JPH0424062B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a high-pressure steam sterilizer, which is used to sterilize medical gauze, bandages, cotton clothing, and other medical articles in hospitals and other places in a short time. , relates to a drying high-pressure steam sterilizer.

(Prior art) Medical goods such as medical gauze, bandages, cotton clothing, syringes, forceps, linen, rubber products, and other small medical instruments used in hospitals, clinics, etc.
Must be sterilized to prevent infection.

The sterilization process generally involves placing the object to be sterilized in a pressure vessel (cylinder) that can withstand high-temperature, high-pressure steam, and keeping it in the steam atmosphere of the pressure vessel at a pressure and temperature suitable for sterilization for a certain period of time. This is done by exposing it. Since the object is exposed to steam, it is necessary to dry the object to be sterilized after sterilization. To do this, the steam inside the pressure vessel is once discharged, and the inside of the pressure vessel is heated to high temperature again and dried. There is.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) These conventional sterilizers include a pressure vessel, a water supply means for supplying water into the pressure vessel, a pressure vessel for heating and vaporizing the supplied water, and a pressure vessel for drying the water. It is equipped with a heating heater set inside. That is, water supplied into the pressure vessel is heated and vaporized by a heater, creating a high temperature, high pressure sterilization atmosphere inside the pressure vessel. In order to improve heating efficiency, the heating heater is installed at the bottom of the pressure vessel.
In order to improve drying efficiency, a steam outlet is provided at the top of the pressure vessel, and the steam is discharged by suction through a vacuum provided outside the pressure vessel.

However, with this conventional sterilizer, the drying process after sterilization is performed by heating the heating heater, which not only causes the heating heater to overheat, but also causes high temperatures near the heating heater. On the other hand, in places far away from the heater, the temperature does not rise above a certain level,
The temperature inside the pressure vessel becomes non-uniform. Therefore, objects to be sterilized, such as gauze and clothing, were burned near the heating heater, making it difficult to reuse them, and moreover, they sometimes adhered to the heating heater, requiring removal work. In addition, in locations far from the heater, the product could not reach a high temperature and was not sufficiently dry, and could not be used as is even after being removed from the pressure vessel.

In order to solve this problem, there is a method in which dry air is forcibly blown after sterilization by high-pressure steam is completed, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 18903/1983. However, this method simply forces dry air into the pressure vessel, and the objects to be sterilized held in the pressure vessel obstruct the air circulation of the dry air within the pressure vessel, causing the entire object to be sterilized to sterilize. There were times when the drying was not done properly.

For these reasons, the inventor of the present invention devised a method to improve the deficiencies of conventional sterilizers, and discovered that the cause was due to the steam suction method in the drying process and the fact that the drying air was not flowing smoothly. Ta. In other words, when discharging steam after sterilization, even if it is sucked in from the outside or even if dry air is forcibly supplied, it will not be possible to control the air flow in some parts of the pressure vessel. However, the temperature inside the pressure vessel was not maintained at a constant constant temperature.

Therefore, the present inventor focused on the fact that the above-mentioned conventional defects can be overcome by spraying and supplying a sterilized air flow to the heating heater in the drying process, and completed the present invention. .

The purpose of the present invention is to prevent the heating heater from overheating, to make the sterilization temperature uniform throughout the inside of the pressure vessel, and to sterilize the area near the heating heater by spraying and supplying a sterilized air flow to the heating heater in the drying process. The purpose is to prevent things from burning out.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in the present invention, an object to be sterilized is stored and held in a sealed pressure vessel, and a container is placed in the lower part of the pressure vessel. In a high-pressure steam sterilizer that sterilizes objects to be sterilized at high temperature and high pressure using steam generated by a heater arranged,
An air supply mechanism is provided to blow a sterilized air stream from below the heating heater to the heating heater in the drying process after sterilization, and an exhaust port to which an exhaust pipe is connected is opened at the top of the pressure vessel. It is characterized by

(Function) In the high-pressure steam sterilizer according to the present invention, an object to be sterilized is stored and held in a pressure vessel, while a predetermined amount of water is supplied into the pressure vessel and heated by a heating heater.

The steam generated by the heating of this heating heater fills the pressure vessel, creating a high-temperature, high-pressure steam atmosphere inside the pressure vessel, and the object to be sterilized is exposed to this atmosphere for a certain period of time to perform sterilization. .

When the steam is discharged after completion of sterilization after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the drying process is started and the air supply mechanism is activated.
By the operation of this air supply mechanism, a sterilized air flow at room temperature is supplied into the pressure vessel, which is blown onto the overheated heater to cool it, and the blown air flow is When the internal air is exhausted from the exhaust port at the top of the pressure vessel, the air is heated by a heater placed at the bottom of the pressure vessel, which causes the air to rise inside the pressure vessel and equalize the temperature inside the pressure vessel. do.

The cooled heater prevents overheating, prevents the objects to be sterilized near the heater from being burned out, and equalizes the temperature inside the pressure vessel.
To shorten the time required for drying objects to be sterilized.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The reference numeral 1 shown in the figure is a fuselage storage box, and this fuselage storage box 1 includes a horizontal type as shown in Fig. 1, a vertical type as shown in Fig. Pressure vessel 2 along the vertical direction
are arranged. The opening of this pressure vessel 2 can be opened and closed by an opening/closing door 3, and when the opening/closing door 3 is closed, the inside of the pressure vessel 2 is hermetically sealed. Inside the pressure vessel 2, there are medical instruments to be sterilized, medical gauze, etc.
Various items to be sterilized, such as bandages and cotton clothing, are stored and held through appropriate holding means.

In addition, the device of the present invention can be controlled on the front or top surface of the fuselage storage box 1 where the opening/closing door 3 is arranged.
An operation panel (not shown) is provided, which includes various switches, indicator lamps, and the like for operation. Furthermore, an automatic adjustment circuit is incorporated in the rear or lower part of the fuselage storage box 1, so that steam generation, pressurization, steam discharge, drying, and other processes in the pressure vessel 2 are automatically controlled. be.

A heating heater 4 for heating water supplied into the pressure vessel 2 is arranged at the lower part of the pressure vessel 2, and above the heating heater 4, a saucer 5 having an air adjustment hole is detachably attached. Deploy. This tray 5 is also used to hold the various objects to be sterilized described above.

An exhaust port 6 is opened at the top of the pressure vessel 2 to discharge the steam generated within the pressure vessel 2 after sterilization, and an exhaust pipe 7 is connected to this exhaust port 6 to direct the steam to the aircraft storage box. 1. Dispose of it appropriately outside.

Inside the aircraft storage box 1, there is provided an air supply mechanism 10 that prevents the heater 4 itself from overheating after sterilization and generates an air flow within the pressure vessel 2 to equalize the internal temperature. The air blowing position of the air blowing mechanism 10 is provided below the heating heater 4.

As shown in the figure, this air supply mechanism 10 includes a blower 11 that generates and sends an air flow, a sterilization filter 12 that sterilizes the blown air flow, and a solenoid valve 13 that blows and stops the air flow. , pressure vessel 2
a check valve 14 that prevents backflow of air from inside;
An air supply pipe 1 extending into the pressure vessel 2 from an air supply port 15 provided at the bottom of the pressure vessel 2 and having a blowout hole.
6. Then, when the pressure sensor 18 connected to the branch pipe 17 branched from the air supply pipe 16 detects that the pressure inside the pressure vessel 2 after discharging the steam has reached a predetermined pressure or less, the blower 11 is activated. Moreover, the operation of the solenoid valve 13 is ensured.

In addition, since the air supply pipe 16 portion located inside the pressure vessel 2 is located below the heating heater 4, the air flow blown out from the blowing hole hits the heating heater 4 from below the heating heater 4, and the air flow passes through the heating heater 4. 4 is directly cooled, and the pressure vessel 2
It flows in the pressure vessel 2 so as to have a uniform temperature distribution therein, and is discharged from the exhaust pipe 7. At this time, the air adjustment holes in the saucer 5 arranged above the heating heater 4 serve to equalize the flow of air and to equalize the temperature inside the pressure vessel 2.

The portion of the air supply pipe 16 located inside the pressure vessel 2 is designed to efficiently blow out the air flow, and may be formed into, for example, a disk shape, a meandering shape, a branch shape, or any other suitable shape. .

Next, an example of its use will be explained.

Items to be sterilized, such as medical gauze and cotton clothing, are stored and held in a pressure vessel 2 and sealed with an opening/closing door 3.A predetermined amount of water is supplied into the pressure vessel 2, and a heater 4 is heated. Electrify and heat.

The pressure vessel 2 is filled with steam generated by the heating of the heater 4, and a predetermined pressure is reached within the pressure vessel 2, and the objects to be sterilized are exposed to this high temperature and high pressure atmosphere for a certain period of time. In this way, sterilization is performed.

After the sterilization is completed after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the steam in the pressure vessel 2 is discharged by opening the exhaust pipe 7, and the pressure sensor 18 detects that the pressure has fallen below a predetermined pressure. The air mechanism 10 is activated. When a sterilized room temperature air flow is supplied into the pressure vessel 2 by the operation of the air supply mechanism 10, it is blown to the overheated heater 4, cooling it and 2. Equalize the internal temperature.

The cooled heater 4 is prevented from overheating, so that the objects to be sterilized near the pressure vessel 2 are not burnt out, and the time required for drying the objects to be sterilized is reduced by equalizing the temperature inside the pressure vessel 2. shorten.

After drying, the object to be sterilized is taken out from inside the pressure vessel 2.

[Effects of the Invention] The present invention is configured as described above, and therefore, by spraying and supplying a sterilized air flow to the heating heater 4 during the drying process within the pressure vessel 2, the overheating of the heating heater 4 can be prevented. This makes it possible to prevent burnout of objects to be sterilized near the heating heater 4. Moreover, the air flow is heated by hitting the heating heater 4, and gradually rises inside the pressure vessel 2, so that the temperature distribution inside the pressure vessel 2 is averaged without causing uneven distribution, and the entire inside of the pressure vessel 2 is heated. This makes the temperature uniform and quickly dries the entire object to be sterilized.

That is, the present invention stores and holds objects to be sterilized in a sealed pressure vessel 2, and sterilizes the objects by steam generated by a heating heater 4 disposed at the lower part of the pressure vessel 2. In a high-pressure steam sterilizer for sterilizing products under high temperature and high pressure, an air supply mechanism 10 is provided to spray a sterilized air flow from below the heating heater 4 to the heating heater 4 in the drying process after sterilization, and This is because the exhaust port 6 to which the exhaust pipe 7 is connected is opened at the top of the pressure vessel 2.
This makes it possible to rapidly cool the heater 4 and to equalize the temperature inside the pressure vessel 2. Moreover, since a sterilized air flow is supplied, the objects to be sterilized are not contaminated.

In particular, since the sterilized air stream is blown from below the heating heater 4 located at the lower part of the pressure vessel 2, the air stream is heated and the temperature of the gas rises.
This heated air itself maintains the inside of the pressure vessel 2 at a high temperature at all times. Not only that, the air inside the pressure vessel 2 is exhausted from the exhaust port 6 opened at the top of the pressure vessel 2, so that a uniform temperature atmosphere is maintained inside the pressure vessel 2 from the bottom to the top. This greatly helps in rapidly drying the entire object to be sterilized.

As explained above, according to the high-pressure steam sterilizer according to the present invention, medical gauze,
To sterilize and dry bandages, cotton clothing, and other medical items in a short time, and to make the temperature uniform throughout the inside of the pressure vessel without causing uneven distribution of temperature inside the pressure vessel during the drying process, it is possible to sterilize and dry medical items. It has excellent effects such as preventing burnout.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a horizontal configuration, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a vertical configuration. 1...Aircraft storage box, 2...Pressure vessel, 3...Opening/closing door, 4...Heating heater, 5...Saucer, 6...
Exhaust port, 7...Exhaust pipe, 10...Air supply mechanism, 11
...Blower, 12...Sterilization filter, 13...
Solenoid valve, 14... Check valve, 15... Air supply port, 16
... Air pipe, 17 ... Branch pipe, 18 ... Pressure sensor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 High-pressure steam that stores and holds objects to be sterilized in a sealed pressure vessel and sterilizes the objects at high temperature and high pressure with steam generated by a heater placed at the bottom of the pressure vessel. In the sterilizer,
An air supply mechanism is provided to blow a sterilized air stream from below the heating heater to the heating heater in the drying process after sterilization, and an exhaust port to which an exhaust pipe is connected is opened at the top of the pressure vessel. A high-pressure steam sterilizer featuring: