JP2022117315A - Vertical autoclave - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vertical autoclave having improved sterilization efficiency.SOLUTION: A vertical autoclave 1 receives a sterilizing object P into a sterilizing object storage 10, causes the sterilizing object storage 10 to be charged into a chamber 3 of the autoclave body from above the top opening, generates high-pressure steam within the chamber 3, and sterilizes the sterilizing object P. At around the central bottom within the sterilizing object storage 10, a pipe 16 is opened to send high-pressure steam thereinto.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer, and more particularly to a vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer with improved sterilization efficiency.

A vertical autoclave has a chamber with an open top. Then, the object to be sterilized is stored in a basket-shaped (mesh-like) container for storing the object to be sterilized, the container is loaded into the chamber, the opening of the chamber is closed with a lid, and high-pressure steam is generated in the chamber to generate the high-pressure steam. It sterilizes objects to be sterilized with high-pressure steam.

In such a vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer, if a basket-shaped (mesh-shaped) object storage container is used, the objects to be sterilized, such as petri dishes, microplates, flasks, pipette tips, blood-collecting syringes, etc., can be sterilized. The culture medium, blood, etc. adhering to the object to be sterilized are boiled by high-pressure heated steam, fluidized and flowed out as sewage through the holes of the container for storing the object to be sterilized, and drained at the bottom of the chamber. There is a possibility that the hole or the air vent hole provided on the side may be blocked.

Therefore, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-43797) proposes a container for storing objects to be sterilized in which the lower side wall and the bottom wall are imperforate to define a sump therein. By using the storage container for the object to be sterilized in the case of sterilizing the object to be sterilized such as the petri dish and the microplate as described above, it is possible to prevent the boiled dirty water containing the adherents of the object to be sterilized from accumulating at the bottom of the container. and prevent deposits of the object to be sterilized from flowing out into the chamber.
In addition, considering the ease of disposal of the sterilized material, put the sterilized material in a bag, for example, a heat-resistant and water-resistant bag made of high-density polyethylene (hereinafter also referred to as a "sterilization bag"), The sterilization bag is placed in a basket-like (mesh-shaped) object storage container or a container for sterilization object having a sump as disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, and sterilization is performed, and the sterilization material flows out from the object to be sterilized. Sewage such as culture medium and blood is stored in a bag to prevent its outflow, and the object to be sterilized together with the bag is discarded.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-43797

However, when the object to be sterilized is sterilized using the object storage container or the sterilization bag having non-porous lower side walls and bottom walls as described above, the inside of the chamber of the sterilizer The steam generated in the above cannot enter from the lower part of the storage container, etc., and enters the storage container exclusively from the upper opening. 121° C.), and it took a long time to reach the inside of the storage container, making it difficult to perform efficient sterilization of the object to be sterilized. This is conspicuous in the vicinity of the lower center of the storage container, and there is a risk that the objects to be sterilized stored in this portion will be sterilized poorly.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the background art, and an object thereof is to propose a vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer with improved sterilization efficiency.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vertical high pressure steam sterilizer described in the following [1] to [8].
[1] An object to be sterilized is stored in a container for storing the object to be sterilized, and the container for storing the object to be sterilized is loaded into a chamber formed in the main body of the device from the upper opening, high pressure steam is generated in the chamber, and the above A vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer for sterilizing objects to be sterilized, characterized in that a pipe for feeding high-pressure steam is opened near the center of the lower part of the container for storing the objects to be sterilized.
[2] The vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to [1], wherein the container for storing the object to be sterilized is placed on a screen provided at the bottom of the chamber.
[3] The above-mentioned [1] or [2], wherein the container for storing objects to be sterilized has imperforate lower side walls and a bottom wall defining a sump therein. Vertical autoclave sterilizer.
[4] The vertical high-pressure steam sterilization according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the object to be sterilized is stored in a sterilization bag in the container for storing the object to be sterilized. vessel.
[5] The container for storing the object to be sterilized has a steam reservoir below the bottom wall, one end of the pipe is connected to the steam reservoir, and the other end of the pipe is opened near the center of the lower part of the container for storing the object to be sterilized. The vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to any one of the above [1] to [4], characterized in that the
[6] The top plate of the screen is provided with a steam reservoir below the top plate, and a hole communicating between the steam reservoir and the steam reservoir of the container for storing objects to be sterilized is provided in the top plate of the screen. The vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to [5].
[7] The above-mentioned screen has a steam reservoir under the top plate, one end of the pipe is connected to the steam reservoir, and the other end of the pipe is opened near the center of the lower part of the storage container for sterilized objects. The vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to any one of [2] to [4] above.
[8] A steam reservoir communicating with the bottom of the chamber is provided outside the chamber, one end of the pipe is connected to the steam reservoir, and the other end of the pipe opens near the center of the lower part of the storage container for the object to be sterilized. The vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to any one of [1] to [4], characterized in that the

According to the above vertical steam sterilizer according to the present invention, since the pipe for sending high-pressure steam is opened in the vicinity of the lower center of the object storage container, the gas in the object storage container is effectively steamed. , the inside of the container for the object to be sterilized reaches the set sterilization temperature in a short time, and the object to be sterilized is efficiently sterilized.

1 is a side view conceptually showing one embodiment of a vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the object storage container of the embodiment of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a partially cut-away perspective view of the screen element of the embodiment of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a conceptual side view with partial omission showing the flow of steam in the vertical autoclave sterilizer of the embodiment of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a side view of a main part conceptually showing another embodiment of the vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to the present invention; Fig. 10 is a side view of a main part conceptually showing still another embodiment of the vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to the present invention; Fig. 10 is a side view of a main part conceptually showing still another embodiment of the vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to the present invention;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of the vertical high pressure steam sterilizer which concerns on this invention is described based on drawing.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vertical autoclave 1 according to the present invention has a chamber 3 in a device body 2, and the chamber 3 is provided with an opening 4 at the top. A drain hole 5 is formed in the bottom surface of the chamber 3, and an air vent hole 6 and the like are formed in the side surface thereof. A screen 20 is provided at the bottom of the chamber 3, a container 10 for storing objects to be sterilized is placed above the screen 20, and a heater 7 is provided below.

The vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer 1 has an opening/closing lid 8 on the upper part of the device body 2 . The opening/closing lid 8 covers the opening 4 of the chamber 3 in the closed state, and maintains the pressure of the steam generated in the chamber 3 at a high pressure.

The object storage container 10 used in the vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. The upper sidewall is formed with a number of holes (or meshes) 11 and the lower and bottom walls are imperforate to define a sump 12 therein.

A leg portion 13 having a peripheral wall is provided at the lower end of the container 10 for storing objects to be sterilized, and a steam reservoir 14 is defined below the bottom wall. A hole 15 communicating with the steam reservoir 14 is formed in the bottom wall, one end 16a of a pipe 16 is connected to the hole 15, and the other end 16b of the hype 16 is located near the lower center of the container 10 for storing objects to be sterilized. is open to The pipe 16 is arranged along the peripheral wall by forming the hole 15 at the corner of the bottom wall of the storage container 10, and has a flexible pipe portion (for example, silicon hose) 17 at least in the middle. The hype 16 is constructed so that the other end 16b of the hype 16 can be inserted into the sterilized object storage container 10 containing the sterilized object, and the other end 16b can be opened near the lower center of the sterilized object storage container 10. ing. A plurality of injection holes 18 are formed in the other end 16b of the pipe 16 to be inserted between the objects to be sterilized. A handle 19 is attached to the upper end of the object storage container 10 to be sterilized.

In the vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. A steam reservoir 23 is defined below the top plate 21 . The plate surface of the top plate 21 is provided with a hole 24 for allowing the steam accumulated in the steam reservoir 23 of the screen to flow into the steam reservoir 14 of the placed object storage container 10 . A hole (or notch) 25 is formed in the peripheral wall of the leg portion 22 to allow the inside and outside of the leg portion to communicate with each other.

Moreover, the vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer 1 of this embodiment uses a sterilization bag 30 that is highly heat-resistant and waterproof. This sterilization bag 30 contains an object to be sterilized, is stored in the object storage container 10, is taken out from the storage container 10 after sterilization, and the object to be sterilized is discarded as it is. used for

In the vertical steam sterilizer 1 according to the present invention described above, water W is first stored in the bottom of the chamber 3 . On the other hand, a sterilization bag 30 containing an object P to be sterilized is placed in the object storage container 10, and the object storage container 10 is loaded into the chamber 3 of the vertical high pressure steam sterilizer 1 from the upper opening 4. be. In this state, the other end 16b of the hype 16 is inserted into the sterilization object storage container 10 containing the sterilization object P, and the other end 16b of the hype 16 is positioned near the lower center of the sterilization object storage container 10. is opened to

After that, the opening/closing lid 8 is closed and the heater 7 is energized. Then, the water W stored at the bottom of the chamber 3 is heated by the heater 7 to generate high pressure steam. The generated steam rises, and as shown in FIG. 4, part of it rises inside the chamber 3 from the periphery of the screen 20 and flows into the container 10 for storing objects to be sterilized through the upper opening. A part of the steam is accumulated in the steam reservoir 23 of the screen member 20, and the accumulated steam passes through the hole 24 of the screen member 20 and accumulates in the steam reservoir 14 of the object storage container 10 above. The stored steam flows into the pipe 16 through the hole 15 of the object storage container 10, and is formed at the other end 16b of the pipe 16 that opens near the lower center of the object storage container 10. It is injected from the injection hole 18 . As a result, the gas in the object storage container 10 is effectively replaced with steam, the inside of the object storage container 10 reaches the set sterilization temperature (for example, 121° C.) in a short period of time, and the object P is efficiently sterilized. to be sterilized. At that time, the culture medium, blood, etc. adhering to the object to be sterilized P are dissolved and flowed out, but they are stored in the sterilization bag 30 .

When the sterilization process is completed in this way, the heater 7 is deenergized, the opening/closing lid 8 is opened, the other end 16a of the pipe 16 is pulled out from the object storage container 10, and the handle 19 is held. The sterilized object storage container 10 is taken out from the chamber 3 . Then, the sterilization bag 30 containing the object P to be sterilized is taken out from the container 10 for storing the object to be sterilized, the opening of the bag 30 to be sterilized is closed, and the object P to be sterilized is put into the bag 30. Discard it in an appropriate place.

By the above-described sterilization operation of the objects P to be sterilized using the vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer 1 according to the present invention, the objects P to be sterilized are efficiently sterilized in a short period of time without sterilization failure and safely discarded.

FIG. 5 is a diagram conceptually showing another embodiment of the vertical steam sterilizer according to the present invention. In the diagram, the same members as in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer 1 shown in FIG. 5 is significantly different in that it does not use the screen 20 used in the above-described embodiment. The container 10 for storing objects to be sterilized in this embodiment is provided with a leg portion 13 having a long peripheral wall at the lower end, and the long leg portion 13 also functions as a screen. The container 10 for storing objects to be sterilized has a bottom wall provided with a hole 15 for communicating a lower steam reservoir 14 with the inside of the container, and a peripheral wall of a leg 13 having a long leg. A hole (or notch) 50 is formed to communicate the inside and outside of the leg. Others are configured in the same manner as in the above embodiment.

In the vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer 1 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 as well, the generated steam is heated by the heater 7 and rises. It flows into the object storage container 10 . A part of the steam is accumulated in the steam reservoir 14 below the object storage container 10, and the stored steam flows into the pipe 16 through the hole 15 of the object storage container 10, and the object storage container The fuel is injected from an injection hole 18 formed in the other end 16b of a pipe 16 that opens near the center of the lower part of the interior 10 . As a result, the gas in the object storage container 10 is effectively replaced with steam, the inside of the object storage container 10 reaches the set sterilization temperature (for example, 121° C.) in a short time, and the object is efficiently sterilized. to be sterilized.

FIG. 6 is a diagram conceptually showing still another embodiment of the vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to the present invention. there is

In the vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer 1 shown in FIG. 6, one end 16a of the pipe 16 is connected to the net 20. As shown in FIG. The screen 20 of this embodiment is provided with a hole 51 communicating with the steam reservoir 23 below on the outer side of the top plate 21 on which the object storage container 10 is placed. One end 16a of the pipe 16 is connected to the hole 51 provided in the screen member 20, and the other end 16b of the pipe 16 is opened near the center of the lower part of the object storage container 10 to be sterilized. The object storage container 10 to be sterilized does not have the pipe 16 used in the above-described embodiment, but a normal bottomed cylindrical container can be used as it is. Others are configured in the same manner as in the above embodiment.

Also in the vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer 1 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the generated steam is heated by the heater 7 and rises. It flows into the object storage container 10 . A part of the steam is accumulated in the steam reservoir 23 of the screen element 20, and the stored steam flows into the pipe 16 through the hole 51 provided in the top plate 21 of the screen element 20. The fuel is injected from an injection hole 18 formed in the other end 16b of the pipe 16 opening near the center. As a result, the gas in the object storage container 10 is effectively replaced by steam, the inside of the object storage container 10 reaches the set sterilization temperature (for example, 121° C.) in a short period of time, and the object to be sterilized is efficiently sterilized. Sterilized.

FIG. 7 is a diagram conceptually showing still another embodiment of the vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to the present invention. there is

In the vertical steam sterilizer 1 shown in FIG. 7, one end 16a of the pipe 16 is connected to a steam reservoir 52 provided outside the chamber 3. As shown in FIG. The vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer 1 of this embodiment is provided with a steam reservoir 52 outside the chamber 3 that communicates with the bottom inside the chamber 3 . A pipe 16 is provided through the side wall of the chamber 3, one end 16a of the pipe 16 is connected to a steam reservoir 52 provided outside the chamber 3, and the other end 16b of the pipe 16 is connected to the inside of the chamber 3. An opening is provided near the center of the lower part of the storage container 10 for objects to be sterilized. In this embodiment, the container 10 for storing the object to be sterilized and the net 20 can be used as they are. Others are configured in the same manner as in the above embodiment.

Also in the vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer 1 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the generated steam is heated by the heater 7 and rises. It flows into the object storage container 10 . A part of the steam is stored in a steam reservoir 52 provided outside the chamber 3, and the steam stored in the steam reservoir 52 flows into the pipe 16 and passes through the pipe 16 arranged through the side wall of the chamber 3. , and is injected from an injection hole 18 formed in the other end 16b of the pipe 16 that opens near the center of the lower part of the container 10 for storing the object to be sterilized. As a result, the gas in the object storage container 10 is effectively replaced by steam, the inside of the object storage container 10 reaches the set sterilization temperature (for example, 121° C.) in a short period of time, and the object to be sterilized is efficiently sterilized. Sterilized.

Although various embodiments of the vertical steam sterilizer according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the technical aspects of the present invention described in the claims are It goes without saying that various variations and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention as conceived.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, as the object storage container 10, the lower side wall and the bottom wall are imperforate and the sump 12 is defined therein. There is no need to use a storage container, and a bottomed cylindrical storage container for objects to be sterilized, which is formed in a net shape as a whole, may be used. Also, the sterilization bag 30 may be used as needed.

According to the vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to the present invention, the gas in the object storage container is effectively replaced with steam, the inside of the object storage container reaches the set sterilization temperature in a short time, and the object to be sterilized can be efficiently sterilized without defective sterilization, it can be widely used as a laboratory or medical sterilizer.

1 vertical high pressure steam sterilizer 2 device main body 3 chamber 4 opening 5 drain hole 6 air vent hole 7 heater 8 open/close lid 10 storage container for sterilized object 11 hole (or mesh)
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 12 sump 13 leg with peripheral wall 14 steam sump 15 hole 16 pipe 16a one end of pipe 16b other end of hype 17 flexible pipe section (eg silicone hose)
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 18 injection hole 19 handle 20 screen 21 top plate 22 leg having peripheral wall 23 steam reservoir 24 hole 25 hole (or notch)
30 sterile bag 50 hole (or notch)
51 hole 52 steam reservoir P object to be sterilized W water

Claims (8)

An object to be sterilized is stored in a container for storing the object to be sterilized, and the container for storing the object to be sterilized is loaded into a chamber formed in the device body from an upper opening, high pressure steam is generated in the chamber, and the object to be sterilized is sterilized. 2. A vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer for performing sterilization in 1. above, wherein a pipe for sending high-pressure steam is opened near the center of the lower part of the storage container for the object to be sterilized. 2. The vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein said container for storing objects to be sterilized is placed on a screen provided at the bottom of said chamber. 3. The vertical high pressure steam sterilizer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the container for storing objects to be sterilized has imperforate lower side walls and bottom walls defining a sump therein. . The vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the object to be sterilized is contained in a sterilization bag in the container for containing the object to be sterilized. The container for storing the object to be sterilized has a steam reservoir below the bottom wall, one end of the pipe is connected to the steam reservoir, and the other end of the pipe is opened near the center of the lower part of the container for storing the object to be sterilized. The vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by: 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the above-mentioned screen member has a steam reservoir under the top plate, and a hole communicating between the steam reservoir and the steam reservoir of the container for storing objects to be sterilized is provided in the top plate of the screen member. A vertical autoclave sterilizer as described. The above-mentioned screen is provided with a steam reservoir under the top plate, one end of the pipe is connected to the steam reservoir, and the other end of the pipe is opened near the center of the lower part of the storage container for the object to be sterilized. , The vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to any one of claims 2 to 4. A steam reservoir is provided outside the chamber and communicates with the bottom of the chamber, one end of the pipe is connected to the steam reservoir, and the other end of the pipe is opened near the center of the bottom of the container for storing objects to be sterilized. The vertical high-pressure steam sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by:

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