object to be sterilized is approximately equal to the sterilization temperature in the next sterilization step. usually
A temperature of about 30 to 80°C is suitable, but there is no limitation thereto.

The sterilization chamber 2 has doors 8 and 8' that can be sealed on both sides.
The chamber has a sealed structure and is preferably pressure resistant. After the objects to be sterilized are carried in through the door 8, the doors 8 and 8' are sealed, the air inside is pumped out, and then sterilization gas is introduced. After introducing sterilizing gas, the interior of the room is maintained at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time to perform sterilization. Sterilizing gases used include ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, β-propiolactone, and formaldehyde. Conditions such as temperature, pressure, gas concentration, and treatment time are selected as appropriate. It is also possible to supply steam into the room to adjust the humidity and increase sterilization efficiency. Additionally, the sterilizing gas may be circulated after introduction. When the sterilization process is completed, the gas in the room is exhausted, air is introduced, the door 8' is opened, and the objects to be sterilized are carried out.

The degassing chamber 3 is a chamber for removing sterilization gas remaining in the sterilized object, and supplies air into the chamber to discharge the residual gas. Degassing may be carried out at room temperature, but it may also be heated or under negative pressure to increase efficiency.

The object to be sterilized is first preheated in a preheating chamber 1, then carried into a sterilization chamber 2 through a door 8 by a conveyor 7, where it is sterilized, and carried out through a door 8', where the sterilization gas is removed in a degassing chamber 3. Each chamber is connected in series, so as shown in Figure 1, the objects to be sterilized 4, 5, and 6 are stored in each chamber, and each treatment is carried out almost simultaneously, and when the treatment is completed, the objects to be sterilized are moved to the next chamber. It is possible to sequentially transport the data and perform the next processing. That is, the object 4 to be sterilized from which the sterilization gas has been removed is removed from the degassing chamber 3 by opening the door 9', then closing the door 9' and opening the door 8' as shown in FIG. Then, at the same time as the object 5 to be sterilized is transferred to the degassing chamber 3, the door 8
The door 9 is opened and the object to be sterilized 6 is transferred to the sterilization chamber 2, and the next object to be sterilized is carried into the empty preheating chamber 1 by opening the door 9. Then, repeat the following process in each chamber. By doing this, sterilization is performed even while preheating and degassing are being performed, so that efficient processing can be achieved. In contrast, in the past, preheating and degassing were performed in the sterilization room, so sterilization could not be performed during that time.
It was inefficient and required a lot of time. The present invention has been able to improve efficiency by more than 2 to 3 times compared to conventional methods.

The sterilization device described above is merely illustrative of the invention;
The invention can be implemented in various ways obvious to those skilled in the art.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 are partially sectional front views of one embodiment of the sterilizer of the present invention. 1... Preheating chamber, 2... Sterilization chamber, 3... Degassing chamber, 4, 5, 6... Object to be sterilized, 7... Conveyor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The object to be sterilized is stored in a first chamber and preheated to approximately the sterilization temperature, and then the preheated object to be sterilized is transferred to an adjacent second sealable chamber, where it is sealed and sterilized. The object is sterilized by introducing gas and maintaining it at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time, and then transferring it to a third chamber adjacent to the second chamber to remove the sterilization gas remaining in the object to be sterilized. sterilization method. 2. The sterilization method according to claim 1, wherein the objects to be sterilized are stored in each chamber and subjected to each treatment almost simultaneously, and then sequentially transferred to the next chamber and subjected to the next treatment. 3. A preheating chamber for preheating the objects to be sterilized to approximately the sterilization temperature, a sterilization chamber for introducing sterilizing gas and maintaining it at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time, and for removing the sterilization gas remaining in the objects to be sterilized. 1. A sterilizer comprising degassing chambers connected in this order and means for transporting objects to be sterilized that have been processed in each chamber to the next processing chamber. 4. The sterilizer according to claim 3, wherein each chamber is connected in series. 5. The sterilization device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the transfer means is a conveyor.