JP2005245813A - Sterilizing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sterilizing method highly efficiently providing chlorine dioxide vapor from chlorine dioxide aqueous solution and expectable to produce a superior sterilizing effect and to provide a sterilizing method stably providing necessary vaporized chlorine dioxide by a vaporization method with high safety. <P>SOLUTION: This sterilizing method is so formed that the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution 1 is atomized, the atomized chlorine dioxide 2 is introduced form a pipe inlet 12 to be passed through the pipe 11 toward a pipe outlet 13, a heating gas 14 is fed to the atomized chlorine dioxide 2 passing through the pipe 11 on the middle of the pipe 11, the atomized chlorine dioxide 2 is vaporized in the pipe 11 by the feed of the heating gas 14, and the vaporized chlorine dioxide 3 is released from the pipe outlet 13 to sterilize the sterilizing object. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement of a sterilization method using chlorine dioxide.

  The sterilization method using chlorine dioxide is used for medical instrument sterilization such as a stomach camera, food sterilization, indoor sterilization, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 impregnates a porous ceramic molded body with a chlorine dioxide aqueous solution, and the ceramic. There is provided a method in which a chlorine dioxide aqueous solution impregnated in a molded body is heated by a heater to be vaporized, that is, the vaporized chlorine dioxide is released from the liquid directly into a gas by air blowing with a blower.

Patent Document 2 shows a method of obtaining vaporized chlorine dioxide by irradiating a stabilized chlorine dioxide aqueous solution with ultraviolet rays.
JP-A-8-714 JP 2004-50131 A

  However, in the former, since the heater impregnated with the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution is arranged close to the ceramic and the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution is directly heated, the ignition point of chlorine dioxide is as low as about 80 ° C. In practice, it is difficult to implement.

  Further, the vaporization method in which the liquid is directly heated has a problem that the vaporization efficiency is extremely inferior and it is difficult to supply an appropriate amount of vaporized chlorine dioxide (chlorine dioxide gas).

  Further, the ultraviolet irradiation method according to Patent Document 2 has a problem that chlorine dioxide vaporized from the stabilized chlorine dioxide aqueous solution is decomposed by ultraviolet rays, and the original sterilization function is remarkably lowered.

  The present invention provides a sterilization method capable of obtaining vaporized chlorine dioxide from the above aqueous chlorine dioxide solution with high efficiency and expecting an excellent sterilization effect.

  In addition, the present invention provides a sterilization method capable of stably obtaining the vaporized chlorine dioxide required by a vaporization method rich in safety.

  In short, the present invention forms an atomized state of an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide using any atomizing means, and then vaporizes the atomized chlorine dioxide by applying heat to the atomized chlorine dioxide using a heater or the like. The method of subjecting to sterilization is taken.

  As the atomizing means for the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution, there is a method for ejecting the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution from a nozzle, and as a preferred atomizing means, a method for applying ultrasonic vibration to the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution is adopted.

  As a more specific means of the sterilization method employing the vaporization method, the atomized chlorine dioxide is allowed to flow through the pipeline toward the pipeline outlet, and the atomized dioxide that flows through the pipeline in the middle of the pipeline. A heated gas that gives directivity toward chlorine at the outlet of the pipe is supplied into the pipe.

  The atomized chlorine dioxide is vaporized in front of the outlet in the pipe line by supplying the heated gas, and the atomization is promoted from the pipe outlet by the directivity, and the atomization is performed by the directivity. The flow rate of chlorine dioxide in the pipeline was increased to increase the amount of vaporization, and the sterilization effect of the sterilization target by releasing vaporized chlorine dioxide from the pipeline outlet was improved.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  In the present invention, when the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution 1 is vaporized, the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution 1 is first made into an atomized state by using any atomizing means.

  Next, without directly applying heat from the heater 4 or the like to the atomized chlorine dioxide 2, air is heated by a heater or the like to obtain a heated gas 14, and the heated gas 14 is given to the atomized chlorine dioxide 2 by a blower 16. The vaporized chlorine dioxide 3 is sterilized.

  The concentration of the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution 1 is suitably 1 ppm to 10,000 ppm for safety.

  As the atomizing means for the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution, an ultrasonic vibrator 5 is used as a preferred atomizing means in addition to a method for ejecting the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution from the nozzle, and the diaphragm 6 of the ultrasonic vibrator 5 is used as the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution. The ultrasonic vibration generated by the diaphragm 6 is directly applied to the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution 1 without applying vibration to the container 7 that stores the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution 1.

  As a specific example of the sterilization method adopting the above-described vaporization method, FIG. 1 is a mobile sterilization apparatus for the purpose of sterilizing indoor air, and FIG. 2 is for the purpose of sterilizing an object to be sterilized such as a hand or an instrument. The case where a mobile sterilizer is configured is illustrated.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus includes a storage container 7 for the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution 1 at the inner bottom of the envelope 17, and chlorine dioxide from a cassette tank 8 that stores the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution 1 in the storage container 7. Aqueous solution 1 is supplied.

  The cassette tank 8 is inserted into the storage container 7 so that the pouring spout 9 faces down and can be inserted and removed, and the pouring spout 9 enters the liquid from the liquid level 10 of the aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide 1 in the storage container 7. When 10 drops from the opening surface of the spout 9, the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution 1 is replenished from the tank 8 into the container 7 so that the liquid level 10 is always kept constant.

  The ultrasonic vibrator 5 is attached to the bottom plate of the container 7, and the vibration plate 6 of the ultrasonic vibrator 5 is disposed in the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution 1 in the container 7 through the bottom plate. That is, the diaphragm 6 is disposed in the liquid so that the vibration surface faces upward.

  On the other hand, a pipe line 11 is attached to the top plate of the container 7, and the inlet 12 of the pipe line 11 is opened in the container 7, that is, opened in the upper space above the liquid level 10 in the container 7. The inlet 12 and the vibration surface of the diaphragm 6 are arranged to face each other.

  Preferably, the diameter W1 of the diaphragm 6 and the diameter W2 of the inlet 12 of the pipe line 11 are made substantially equal to each other so as to face each other vertically.

  The inlet 12 of the pipe line 11 is formed by an enlarged diameter opening, and the main body of the pipe line 11 is formed by a pipe having a diameter sufficiently smaller than the enlarged diameter opening.

  The diaphragm 6 of the ultrasonic vibrator 5 is limited to a surface area where the vibration surface is in contact, and the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution 1 is locally vibrated to promote atomization from the liquid surface 10, and this atomization is promoted. The atomized chlorine dioxide 2 in the area is appropriately collected at the enlarged inlet 12.

  Thus, the atomized chlorine dioxide 2 is caused to flow through the upright pipe 11 to the outlet 13 provided at the upper end of the pipe 11, and the heated gas (heated air) 14 enters the pipe 11 in the middle of the pipe 11. Is supplied in pressure.

  For example, a branch pipe 15 that opens into the pipe 11 is provided in the middle of the pipe 11, the heater 4 is disposed in the branch pipe 15, and the end of the branch pipe 15 on the opposite side to the above-mentioned pipe opening. A blower 16 is disposed, and air blow is performed in pressure by the blower 16 to discharge the heated gas 14 from the heater 4 into the pipe 11.

  The branch pipe 15 is installed at an angle α that gives directivity toward the outlet 13 of the pipe 11 with respect to the atomized chlorine dioxide 2 flowing through the pipe 11. That is, the branch pipe 15 is disposed with an inclination angle α that is an upward gradient toward the outlet 13 side of the pipe line 11 to give the directivity.

  By supplying the heated gas 14, the atomized chlorine dioxide 2 is vaporized before the outlet 13 in the pipe line 11, and the discharge flow rate of the vaporized chlorine dioxide 3 from the pipe outlet 13 is increased by the directivity to release the vaporized chlorine dioxide 3. While promoting, the flow rate of the atomized chlorine dioxide 2 in the pipe 11 is increased by the directivity to increase the amount of vaporization.

  Therefore, the sterilization effect of the object to be sterilized by releasing the vaporized chlorine dioxide 3 from the pipe outlet 13 is improved.

  In FIG. 1, the pipe outlet 13 is disposed so as to be discharged into the room air. In FIG. 2, a manual insertion port 18 is provided on the front surface of the envelope 17 or a sterilization object mounting table 19 is provided. The pipeline outlet 13 is oriented downward toward the manual insertion port 18 or the mounting table 19 so that the vaporized chlorine dioxide 3 is concentrated and ejected onto the sterilized object placed on the hand or the mounting table 19. I have to.

  A door 20 is provided on the front surface of the envelope 17 so that the cassette tank 8 can be replaced. A trochanter 21 is provided on the lower surface of the envelope 17 to facilitate the movement of the sterilizer.

  In addition, the top plate of the storage container 7 is provided with an air sampling port 22 that opens into the container space above the liquid level 10. For example, the air sampling tube 23 is raised from the top plate, the lower end of the air sampling tube 23 is opened in the container space above the liquid level 10, and the upper end is opened above the liquid level 10 ′ of the cassette tank 8.

Sectional drawing which outlines an example of the sterilization apparatus which uses the sterilization method which concerns on this invention. Sectional drawing which outlines the other examples of the sterilizer which uses the sterilization method which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Chlorine dioxide aqueous solution, 2 ... Atomized chlorine dioxide, 3 ... Vaporized chlorine dioxide, 4 ... Heater, 5 ... Ultrasonic vibrator, 6 ... Vibration plate, 7 ... Storage container, 8 ... Cassette tank, 9 ... Cassette tank pouring Mouth, 10, 10 '... liquid level, 11 ... pipe, 12 ... pipe inlet, 13 ... pipe outlet, 14 ... heated gas, 15 ... branch pipe, 16 ... blower, 17 ... envelope, 18 ... hand Insertion port, 19 ... sterilization object mounting table, 20 ... door, 21 ... trochanter, 22 ... air sampling port, 23 ... air sampling tube

Claims (3)

A sterilization method characterized by atomizing an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide, evaporating the atomized chlorine dioxide by applying heat, and sterilizing the vaporized chlorine dioxide. Atomization in which an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide is atomized, the atomized chlorine dioxide is introduced from the inlet of the pipe, and flows through the pipe to the outlet of the pipe, and flows through the pipe in the middle of the pipe A heated gas is supplied to the chlorine dioxide, the atomized chlorine dioxide is vaporized in the pipeline by the supply of the heated gas, and the vaporized chlorine dioxide is discharged from the outlet of the pipeline so as to sterilize the sterilization target. A sterilization method characterized by the above. The sterilization method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the atomization is performed by applying ultrasonic vibration to the chlorine dioxide aqueous solution.

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