JPH0678976A - Sterilizing gas pressure regulating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow the handling as a general gas without being regulated by the law of high pressure gas control, eliminate freezing or fault, and minimize heater capacity in an evaporating device. CONSTITUTION:A sterilizing gas pressure regulating device is a device for mixing liquefied carbon dioxide with liquefied ethylene oxide, and evaporating and supplying the mixed solution as a sterilizing gas. In the course of a piping passage 1 for supplying the mixed solution of the liquefied carbon dioxide and the liquefied ethylene oxide from the state of about 60kgf/cm<2> to evaporate it, an orifice 2 for reducing the pressure of the mixed solution is provided to once reduce the pressure. On the lower stream side of the orifice 2, a pressure reducing valve 3 is provided to reduce the pressure of the mixed solution once reduced in pressure by the orifice 2 to less than 1.0kgf/cm<2>. On the lower stream side of the pressure reducing valve 3, an evaporating device 4 for evaporating the mixed solution reduced in pressure to less than 1.9kgf/cm<2> is provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sterilizing gas pressure adjusting device used for vaporizing a mixed gas of liquefied carbon dioxide and liquefied ethylene oxide to supply a sterilizing gas. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in sterilizing medical instruments such as scalpels and scissors in a hospital or the like, these medical instruments have been put in a sterilizer and a sterilizing gas has been supplied into the sterilizer. As the sterilizing gas, for example, a liquid mixture of Freon and ethylene oxide was vaporized and used as the sterilizing gas, and the sterilizing action was performed due to the toxicity of ethylene oxide. Here, conventionally, even when trying to use a liquid mixture of ethylene oxide and chlorofluorocarbon, when ethylene oxide is used alone as a sterilizing gas, ethylene oxide is a toxic, flammable and dangerous gas. It is dangerous because it has a negative impact on the product and is explosive, so it was used by diluting ethylene oxide to about 10 to 20% by mixing it with CFC that does not affect the human body and does not cause an explosion. Of.

[0003]

In recent years, however, since the destruction of the ozone layer has led to the worldwide abolition of the use of CFCs, the CFCs that have been used up until now cannot be used anymore. Therefore, there is a demand for a substitute for CFCs that is harmless to the human body and has no risk of explosiveness, and the present inventor has focused on carbon dioxide as a substitute for CFCs. However, there was no problem because both chlorofluorocarbon and ethylene oxide could be liquefied at low pressure to form a mixed solution, but carbon dioxide would not liquefy unless it was about 60 kgf / cm ² , and therefore carbon dioxide and ethylene oxide were not liquefied. The mixed liquid of and will be put in a gas cylinder or the like at about 60 kgf / cm ² . When vaporizing a mixed liquid of about 60 kgf / cm ² , because the liquid is mixed, the target mixed gas cannot be obtained unless the liquid is taken out and forced to vaporize. However, in order to forcibly vaporize liquid, it is regulated by the High Pressure Gas Control Law, and a manufacturing permit or notification is required. Also, when it comes to manufacturing equipment, procedures, approvals, annual inspections, release inspections, etc. are required, and there is no problem in general companies, but in hospitals it is a complete layman, and many problems remain. And this high pressure gas control method is 2kgf /
The target is the one whose state is changed at cm ² or more, and when the pressure is reduced to ² kgf / cm ² or less and the gas is forcedly vaporized, there is no regulation and it is handled as a general gas. For this reason, it is conceivable that the mixed liquid of carbon dioxide and ethylene oxide will be rapidly depressurized from about 60 kgf / cm ² to 2 kgf / cm ² in order to be handled as a general gas without going into the regulations of the High Pressure Gas Control Law. In this case, it easily freezes, causes a failure, and requires a large heater capacity.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and its purpose is to have a simple structure, which is handled as a general gas without being regulated by the High Pressure Gas Control Law. Another object of the present invention is to provide a sterilization gas pressure adjusting device which can eliminate freezing and malfunction and reduce the heater capacity in the vaporizing device.

[0005]

A sterilizing gas pressure adjusting device of the present invention is a device for mixing liquefied carbon dioxide and liquefied ethylene oxide and vaporizing the mixed liquid to supply it as a sterilizing gas. The mixed liquid of the liquefied carbon dioxide and the liquefied ethylene oxide is about 60 kgf / c.
An orifice 2 for reducing the pressure of the mixed liquid is provided in the middle of the flow path 1 which is supplied and vaporized from a state of about m ^2, and a pressure reducing valve 3 for reducing the pressure of the mixed liquid to 1.9 kgf / cm ² or less is provided on the downstream side of the orifice 2. Provided, 1.9 kgf / c downstream of the pressure reducing valve 3.
It is characterized in that a vaporizer 4 for vaporizing a mixed liquid whose pressure is reduced to m ² or less is provided.

[0006]

The orifice 2 for decompressing the mixed liquid of liquefied carbon dioxide and liquefied ethylene oxide is provided in the middle of the flow path 1 for vaporizing by supplying the mixed liquid of about 60 kgf / cm ² from the state, A pressure reducing valve 3 for reducing the pressure of the mixed liquid to 1.9 kgf / cm ² or less is provided on the downstream side of the orifice 2, and a vaporizer for vaporizing the mixed liquid reduced to 1.9 kgf / cm ² or less on the downstream side of the pressure reducing valve 3. By providing 4,
Reduce the pressure of the mixed liquid from about 60 kgf / cm ² at once.
By instead of being reduced to 1.9kgf / cm ² or less, vacuum is allowed to 1.9kgf / cm ² or less by reducing valve 3 after the pressure was reduced by performing a pressure drop at once adiabatic expansion of the orifice 2 in the middle of the flow channel 1 ones, and the Thus, eliminating freezing or failure that occurs when reducing the pressure from 60 kgf / cm ² approximately at once by the pressure reducing valve 3 to 1.9kgf / cm ² or less, to allow smaller heating capacity in the vaporizer 4 In addition, the above operation is performed by providing the orifice 2 in the middle of the flow path 1. However, even if the orifice 2 is provided in the middle of the flow path 1, the orifice 2 is a part of the flow path 1. Will be regarded as not subject to the High Pressure Gas Control Law.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a flow chart of the present invention. An orifice 2 is provided in the middle of the flow path 1. A pressure reducing valve 3 is provided downstream of the orifice 2 in the flow path 1. Further, a warmer is provided on the downstream side of the pressure reducing valve 3, and this warmer serves as the vaporizer 4. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 5 is a heater provided in a heater constituting the vaporizer 4, and reference numeral 12 is a filter arranged before and after the orifice 2. Then, in the present invention, using the above apparatus, by mixing liquefied carbon dioxide and liquefied ethylene oxide,
This mixed solution is vaporized and supplied as a sterilizing gas. However, the mixed solution of liquefied carbon dioxide and liquefied ethylene oxide will not liquefy unless carbon dioxide is about 60 kgf / cm ² (the ethylene oxide The pressure required for liquefaction is an order of magnitude lower than that of carbon dioxide), and the mixed liquid of carbon dioxide and ethylene oxide is put into a gas cylinder or the like at about 60 kgf / cm ² and connected to the inlet of the pipe of the flow path 1 in FIG. It is being supplied. The mixed liquid of liquefied carbon dioxide and liquefied ethylene oxide thus supplied to the channel 1 is dropped by the orifice 2 from about 60 kgf / cm ^{2 to} about 30 kgf / cm ² . Next, in this way, the orifice 2 is used for 60 kgf / cm ²
The mixed liquid dropped from about 30 kgf / cm ^{2 to} about 30 kgf / cm ² is depressurized to 1.9 kgf / cm ² or less by the pressure reducing valve 3 provided on the downstream side of the orifice 2. Thus, once 60 kgf / a cm ^2, of the mixture dropped to about approximately 30 kgf / cm ² by the orifice 2, by then reducing valve 3 by reducing the pressure to 1.9Kgf / cm ² or less, 60 kgf / cm ² It is possible to solve the problems such as freezing, failure, and increase in heater capacity in the vaporization device 4 that occur when the pressure of the mixed liquid is reduced to 1.9 kgf / cm ² or less at once by the pressure reducing valve 3. In this case, since the orifice 2 is regarded as a part of the flow path 1, it is not a target of the high pressure gas control method, and the pressure reducing valve 3 reduces the pressure to 1.9 kgf / cm ² or less. The vaporizer 4 and the like are not subject to the High Pressure Gas Control Law and can be handled as ordinary gas.
The mixed liquid of liquefied carbon dioxide and liquefied ethylene oxide, which has been decompressed to 1.9 kgf / cm ² or less by the pressure reducing valve 3, passes through the vaporizer 4 and is heated and vaporized by the heater 5 to be carbonized and oxidized. The mixed gas of ethylene is supplied into the sterilization chamber 6 and sterilizes medical equipment such as a knife and scissors placed in the sterilization chamber 6.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a specific embodiment of the sterilizing gas pressure adjusting device of the present invention in which the orifice 2, the pressure reducing valve 3, and the vaporizing device 4 arranged in the above-mentioned flow path 1 are integrated as one instrument. The figure is shown. In the figure, 7 is an inlet side connecting portion, 8 is an outlet side connecting portion, and a flow path 1 is formed between the inlet side connecting portion 7 and the outlet side connecting portion 8. That is, an orifice body 10 having an orifice 2 is screwed and attached to the main body 9, and a connection body 11 having an inlet side connecting portion 7 is screwed and attached to the orifice body 10. A filter 12 is arranged before and after the orifice 2, and the filter 12
Has a role of removing dust and a role of promoting decompression.
A pressure reducing valve 3 is internally provided in the main body 9, and 13 in the drawing is an adjusting spring for adjusting the pressure reduction by the pressure reducing valve 3. The adjusting spring 13 is a valve of the pressure reducing valve 3 via a diaphragm 14. Pressing the rod 15 and adjusting screw 16
The pressure reduction of the pressure reducing valve 3 is adjusted by operating the. A vaporizer 4 for vaporizing the mixed liquid decompressed by the decompression valve 3 is further installed inside the main body 9.
7 is a heat conductor screwed in the vaporizer 4, 5 is a heater,
18 is a thermostat.

In the embodiment, the sterilizing gas pressure adjusting device of the present invention has been described as an example of supplying sterilizing gas to a sterilizing room used in a hospital, but various uses other than the hospital are conceivable. Of course.

[0010]

As described above, according to the present invention, liquefied carbon dioxide and liquefied ethylene oxide are mixed and the mixed liquid is vaporized and supplied as a sterilizing gas. Unlike the one using chlorofluorocarbon, it does not destroy the ozone layer, and even though it uses carbon dioxide in this way, liquefied carbon dioxide and liquefied ethylene oxide An orifice for reducing the pressure of the mixed liquid is provided in the middle of the flow path for vaporizing the mixed liquid of about 60 kgf / cm ² and the mixed liquid is 1.9 kgf / c on the downstream side of the orifice.
Since a pressure reducing valve for reducing the pressure to m ² or less is provided, and a vaporizing device for vaporizing the mixed liquid that has been reduced to 1.9 kgf / cm ² or less is provided on the downstream side of the pressure reducing valve, the pressure reducing valve is about 60 kgf / cm ² at a time. 3, it is possible to eliminate freezing and troubles that occur when the pressure is reduced to 1.9 kgf / cm ² or less, and to reduce the heater capacity in the vaporizer, and moreover, the above operation is performed by providing an orifice in the middle of the flow path. However, even if an orifice is provided in the middle of the flow path, the orifice is considered as a part of the flow path and is not considered as a target of the High Pressure Gas Control Law. Even if you use it in a place without a house,
It is regarded as a general gas and is easy to handle.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view showing a flow channel of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the same sterilizing gas pressure adjusting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 flow path 2 orifice 3 pressure reducing valve 4 vaporizer

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A device for mixing liquefied carbon dioxide and liquefied ethylene oxide, vaporizing the mixed liquid and supplying it as a sterilizing gas, wherein the liquefied carbon dioxide and the liquefied ethylene oxide are mixed. About 60 kgf /
an orifice for reducing the pressure of the mixture from cm ² is in the state in the middle of the flow path vaporized by supplying provided, a pressure reducing valve for depressurizing the mixture to 1.9Kgf / cm ² or less provided on the downstream side of the orifice, the pressure reducing valve A gas pressure adjusting device for sterilization, characterized by comprising a vaporizer for vaporizing the mixed liquid decompressed to 1.9 kgf / cm ² or less on the downstream side.