KR102258695B1 - A sterilizing apparatus and a method for measuring concentration of hydrogen peroxide of the sterilizing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a sterilization apparatus comprising a sterilization chamber, comprising a sampling unit located in a predetermined area outside the sterilization chamber, the sampling unit, hydrogen peroxide vapor decomposition device; And a storage unit for storing water vapor and oxygen decomposed from the hydrogen peroxide vapor decomposition device, wherein the storage unit relates to a sterilization device including an oxygen sensor and a method of measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration of the sterilization device, by a first humidity sensor. The relative humidity exerted by hydrogen peroxide vapor at the first relative humidity through the oxygen sensor measurement value, which detects the first relative humidity of the gas inside the sterilization chamber, and is measured by the oxygen sensor of the sampling unit located outside the sterilization chamber. By deriving the ratio of, it is possible to calculate the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor in the sterilization chamber.

Description

A sterilization device and a method of measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the sterilization device {A STERILIZING APPARATUS AND A METHOD FOR MEASURING CONCENTRATION OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE OF THE STERILIZING APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to a sterilization apparatus and a method of measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration of the sterilization apparatus, and more particularly, to a sterilization apparatus capable of accurately detecting the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor by a simple method, and a method of measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration of the sterilization apparatus. will be.

Medical devices are usually sterilized by high pressure steam sterilization using saturated steam under high pressure, or by ethylene oxide gas sterilization using chemical substances such as ethylene oxide that do not damage instruments or materials that are weak to heat.

However, since the high-pressure steam sterilizer sterilizes at a high temperature of 120 degrees or higher, the medical devices made of synthetic resin that have been developed recently are deformed, and the delicate blades of the medical devices made of steel become dull, which is much shorter than the existing lifespan. . In particular, high-pressure steam sterilization may be an unsuitable sterilization method because expensive medical devices, instruments, and devices, which are increasing due to the development of the latest surgical technology, are sensitive to heat or moisture and may be damaged during sterilization reprocessing.

Ethylene oxide gas sterilizers that can minimize damage to these devices can be sterilized at low temperatures, but ethylene oxide may remain in the sterilized material, or carcinogenic and toxic substances may be generated due to reaction products. It takes time. In addition, it has been reported that ethylene oxide gas has a high risk of explosion by itself and can act as a genetically toxic substance capable of causing mutations, and it is regulated as a carcinogen, requiring much attention in its use.

On the other hand, the sterilization method using hydrogen peroxide steam has a short sterilization time within 30 to 60 minutes at a temperature of 40 to 50 degrees, and water and oxygen are discharged to the atmosphere after sterilization so that it is harmless to the human body or environment. Various disadvantages of sterilizer can be compensated.

However, in the hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution used to generate hydrogen peroxide vapor, water vaporizes and diffuses earlier than hydrogen peroxide in the vaporization process, making it difficult to sufficiently diffuse hydrogen peroxide. This is because water evaporates more quickly because its vapor pressure is higher than that of hydrogen peroxide, and since the molecular weight of water is lower than that of hydrogen peroxide, water vapor diffuses into the gas phase more rapidly than hydrogen peroxide vapor.

Because of this characteristic, when the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution evaporates in the space surrounding the product to be sterilized, the water reaches the product to be sterilized at a higher concentration before the hydrogen peroxide.

Water vapor diffuses more quickly into diffusion-limited spaces such as small crevices or long narrow lumens, inhibiting the permeation of hydrogen peroxide vapor. That is, water reaches the product to be sterilized before hydrogen peroxide, so that sterilization is not performed properly.

For effective sterilization, it is preferable to use a more concentrated aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution, but when the concentration of the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution is 60% by weight or more, it is practically difficult to handle such as transportation and storage.

For this reason, it is common to use a sterilizing agent by concentrating an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution having a concentration of 60% by weight or less that can be handled, for example, with a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution of 95% by weight or more through each step. It can improve the sterilization effect.

At this time, when the hydrogen peroxide solution is concentrated to a high concentration hydrogen peroxide solution and used as a sterilizer, it is not easy to measure the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide in the sterilization chamber of the sterilization device.

In particular, since condensation easily occurs in high concentration hydrogen peroxide gas, a means for directly measuring the concentration is not common, and the gas concentration is usually measured by an absorption method.

However, in this case, there is a problem that it cannot be used as a means to continuously monitor the gas concentration or to grasp the change in the gas concentration in a short period of time.

In addition, in many cases, as a means of continuously monitoring the gas quality of a sterilization device, it is a combination of monitoring the hot air to generate gas and the supply status of hydrogen peroxide solution (temperature, amount, pressure, etc.) to determine whether the gas quality is good or bad. In general, however, this method is also complex and lacks reliability.

Korean Patent Publication 10-2006-52161

The problem to be solved by the present invention is a sterilization device capable of accurately detecting the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor by a simple method without increasing the size or complexity of the sterilization device, as the present invention was developed to solve the above problems, and It is to provide a method for measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the sterilization device.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the objects mentioned above, and other objects that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In order to solve the above-noted problem, the present invention is a sterilization apparatus including a sterilization chamber, comprising a sampling unit located in a predetermined area outside the sterilization chamber, the sampling unit, a hydrogen peroxide vapor decomposition apparatus; And a storage unit for storing water vapor and oxygen decomposed from the hydrogen peroxide vapor decomposition apparatus, and the storage unit provides a sterilization apparatus including an oxygen sensor.

In addition, the present invention provides a sterilization apparatus, characterized in that the sterilization chamber further comprises a first humidity sensor located in a predetermined area inside the sterilization chamber.

In addition, in the present invention, the first humidity sensor detects the first relative humidity based on the amount of hydrogen peroxide vapor and the amount of water vapor, and the oxygen sensor measures an oxygen sensor measured value by oxygen decomposed from the hydrogen peroxide vapor decomposition device. It provides a sterilization device characterized in that to calculate.

In addition, the present invention comprises the steps of detecting the first relative humidity of the gas inside the sterilization chamber by the first humidity sensor; Calculating an oxygen sensor measurement value by oxygen formed by decomposing hydrogen peroxide vapor in the gas inside the sterilization chamber through an oxygen sensor of the sampling unit located in the outer region of the sterilization chamber; Deriving a ratio of the relative humidity exerted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor from the first relative humidity through the measured value of the oxygen sensor; And calculating the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the sterilization chamber through a ratio of the relative humidity exerted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor at the first relative humidity.

In addition, the present invention, the sampling unit, hydrogen peroxide steam decomposition device; And a storage unit for storing water vapor and oxygen decomposed from the hydrogen peroxide steam decomposition device, wherein the storage unit includes the oxygen sensor, and the measured value of the oxygen sensor is Equation (1) below. Provides a method for measuring concentration.

…… 수학식(1)

… … Equation (1)

In addition, in the present invention, the oxygen pressure (Po ₂ ) in the storage unit in Equation (1) refers to the atmospheric pressure of oxygen generated by decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide vapor introduced from the sterilization chamber, and the total atmospheric pressure of the storage unit (Pc) is an oxygen pressure (Po ₂₎ and pressure (P _H2O) of water vapor in the air pressure of the steam corresponds to the sum of the (P _H2O), and the storage unit in the storage unit is, "the sterilizing chamber in the storage unit It provides a method for measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration, characterized in that it corresponds to the sum of the atmospheric pressure of the water vapor in the" and "the atmospheric pressure of the water vapor generated by decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide vapor introduced from the sterilization chamber".

In addition, the present invention comprises the steps of calculating an oxygen sensor measurement value by oxygen formed by decomposing hydrogen peroxide vapor in the gas inside the sterilization chamber through the oxygen sensor of the sampling unit located in the outer region of the sterilization chamber; And calculating the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor in the sterilization chamber through the measured value of the oxygen sensor.

In addition, in the present invention, the pressure value due to water vapor inside the sterilization chamber is "a", the pressure value due to hydrogen peroxide vapor is "b", the pressure value inside the sterilization chamber is "P", and the measured oxygen sensor value is " In the case of C", P=a+b, the b value provides a method for measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration, characterized in that the following Equation (3).

…… 수학식 (3)

… … Equation (3)

According to the present invention as described above, the first relative humidity of the gas inside the sterilization chamber is detected by the first humidity sensor, and the measured value of the oxygen sensor is measured by the oxygen sensor of the sampling unit located outside the sterilization chamber. Through this, by deriving the ratio of the relative humidity exerted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the first relative humidity, the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the sterilization chamber can be calculated.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a sterilization apparatus using an aqueous sterilant solution according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a sterilization apparatus using an aqueous sterilant solution according to the present invention.
3 is a flow chart showing a sterilization method of a sterilization device using an aqueous sterilant solution according to the present invention.
4 is a graph showing the reaction of the capacitive humidity sensor in the sterilization device.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of measuring a hydrogen peroxide concentration according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Advantages and features of the present invention, and a method of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in various forms different from each other, and only these embodiments make the disclosure of the present invention complete, and common knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. It is provided to completely inform the scope of the invention to the possessor, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

With reference to the accompanying drawings below will be described in detail for the implementation of the present invention. Regardless of the drawings, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements, and "and/or" includes each and all combinations of one or more of the recited items.

Although the first, second, and the like are used to describe various components, it goes without saying that these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another component. Therefore, it goes without saying that the first component mentioned below may be the second component within the technical idea of the present invention.

The terms used in the present specification are for describing exemplary embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, the singular form also includes the plural form unless specifically stated in the phrase. As used herein, “comprises” and/or “comprising” do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements other than the mentioned elements.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the present specification may be used with meanings that can be commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. In addition, terms defined in a commonly used dictionary are not interpreted ideally or excessively unless explicitly defined specifically.

Spatially relative terms "below", "beneath", "lower", "above", "upper", etc. It can be used to easily describe the correlation between a component and other components. Spatially relative terms should be understood as terms including different directions of components during use or operation in addition to the directions shown in the drawings. For example, if a component shown in a drawing is turned over, a component described as "below" or "beneath" of another component will be placed "above" the other component. I can. Accordingly, the exemplary term “below” may include both directions below and above. Components may be oriented in other directions, and thus spatially relative terms may be interpreted according to the orientation.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a sterilization apparatus using an aqueous sterilant solution according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a sterilization apparatus using an aqueous sterilant solution according to the present invention.

However, in the present invention, the sterilizing agent may be hydrogen peroxide, and the sterilizing agent aqueous solution may be hydrogen peroxide solution. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the sterilizing agent is hydrogen peroxide and the sterilizing agent aqueous solution is corresponding to hydrogen peroxide. do.

1 and 2, the sterilization apparatus 100 using hydrogen peroxide water according to the present invention includes a sterilization chamber 110.

The sterilization chamber 110 represents a container into which an object to be sterilized, such as medical instruments or surgical instruments to be sterilized, can be put. At this time, one side of the sterilization chamber 110 may include a door for entering and exiting the sterilized object.

In addition, it includes a vacuum pump 120 connected to one side of the sterilization chamber 110, the vacuum pump 120 may extract the gas inside the sterilization chamber 110 to form a vacuum state. At this time, a vacuum valve 121 capable of controlling the operation of the vacuum pump 120 is connected between the sterilization chamber 110 and the vacuum pump 120.

1 and 2, the sterilization apparatus 100 using hydrogen peroxide water according to the present invention is connected to the other side of the sterilization chamber 110 to supply hydrogen peroxide vapor to the sterilization chamber 110. And a hydrogen peroxide supply device 150 for supplying hydrogen peroxide to the vaporizer 130 (or may be referred to as an evaporator) for the vaporizer 130.

In this case, a vaporization valve 131 may be included between the sterilization chamber 110 and the vaporizer 130.

In addition, the sterilization apparatus 100 using hydrogen peroxide water according to the first embodiment of the present invention is connected to the vaporizer 130 on one side and the sterilization chamber 110 on the other side, and to the vaporizer 130 It includes a collector 140 (or may be referred to as a collector vaporizer) for concentrating the supplied hydrogen peroxide.

In this case, a vaporization valve 131 may be included between the sterilization chamber 110 and the collector 140.

In addition, a collection valve 141 may be included between the sterilization chamber 110 and the collector 140.

That is, between the sterilization chamber 110 and the collector 140, the vaporization valve 131 and the collection valve 141 may be connected in parallel.

Meanwhile, as described above, a vaporization valve 131 may be included between the sterilization chamber 110 and the vaporizer 130, that is, the vaporization valve 130 has one side of the sterilization chamber 110 and It is connected, and the other side may be connected in parallel with the vaporizer 130 and the collector 140.

1 and 2, the sterilization apparatus 100 using hydrogen peroxide water according to the present invention includes a first connection pipe 142 connecting the collector 140 and the vaporization valve 131 and the vaporization. It may include a second connection pipe 133 connecting the valve 131 and the sterilization chamber 110.

In addition, it includes a third connection pipe 143 connecting the collector 140 and the collection valve 141 and a fourth connection pipe 144 connecting the collection valve 141 and the sterilization chamber 110 can do.

At this time, in the drawing, the fourth connection pipe 144 is connected to the second connection pipe 133, so that the vaporization valve 131 and the collection valve 141 are between the sterilization chamber 110 and the collector 140. Although it is shown that it is connected in parallel, unlike this, the fourth connection pipe 144 is directly connected to the sterilization chamber 110, and the vaporization valve 131 between the sterilization chamber 110 and the collector 140 And the collection valve 141 may be connected in parallel.

In addition, a fifth connection pipe 132 connecting the vaporizer 130 and the vaporization valve 131 may be included. In this case, in the drawing, the fifth connection pipe 132 is the first connection pipe 142 ), the vaporization valve 130 is connected in parallel with the vaporizer 130 and the collector 140, but unlike this, the fifth connection pipe 132 is directly connected to the vaporization valve 131 Thus, the vaporization valve 130 may be connected in parallel with the vaporizer 130 and the collector 140.

At this time, the vaporization valve 131 and the collection valve 141 may control the flow of the fluid in the first connection pipe 142 to the fifth connection pipe 132 by an open/close operation, and , The vaporization valve 131 and the collection valve 141 may be opened/closed by separate control units.

In addition, as shown in the drawing, a first connection pipe 142 connecting the collector 140 and the vaporization valve 131 and a second connection pipe 133 connecting the vaporization valve 131 and the sterilization chamber 110 ) May have a larger inner diameter than other connection pipes, that is, the third connection pipes 143 to the fifth connection pipes 132, for example, the third connection pipes 143 to the fifth connection pipes 132 In the case of 1/4 inch pipe, the first connection pipe 142 and the second connection pipe 133 may be 1 inch pipe. This will be described later.

On the other hand, although not shown in the drawing, it may include a temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the sterilization chamber 110, the vaporizer 130 and the collector 140, the temperature control means may be a heater, which Since it is a matter that is obvious in the art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, in the case of the collector 140, a cooling means may be further included as a temperature control means, and the cooling means may use an appropriate means such as direct cooling using cooling water or a thermoelectric element, or air cooling through blowing of a heat exchanger. .

Hereinafter, a sterilization method using the sterilization device according to the present invention will be described.

3 is a flow chart showing a sterilization method of a sterilization apparatus using an aqueous sterilant solution according to the present invention.

However, in the present invention, the sterilizing agent may be hydrogen peroxide, and the sterilizing agent aqueous solution may be hydrogen peroxide solution. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the sterilizing agent is hydrogen peroxide and the sterilizing agent aqueous solution is corresponding to hydrogen peroxide. do.

Meanwhile, the sterilization method described below will be described with reference numerals of the sterilization apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2 described above.

3, the sterilization method of the sterilization apparatus using hydrogen peroxide solution according to the present invention includes the step of evacuating the sterilization chamber 110 (or, it may be referred to as a sterilization chamber) and the vaporizer 130 ( S110).

The step of evacuating the sterilization chamber 110 and the vaporizer 130 may be performed by operating the vacuum pump 120 (on state) and opening the vacuum valve 121 to evacuate the vacuum.

On the other hand, step S110, that is, the step of evacuating the sterilization chamber and the vaporizer may continue until step S160 to be described later, when the sterilization chamber reaches a predetermined set pressure and the hydrogen peroxide liquid from which moisture has been removed is collected in the collector. This step can be completed.

In addition, in order to evacuate the vaporizer 130, a vaporization valve 131 between the sterilization chamber 110 and the vaporizer 130, or between the sterilization chamber 110 and the collector 140 The collection valve 141 is in an open state, communicates with the sterilization chamber being evacuated, so that the pressure is less than atmospheric pressure, and is closed in the next step.

On the other hand, at the same time as the step of evacuating the sterilization chamber 110 and the vaporizer 130, the sterilization chamber and the vaporizer may be maintained at a temperature set by the above-described temperature control means.

Next, it includes the step of introducing a first concentration of hydrogen peroxide water into the vaporizer 130 of the first temperature and the first pressure (S120).

Injecting the hydrogen peroxide water may be introduced through a hydrogen peroxide supply device 150 for storing the hydrogen peroxide water at a first concentration. Meanwhile, although not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vaporizer 130 and the hydrogen peroxide supply An appropriate amount of hydrogen peroxide water can be supplied by including a hydrogen peroxide water supply control valve (not shown) between the devices 150.

In this case, the first concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution may be 60% by weight or less.

As described above, in handling the hydrogen peroxide solution, that is, the hydrogen peroxide solution, the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution is limited to 60% by weight or less, so it is practically difficult to use a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide as a sterilizing agent.

That is, in the present invention, the first concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution represents the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution that can be handled, and does not have an important meaning in understanding the gist of the present invention.

In addition, the first temperature may be 60 to 70°C, and the first pressure may be 800 mb (millibar) to atmospheric pressure.

At this time, in step S120, while the hydrogen peroxide water of the first concentration is introduced into the vaporizer 130, the vaporization valve 131 and the collection valve 141 may be in a closed state, but open according to the supply device. It can be a state.

Meanwhile, in step S120, the pressure of the sterilization chamber 110 is 600 mb to atmospheric pressure, and the temperature may be 45 to 55° C., and the pressure of the collector 140 is 800 mb to atmospheric pressure, and the temperature is 38 to It may be 42°C.

In this case, in the present invention, the first temperature is higher than the temperature of the sterilization chamber.

In the case of the first temperature, it corresponds to the temperature of the vaporizer in the process of vaporizing more water vapor from the hydrogen peroxide solution, and the vaporization process of the water vapor causes a very strong endothermic reaction to very strongly suppress the vaporization rate.

At this time, in order to increase the vaporization rate, there is a method of increasing the degree of vacuum by lowering the pressure of the vaporizer, but there is a disadvantage that the consumption of hydrogen peroxide increases as the vaporization rate of hydrogen peroxide can be increased. Since it is difficult to supply smoothly, it is therefore preferable that the first temperature is at least higher than the temperature of the sterilization chamber.

Next, it includes the step of vaporizing the hydrogen peroxide solution of the first concentration to form the hydrogen peroxide solution of the second concentration (S130).

That is, the hydrogen peroxide water of the first concentration injected into the vaporizer 130 is vaporized (ie, moisture is removed) to form the hydrogen peroxide water of the second concentration.

The second concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution may be 75% by weight to 85% by weight, and the step S130 is hydrogen peroxide forming an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution having a concentration of 75% by weight to 85% by weight by vaporizing moisture in the hydrogen peroxide solution of 60% by weight or less. It may be a number first concentration step.

In general, at the same temperature and pressure, water evaporates more rapidly because its vapor pressure is higher than that of hydrogen peroxide, and water diffuses into the gas phase more rapidly than hydrogen peroxide because the molecular weight of water is lower than that of hydrogen peroxide.

Therefore, since water (i.e., moisture) evaporates and diffuses faster than hydrogen peroxide under the same temperature and pressure conditions, water in the hydrogen peroxide solution evaporates/diffuses before hydrogen peroxide, so that a second concentration of hydrogen peroxide water can be formed.

At this time, the evaporated water is evacuated through a vacuum pump via the sterilization chamber 110, and thus, the vacuum pump 120 is operated (on state) in step S130, and the vacuum valve 121 and the vaporization valve (131) corresponds to the open state.

On the other hand, in step S130, the temperature of the vaporizer 130 is temporarily lowered due to the endothermic reaction of the vaporization process, and is in the range of 55 to 65°C, and the pressure may be 30 to 800 mb (miriba). have.

In addition, while the evaporated water passes through the sterilization chamber 110 and is evacuated through a vacuum pump, the pressure of the sterilization chamber 110 is in the range of 10 to 600 mb, and the temperature may be 45 to 55°C. , In addition, the pressure of the collector 140 may be in the range of 20 to 500 mb, and the temperature may be in the range of 35 to 40°C.

Next, it includes the step of injecting the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide water into a collector having a second temperature and a second pressure (S140).

In order to introduce the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide water into the collector 140 of the second temperature and the second pressure, the vacuum pump 120 is operated (on state), and the vacuum valve 121 is opened, The vaporization valve 131 may be controlled in a closed state, and the collection valve 141 may be controlled in an on state.

In this case, the second temperature may be 35 to 42 °C, and the second pressure may be 8 to 50 mb.

In addition, while the hydrogen peroxide water of the second concentration is moving from the vaporizer 130 to the collector 140, the pressure of the vaporizer 130 may be 10 to 60 mb, the temperature may be 55 to 60 °C, and the second The concentration of hydrogen peroxide water may move from the vaporizer 130 to the collector 140 via the fifth connection pipe 132 and the first connection pipe 142.

Meanwhile, in step S140, the sterilization chamber 110 is continuously evacuated, so that the pressure of the sterilization chamber 110 may be 1 to 10 mb, and the temperature may be 45 to 55°C.

At this time, the second temperature in the present invention is characterized in that lower than the temperature of the sterilization chamber.

In the case of the second temperature, it corresponds to the temperature of the collector at which the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide water is collected, and if the hydrogen peroxide vapor saturated from the vaporizer is higher than the temperature of the chamber in the process of passing through the collector, the hydrogen peroxide vapor cannot be condensed in the collector and all It can be evacuated through the chamber.

Even if the hydrogen peroxide vapor is partially condensed in the early stages of S140/S150, where the pressure is somewhat high, if the collector is higher than the temperature of the chamber in the stage where vacuum pressure is continuously applied to the exhausted chamber, the heat of hydrogen peroxide evaporation is lower than that of water vapor, so it is easily regasified. Therefore, the second temperature is preferably lower than the temperature of the sterilization chamber at least, since it is impossible to remain in the collector and, as a result, step S170 to be described later cannot be performed.

As can be seen from the above, in the present invention, after going through the step S130, that is, the step of forming a second concentration of hydrogen peroxide water by vaporizing the first concentration of hydrogen peroxide water, the step S140, that is, the second temperature and the second temperature. The step of injecting the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution into a collector of two pressures is performed.

For example, it may be considered to perform step S140 without step S130, and immediately add hydrogen peroxide water at the first concentration to the collector, but it is not preferable for the following reasons.

Table 1 below shows an example of the vaporization ratio of hydrogen peroxide vapor according to the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution.

Referring to Table 1, it can be seen that the higher the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution and the higher the set temperature, the higher the vaporization ratio of the hydrogen peroxide vapor is relative to the water vapor.

For example, at 50°C, the vaporization ratio of hydrogen peroxide vapor in hydrogen peroxide solution at a concentration of 60% by weight is 13%, so the remaining 87% is water vapor, and the vaporization ratio of hydrogen peroxide vapor in hydrogen peroxide solution at a concentration of 80% by weight Is 40%, meaning the remaining 60% is water vapor.

That is, performing step S140 without step S130 may mean, for example, adding 60% by weight of hydrogen peroxide water to the collector, and performing step S140 after performing step S130 means 80% by weight concentration It may mean adding hydrogen peroxide solution to the collector.

In this case, when step S140 is performed without step S130, the ratio of water vapor passing through the collector in the initial step is relatively higher than when step S140 is performed after step S130.

If the water vapor ratio is relatively higher than that of hydrogen peroxide vapor, water vapor enters the collector when the pressure of the collector is high (when the temperature of the collector is 40 degrees, the saturated water vapor pressure is 75mb, so the pressure is higher). It can also be condensed in the collector.

The fact that water vapor is also condensed in the collector means that there is a limit to the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution to be concentrated as much as the amount of water vapor to be condensed.

Therefore, in the present invention, in order to prevent the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution from being condensed in the collector first, and the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution being concentrated, step S130, that is, the hydrogen peroxide solution of the first concentration is vaporized to obtain a second concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution. After passing through the step of forming, step S140, that is, the step of introducing the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution into the collector having the second temperature and the second pressure is performed.

Next, the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide water is condensed in the collector, and the water vapor is exhausted from the collector (S150). As described above, since water has a higher vapor pressure than hydrogen peroxide, it is more rapid. Since water is evaporated to the gas phase more quickly than hydrogen peroxide, since the molecular weight of water is lower than hydrogen peroxide, water (i.e., moisture) evaporates and diffuses more rapidly than hydrogen peroxide under the same temperature and pressure conditions. Since water evaporates/diffuses before hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen peroxide vapor is condensed in the collector, and water vapor is exhausted from the collector, thereby forming a third concentration of hydrogen peroxide water.

That is, water has a higher vapor pressure than hydrogen peroxide, and therefore, in the vapor state, hydrogen peroxide condenses more easily than water. Accordingly, the hydrogen peroxide solution condensed in the collector may contain hydrogen peroxide having a higher concentration than the concentration of the injected second concentration hydrogen peroxide solution.

On the other hand, in step S140, the pipe through which the hydrogen peroxide vapor and water vapor pass is moved in the order of the fifth connection pipe, the first connection pipe, the third connection pipe, and the fourth connection pipe.At this time, a pipe having a small inner diameter among these connection pipes. The temperature of must be higher than the temperature of the collector 140.

This means that if the pipe temperature before and after the hydrogen peroxide vapor reaches the collector is lower than that of the collector, it may remain condensed in the pipe first, and the hydrogen peroxide vapor condensed in the pipe with a small inner diameter reaches a higher temperature than when it is evaporated in step S170. This is because the water vapor content due to decomposition may increase in the step of being exposed and entering the chamber.

In addition, as shown in Table 1, once the concentration is increased (less than 85% by weight), the vapor ratio of water and hydrogen peroxide becomes similar, and the concentration by the vaporization ratio decreases the concentration efficiency.

The temperature at which gaseous hydrogen peroxide vapor and water vapor can be condensed at the same pressure differ. For example, at 35 degrees, hydrogen peroxide condenses at 5 mb or more, and water vapor condenses at 55 mb or more.

Thus, this difference is, for example, when the temperature of the collector being evacuated through the collection valve is 35, and the pressure is in the range of 5 mb to 55 mb, the hydrogen peroxide vapor is condensed, and the water vapor can be exhausted from the collector.

At this time, the third concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution may be 90% by weight to 95% by weight, and in step S150, hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of 90% by weight to 95% by weight is vaporized by vaporizing moisture in the hydrogen peroxide solution of 75% by weight to 85% by weight. It may be a second concentration step of hydrogen peroxide solution forming water.

On the other hand, in the above, the step of injecting the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide water into the collector of the second temperature and the second pressure in step S140 and the hydrogen peroxide vapor of the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide water in the step S150 is condensed in the collector, and water vapor It has been described that the steps of exhausting from the collector are sequentially performed, but, unlike this, steps S140 and S150 may be steps that occur simultaneously.

That is, while adding the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide water to the collector of the second temperature and the second pressure, at the same time, the hydrogen peroxide vapor of the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide water is condensed in the collector, and water vapor is discharged from the collector. I can.

At this time, the evaporated water is evacuated through a vacuum pump, and thus, in step S150, the vacuum pump 120 is operated (on state) and the vacuum valve 121 is opened, thereby evacuating the vacuum. In order for the evaporated water to be evacuated through the vacuum pump, the collection valve 141 corresponds to an open state.

Next, lowering the sterilization chamber to a certain pressure and concentrating the third concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution to the fourth concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution (S160).

At this time, the constant pressure should be a set pressure for sterilization in a sterilization chamber, and if the sterilizing agent is hydrogen peroxide vapor, it should be a vacuum degree that facilitates diffusion.

Accordingly, the set pressure may be 0.5 to 1.3 mb, and the temperature of the sterilization chamber may be 45 to 55°C.

In addition, the fourth concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution may be 95% by weight or more, and the third concentration of hydrogen peroxide water to form a hydrogen peroxide solution of 95% by weight or more by vaporizing water in the hydrogen peroxide solution at a concentration of 90% to 95% by weight in step S160 It can be a step.

At this time, the evaporated water is evacuated through a vacuum pump, and thus, in step S160, the vacuum pump 120 is operated (on state) and the vacuum valve 121 is opened, thereby evacuating the vacuum.

Meanwhile, in step S160, the collection valve 141 may repeat an open state and a close state.

That is, in concentrating the hydrogen peroxide solution of the third concentration to the hydrogen peroxide solution of the fourth concentration, the higher the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, the lower the pressure at which the liquid hydrogen peroxide water can be evaporated.

For example, under the same temperature condition of 45 ℃, hydrogen peroxide evaporates at a pressure of about 20 mb or less in 80 wt% hydrogen peroxide water, but hydrogen peroxide evaporates only at a pressure of about 11 mb or less in hydrogen peroxide water of 90 wt% concentration. It is done.

This is because when the hydrogen peroxide solution of the third concentration is concentrated to the hydrogen peroxide solution of the fourth concentration, not only water is vaporized, but hydrogen peroxide is also vaporized, so it may be difficult to concentrate the hydrogen peroxide solution to a predetermined concentration.

That is, the high concentration of hydrogen peroxide may continue to decompose, and the moisture generated in the decomposition process lowers the concentration of hydrogen peroxide.

Therefore, in order to remove water, which is a small amount of impurity, when the pressure is repeatedly raised/lowered in a fluctuation range of 0.1 to 2 mb, it is possible to effectively remove water while suppressing the removal of vaporized hydrogen peroxide.

This water removal method takes a very long time in a low concentration step, but is effective in removing a small amount of water in a high concentration step, and at least it can be said to be effective in maintaining a high concentration.

Therefore, by lowering the sterilization chamber to a certain pressure, the pressure of the collector 140 containing the third concentration of hydrogen peroxide water is continuously lowered to prevent the hydrogen peroxide from evaporating at a lower pressure. The valve 141 may prevent the pressure of the collector 140 from being continuously lowered by repeating the open state and the close state.

At this time, the pressure of the collector 140 may be 5 to 10 mb, the temperature may be 35 to 40 °C, the pressure of the vaporizer 130 may be 7 to 10 mb, and the temperature may be 60 to 70 °C.

On the other hand, in the step S160, since the aqueous solution of the vaporizer is completely exhausted, the temperature is recovered in a vacuum state, and a high concentration hydrogen peroxide is collected in the collector to remove a small amount of moisture, or stay in the collector while maintaining an appropriate pressure.

At this time, the collector may be lowered to a lower temperature by a temperature control means to prevent excessive exhaustion of hydrogen peroxide.

Next, it includes the step of sterilizing the object to be treated by injecting the hydrogen peroxide vapor of the hydrogen peroxide solution of the fourth concentration into the sterilization chamber (S170).

In step S170, the vaporization valve 131 is in an open state and the collection valve corresponds to an open or closed state in order to inject the hydrogen peroxide vapor of the fourth concentration hydrogen peroxide solution located in the collector 140 into the sterilization chamber 110. .

That is, the movement of hydrogen peroxide vapor from the collector 140 to the sterilization chamber 110 may be moved through the first connection pipe 142 and the second connection pipe 133.

At this time, as described above, in the present invention, the first connection pipe 142 connecting the collector 140 and the vaporization valve 131 and the second connection pipe connecting the vaporization valve 131 and the sterilization chamber 110 ( 133 may have a larger inner diameter than other connection pipes, that is, the third connection pipes 143 to the fifth connection pipes 132, for example, the third connection pipes 143 to the fifth connection pipes 132 In the case of this 1/4 inch pipe, the first connection pipe 142 and the second connection pipe 133 may be 1 inch pipe.

This prevents the hydrogen peroxide vapor from flowing into the fifth connection pipe 132 when the hydrogen peroxide vapor moves from the collector 140 to the sterilization chamber 110 through the first connection pipe 142 and the second connection pipe 133. To prevent, hydrogen peroxide vapor may be introduced into the first connection pipe 142 having a relatively large inner diameter, and hydrogen peroxide vapor may not be introduced into the fifth connection pipe 132 having a relatively small inner diameter.

In addition, in the present invention, it is preferable that the hydrogen peroxide vapor is introduced into the sterilization chamber to sterilize the object to be treated, while the temperature of the hydrogen peroxide vapor is not high.

When entering the sterilization chamber while the temperature of the hydrogen peroxide vapor vaporized in the collector is higher than the temperature of the sterilization chamber before the hydrogen peroxide vapor is sufficiently saturated in the sterilization chamber, the density of the hydrogen peroxide vapor becomes excessive in the entry path, and condensation is easy. It reduces the absolute amount that diffuses into the sterilization chamber in a gaseous state, and can adversely affect the diffusion effect for sterilization.

In this case, in the present invention, the pipe of the path between the collector 140 and the sterilization chamber 110 may have a larger inner diameter than the pipe of other paths. When the inner diameter is large, the vaporization driving force by the degree of vacuum increases as the amount of movement of the gas increases, so that the temperature of the gaseous hydrogen peroxide vapor can be prevented from rising.

In other words, when the amount of gas movement is small, the time that the hydrogen peroxide vapor stays in the collector increases by that amount, and the decomposition reaction rate of the hydrogen peroxide vapor increases in the collector that requires a temperature increase for the vaporization and movement of hydrogen peroxide, which is a decomposition by-product. The concentration of water vapor and oxygen gas increases. This may reduce the sterilization performance because the purpose of the previous step to minimize the amount of water vapor, which is an obstacle to the diffusion of hydrogen peroxide, is lost in the vaporization step.

Therefore, in the present invention, by making the pipe of the path between the collector 140 and the sterilization chamber 110 larger than the pipes of other paths, the hydrogen peroxide vapor can be put into the sterilization chamber while the temperature is not high. While the decomposition reaction is minimized, the hydrogen peroxide vapor is easily accessible to the sterilized object through sufficient diffusion into the gas phase, so that a good sterilization effect can be obtained.

On the other hand, when the hydrogen peroxide vapor of the fourth concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution is injected into the sterilization chamber, the hydrogen peroxide is vaporized and diffused into the sterilization chamber. Before the temperature of the collector 140 reaches the temperature of the sterilization chamber, most of the hydrogen peroxide is vaporized. It is possible to control the heating rate of the collector 140 to be completed.

That is, in order to promote the vaporization of hydrogen peroxide, the collector 140 may be heated by a temperature control means, and heating the collector means that the vaporization of hydrogen peroxide is performed before the temperature of the collector reaches the temperature of the sterilization chamber. The heating rate can be controlled so that more than 80% is completed.

At this time, the pressure of the sterilization chamber 110 may be 0.5 to 15 mb, the temperature may be 45 to 55 ℃.

In addition, the pressure of the collector 140 may be 0.5 to 15 mb, the temperature may be 30 to 70°C, the pressure of the vaporizer 130 may be 0.5 to 15 mb, and the temperature may be 60 to 70°C or higher.

The pressure and temperature conditions in each step are summarized in Table 2 below.

In addition, the states of the vacuum pump and valve in each step are summarized in Table 3 below.

As described above, in order to improve the sterilization performance, it is preferable to use a more concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution.When using a more concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution, the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution is 60% by weight or less in handling the hydrogen peroxide solution. As it is limited to, there is a difficulty in using high concentration of hydrogen peroxide as a sterilizing agent.

However, in the present invention, 95% by weight or more of hydrogen peroxide solution may be used as a sterilizing agent through the concentration process in each step, and thus, the sterilization effect can be greatly improved while reducing factors that interfere with diffusion by water vapor.

In addition, after preparing an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution of a second concentration by removing water from the first concentration of hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution, which is the step S130 described above, the water contact with the collector by proceeding the steps S140 and S150 described above. You can reduce the likelihood of doing it.

In addition, when the hydrogen peroxide water is introduced into the collector, the saturated water vapor pressure of water according to the pressure of the collector of the hydrogen peroxide water and the temperature of the collector, that is, the vaporization/condensation boundary pressure is lowered. You can do this.

In the present invention, the object can be sterilized by the sterilization device and the sterilization method using the same. However, the sterilization device and the sterilization method using the same are only an example, and in the present invention, the configuration of a basic sterilization device and It does not limit the sterilization method used.

Hereinafter, a sterilization device capable of measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide according to the present invention and a method of measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the sterilization device will be described.

As described above, in order to improve the sterilization performance, it is preferable to use a more concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution.When using a more concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution, the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution is 60% by weight or less in handling the hydrogen peroxide solution. As it is limited to, there is a difficulty in using high concentration of hydrogen peroxide as a sterilizing agent.

For this reason, it is common to use the hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution as a sterilizer by concentrating an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution having a concentration of 60% by weight or less that can be handled with, for example, a high concentration hydrogen peroxide solution of 95% by weight or more through each step. It is not easy to measure the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide in the sterilization chamber of the sterilization device when concentrating it with hydrogen peroxide solution and using it as a sterilizer.

Therefore, in the present invention, it is intended to provide a sterilization device capable of accurately detecting the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in hydrogen peroxide water and a method of measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide of the sterilization device by a simple method, without increasing the size or complexity of the sterilization device. As follows.

As described above, referring to Figures 1 and 2, the sterilization apparatus according to the present invention includes a sterilization chamber; A vacuum pump connected to one side of the sterilization chamber; A vaporizer connected to the other side of the sterilization chamber; And one side is connected to the vaporizer, the other side includes a collector connected to the sterilization chamber.

At this time, the sterilization apparatus according to the present invention includes a first humidity sensor 111 located in a certain area inside the sterilization chamber 110 and a sampling unit 200 located in a certain area outside the sterilization chamber 110 do.

The sampling unit 200 samples a certain amount of gas, that is, water vapor and hydrogen peroxide vapor inside the sterilization chamber 110, decomposes the hydrogen peroxide vapor, and then measures the concentration of oxygen from the decomposed hydrogen peroxide vapor. Corresponds to the area for.

At this time, the sampling unit 200 includes a hydrogen peroxide vapor decomposition device 210 for decomposing the hydrogen peroxide vapor; _{And a storage unit 220 for storing water vapor (H 2} O) and oxygen (O ₂ ) decomposed from the hydrogen peroxide vapor decomposition device, and the storage unit 220 includes an oxygen sensor 230.

More specifically, first, a certain amount of the gas inside the sterilization chamber 110, consisting of water vapor and hydrogen peroxide vapor, is moved to the sampling unit 200.

Next, in the process of moving a certain amount of the gas, by the hydrogen peroxide vapor decomposition device 210 of the sampling unit 200, the hydrogen peroxide vapor (H ₂ O ₂ ) is water vapor (H ₂ O) and oxygen (O _It will be decomposed into 2 ).

_{Next, water vapor (H 2} O) and oxygen (O ₂ ) decomposed from the hydrogen peroxide steam cracking device are stored in the storage unit 220.

Next, the oxygen sensor 230 of the storage unit 220 _{measures the concentration of the oxygen (O 2} ), and in the present invention, _{through the measured concentration of oxygen (O 2} ), the hydrogen peroxide inside the sterilization chamber You want to measure the concentration of the vapor.

That is, in the present invention, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the sterilization chamber 110 is measured through the first humidity sensor 111 and the oxygen sensor 230.

In this case, the oxygen sensor 230 may use an oxygen sensor of the type shown in Table 4 below, but the type of the oxygen sensor is not limited in the present invention.

On the other hand, by the hydrogen peroxide vapor decomposition device 210, the hydrogen peroxide vapor (H ₂ O ₂ ) is decomposed into water vapor (H ₂ O) and oxygen (O ₂ ), which can be easily decomposed using a known catalyst. And, for example, reference may be made to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2016-0148320, which is obvious in the art, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

At this time, the hydrogen peroxide vapor (H ₂ O ₂ ) is decomposed into water vapor (H ₂ O) and oxygen (O ₂ ) is decomposed by the following reaction equation 1.

2H ₂ O ₂ → 2H ₂ O + O ₂ … … … Scheme (1)

This will be described later.

Subsequently, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in the present invention, the first humidity sensor 111 corresponds to a sensor whose relative humidity is determined by the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide.

More specifically, the first humidity sensor may be a moisture absorption type humidity sensor, a saturation type humidity sensor, or an absorption type humidity sensor. More specifically, the moisture absorption type humidity sensor may be a capacitive type. It may be a humidity sensor, a resistance change type humidity sensor, a hair hygrometer, a carbon film hygrometer, an electric hygrometer, a color hygrometer, and the humidity sensor by the saturation method may be a dew point hygrometer, a lithium chloride dew point hygrometer. The humidity sensor may be a volume type hygrometer, an electrolysis type hygrometer, or a weight type hygrometer.

Meanwhile, as described above, in the present invention, the first humidity sensor 111 is a sensor whose relative humidity is determined by the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide.

At this time, the principle of measuring the hydrogen peroxide concentration using a sensor that measures the relative humidity of water, such as the first humidity sensor described above, is the same as the principle that VHP (highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide vapor) vapor pressure measures the relative humidity of water. It is measured by the degree of moisture reduction.

In particular, the use of a capacitive humidity sensor corresponds to a very important principle in that the relative dielectric constant value is almost the same as water and hydrogen peroxide, so that it can be directly substituted and used.

That is, since the method of measuring the relative humidity of water and the method of measuring the relative saturation of VHP are the same, the first humidity sensor such as a capacitive humidity sensor can determine the relative humidity by the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide. will be.

Meanwhile, in general, a humidity sensor is a sensor that detects humidity in an object, and there are well-known relative humidity and absolute humidity as the concept of the humidity.

More specifically, absolute humidity refers to the actual mass of water vapor contained in 1 liter of air, and relative humidity is the percentage of the actual water vapor contained in the air divided by the maximum amount of water vapor that air can contain under a given temperature and pressure. to be.

For example, 1㎥ of air with a temperature of 37℃ at 1 atm can contain as much as 44g of water vapor. If air with the same air pressure and temperature currently has 11g of water vapor, the relative humidity is 25% (11g). /44g×100).

That is, such a humidity sensor is well known as a sensor that detects the amount of water vapor contained in the air.

At this time, such typical types of humidity sensors include a capacitive humidity sensor and a resistance change type humidity sensor.

First, the resistance change-type humidity sensor uses a characteristic in which resistance changes according to the moisture content in the moisture-sensitive membrane in response to changes in humidity, and obtains a change signal by applying an alternating current. According to the material of the moisture-sensitive material, a polymer type and a ceramic type are used. Can be classified.

For example, in the case of a polymer type where the moisture sensitive material is a polymer, moisture and polymer are combined in the air to create ions, and electrical conductivity is generated. In the case of a ceramic type where the moisture sensitive material is ceramic, moisture adsorbed on the porous surface of the moisture sensitive material. It separates the ruler to create ions, which generate electrical conductivity.

In other words, the concentration of ions changes according to the change of the relative humidity, which is measured by the change in impedance of the sensor element to detect the relative humidity.Since the conversion circuit for obtaining the electric signal from the sensor is simple, there are advantages of miniaturization and cost. .

Since such a resistance change-type humidity sensor is a generally well-known humidity sensor, detailed descriptions will be omitted below, and for example, Korean Utility Model Application No. 20-1998-0026410 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2010-0000557 And the like.

For example, the resistance change-type humidity sensor may be formed by sputtering a platinum (Pt) thin film on the upper surface of a sintered alumina substrate to form a pattern in the shape of an electrode, and coating a moisture-sensitive polymer on the upper surface of the platinum thin film-type pattern.

Next, the capacitive humidity sensor is an upper electrode having a lower electrode on the substrate, uniformly coating a polymeric moisture-sensitive material on the lower electrode, and allowing humidity to be injected on the upper part of the moisture-sensitive material. It is composed.

In general, Au electrodes and moisture-resistant materials are used on a glass or ceramic substrate, and the moisture-sensitive material applied to the sensor is a cellulose ester compound such as cellulose acetone, or a polymer material such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylic, and polyvinylpyride. Is used.

The principle of detecting humidity in such a capacitive humidity sensor is as follows.

That is, the relative dielectric constant of the polymer material is about 3 in a dry state, and the relative dielectric constant changes high while absorbing water molecules (relative dielectric constant 80) in the air.Through this change in the relative dielectric constant, the amount of water vapor in the air is reduced. Can be detected.

Since such a capacitive humidity sensor is a generally well-known humidity sensor, detailed descriptions will be omitted below, for example, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0135890 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0027010. You can refer to.

For example, the capacitive humidity sensor may include a lower electrode formed on a substrate; A moisture-sensitive layer applied on the lower electrode to absorb and desorb moisture; And a plurality of upper electrodes formed on the moisture sensitive layer.

As described above, the humidity sensor, that is, the capacitive humidity sensor and the resistance variable humidity sensor are well known as sensors that detect the amount of water vapor contained in air.

However, in the case of the capacitive humidity sensor, the present applicant has confirmed that the detected value is changed not only by the amount of water vapor, but also by the amount of hydrogen peroxide, and focusing on this, the first humidity sensor 111 and the oxygen concentration Through the measurement sensor 230, a method of measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide inside the sterilization chamber 110 was developed.

In the case of the capacitive humidity sensor, the detected value is changed not only by the amount of water vapor, but also by the amount of hydrogen peroxide.

4 is a graph showing the response of the capacitive humidity sensor in the sterilization device.

That is, in the present invention, in order to confirm that the concentration of hydrogen peroxide can be measured through the capacitive humidity sensor, the reaction of the capacitive humidity sensor in the process in which the sterilization process in the sterilization device proceeds was measured.

Referring to FIG. 4, while evacuating the chamber, a process of concentrating the hydrogen peroxide solution was performed while evaporating the hydrogen peroxide solution through the concentration module. (50 sec to 300 sec)

Thereafter, it can be seen that the pressure in the sterilization chamber increases as hydrogen peroxide concentrated at a high concentration diffuses into the sterilization chamber, and the relative humidity of the capacitive humidity sensor is measured near 100% in proportion thereto. (300 sec to 450 sec)

At this time, when the temperature of the evacuated sterilization chamber is 50°C, in order for the relative humidity to be 100%, the pressure of only water vapor must exceed 120mb, but the pressure of the sterilization chamber injected only with hydrogen peroxide vapor (VHP) is 12 It corresponds to ~ 15mb.

That is, for example, in order for the relative humidity of the capacitive humidity sensor to be 100%, in a situation where the temperature of the sterilization chamber is 50℃, the value of the pressure inside the sterilization chamber must exceed 120mb even with the pressure of only water vapor. However, in fact, it was only 12 ~ 15mb of the sterilization chamber.

In the end, since the relative humidity of the capacitive humidity sensor is 100%, it can be confirmed that the relative humidity was not determined by the amount of water vapor, but another factor, that is, the amount of hydrogen peroxide, influenced the determination of the relative humidity. Therefore, the capacitive humidity sensor can confirm that the relative humidity is determined not only by the amount of water vapor but also by the amount of hydrogen peroxide.

Accordingly, it can be seen that the relative humidity detected by the capacitive humidity sensor is determined by the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide.

Hereinafter, the method for measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide according to the present invention is as follows.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

At this time, the method for measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide according to the first embodiment of the present invention corresponds to a method for measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in a case where separate oxygen is included as an external gas inside the sterilization chamber, as will be described later. The hydrogen peroxide concentration may be measured through the second embodiment when no separate oxygen is included as an external gas in the interior of the gas or when the content of the separately included oxygen is negligible.

Referring to FIG. 5, the method for measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes the step of detecting a first relative humidity of the gas inside the sterilization chamber by a first humidity sensor (S210).

At this time, the first humidity sensor may be typically a capacitive humidity sensor, and the gas inside the sterilization chamber is hydrogen peroxide vapor and water vapor, and as described above, the capacitive humidity sensor is the amount of water vapor and hydrogen peroxide. The relative humidity is determined according to the amount of, and thus, the first relative humidity corresponds to the relative humidity according to the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide.

Next, the hydrogen peroxide concentration measurement method according to the first embodiment of the present invention, through the oxygen sensor 230 of the sampling unit 200 located in the outer region of the sterilization chamber, the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the gas inside the sterilization chamber It includes the step of calculating the measured value of the oxygen sensor by the oxygen formed by decomposition (S220).

More specifically, as described above, the sampling unit 200 includes a hydrogen peroxide vapor decomposition device 210 for decomposing the hydrogen peroxide vapor; _{And a storage unit 220 for storing water vapor (H 2} O) and oxygen (O ₂ ) decomposed from the hydrogen peroxide steam decomposition device, and the storage unit 220 includes an oxygen sensor 230.

At this time, the process of calculating the measured value of the oxygen sensor is as follows.

(1) A certain amount of gas inside the sterilization chamber 110, consisting of water vapor and hydrogen peroxide vapor, is moved to the sampling unit 200.

(2) In the process of moving a certain amount of the gas, by the hydrogen peroxide vapor decomposition device 210 of the sampling unit 200, the hydrogen peroxide vapor (H ₂ O ₂ ) is water vapor (H ₂ O) and oxygen (O _It will be decomposed into 2 ).

_{(3) Water vapor (H 2} O) and oxygen (O ₂ ) decomposed from the hydrogen peroxide steam cracking device are stored in the storage unit 220.

(4), the oxygen sensor 230 of the storage unit 220 calculates the measured value of the oxygen sensor by _{the oxygen (O 2 ).}

In the present invention, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor in the sterilization chamber is measured through the measured value of the oxygen sensor calculated through the oxygen sensor 230 as described above.

Next, the hydrogen peroxide concentration measurement method according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes the step of deriving a ratio of the relative humidity exerted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor at the first relative humidity through the measured value of the oxygen sensor (230). ).

That is, in the present invention, through the measured value of the oxygen sensor calculated through the oxygen sensor 230, the ratio of the relative humidity exerted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor at the first relative humidity is derived, and finally, the hydrogen peroxide vapor inside the sterilization chamber. The concentration of can be measured.

On the other hand, the measured value measured by the oxygen sensor 230 is measured as the ratio of the oxygen pressure in the storage unit 220 to the total atmospheric pressure of the storage unit 220, that is, by the following equation (1) Can be expressed.

…… 수학식(1)

… … Equation (1)

On the other hand, as described above, hydrogen peroxide vapor (H ₂ O ₂ ) is decomposed into water vapor (H ₂ O) and oxygen (O ₂ ) is decomposed by the following reaction equation 1.

2H ₂ O ₂ → 2H ₂ O + O ₂ … … … Scheme (1)

At this time, a certain amount of gas inside the sterilization chamber 110, which is composed of water vapor and hydrogen peroxide vapor, moves to the sampling unit 200, and the hydrogen peroxide vapor is all decomposed into water vapor and oxygen, and thus, the storage unit In 220, a greater amount of water vapor than the amount of water vapor moved to the sampling unit is stored, and oxygen present by decomposition of hydrogen peroxide vapor is stored.

This will be described in numerical form as follows.

Table 5 below shows the saturated vapor pressure according to the temperature.

In this situation, it is assumed that the atmospheric temperature in the sterilization chamber is 45°C, and the first relative humidity of the gas inside the sterilization chamber detected by the first humidity sensor is 80%.

At this time, since the first relative humidity is determined by the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide vapor, under the assumption that the first relative humidity is 80%, what is the ratio of the relative humidity exerted by water vapor, and what is the hydrogen peroxide vapor. It is not possible to determine what the ratio of the relative humidity exerted by is not possible, and in the present invention, through the above-described oxygen sensor, it is intended to determine what the ratio of the relative humidity exerted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the ratio of the first relative humidity is. .

However, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the ratio of the relative humidity exerted by water vapor: the ratio of the relative humidity exerted by hydrogen peroxide vapor is 30%: 50%.

At this time, the ratio of the relative humidity exerted by water vapor is 30%, because the saturated water vapor pressure in the sterilization chamber at 45°C is 95.6mb, the pressure by water vapor is 28.7mb (95.6mb*0.3). it means.

In addition, the ratio of relative humidity exerted by hydrogen peroxide vapor is 30%, because the hydrogen peroxide saturated water vapor pressure in the sterilization chamber at 45°C is 9.8 mb, so the pressure by hydrogen peroxide vapor is 4.9 mb (9.8 mb * 0.5). ).

When the gas in the sterilization chamber under such conditions, that is, water vapor and hydrogen peroxide vapor, moves to the sampling unit, and the hydrogen peroxide vapor is decomposed, the pressure due to the water vapor and the pressure due to the oxygen of the sampling unit are changed as follows.

division Before disassembly After disassembly Pressure by water vapor 28.7mb 33.6mb Pressure by hydrogen peroxide vapor 4.9mb - Pressure by oxygen - 2.45mb

In the above table, the term before decomposition refers to the pressure due to gas in the sterilization chamber, and the term after decomposition refers to the pressure in the storage unit of the sampling unit.

As can be seen in Table 6, before decomposition, the pressure due to the hydrogen peroxide vapor was 4,9 mb, but as the hydrogen peroxide vapor moves to the storage unit of the sampling unit, the hydrogen peroxide vapor is all decomposed as shown in the following reaction equation (1). There is no steam pressure.

2H ₂ O ₂ → 2H ₂ O + O ₂ … … … Scheme (1)

In addition, according to the reaction equation (1), as the hydrogen peroxide vapor is decomposed, _{the content of water vapor (H 2} O) increases, and at this time, 2 mol of hydrogen peroxide vapor becomes 2 mol of water vapor, so the pressure of hydrogen peroxide vapor is 4.9 mb. As a result, the pressure due to water vapor increases, and thus, the pressure due to water vapor after decomposition corresponds to 33.6 mb (28.7 mb + 4.9 mb).

In addition, according to the reaction equation (1), oxygen (O ₂ ) is generated as the hydrogen peroxide vapor is decomposed, and at this time, since 2 mol of hydrogen peroxide vapor becomes 1 mol of oxygen, 1/ As much as 2, the pressure due to oxygen is generated, and thus, the pressure due to oxygen after decomposition is 2.45mb (4.9mb*1/2).

At this time, as described above, the measured value measured by the oxygen sensor 230 is measured as a ratio of the oxygen pressure in the storage unit 220 to the total atmospheric pressure of the storage unit 220, that is, the following math It can be expressed as Equation (1).

…… 수학식(1)

… … Equation (1)

That is, the oxygen pressure (Po ₂ ) in the storage unit is 2.45mb, and the total atmospheric pressure (Pc) in the storage unit is 36.05mb (33.6mb+2.45mb), so the measured value (Mo) measured by the oxygen sensor is 6.8% Corresponds to.

At this time, since the measured value (Mo) measured by the oxygen sensor corresponds to the value to be measured, in the end, if this process is calculated in reverse, the ratio of the relative humidity exerted by water vapor, which was the assumed condition: by hydrogen peroxide vapor It is possible to derive a numerical value that the relative humidity ratio exerted is 30%: 50%. Therefore, assuming that the first relative humidity is 80%, what is the proportion of the relative humidity exerted by water vapor, and the relative humidity exerted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor. You can check what the percentage of humidity is.

Consequently, when the first relative humidity is 80%, the ratio of the relative humidity exerted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor corresponds to 50%, and through this, the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide vapor can be measured.

On the other hand, according to the above, the oxygen atmospheric pressure (Po ₂ ) in the storage unit in Equation (1) described above means the atmospheric pressure of oxygen generated by decomposition of hydrogen peroxide vapor introduced from the sterilization chamber, and the above-described In Equation (1), the total atmospheric pressure (Pc) of the storage unit corresponds to the sum _{of the oxygen atmospheric pressure (Po 2} ) in the storage unit and the atmospheric pressure (P _{H2O) of water vapor in the storage unit.}

In addition, the atmospheric pressure (P _H2O ) of the water vapor in the storage unit corresponds to the sum of "the atmospheric pressure of the water vapor in the sterilization chamber" and "the atmospheric pressure of the water vapor generated by the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide vapor introduced from the sterilization chamber".

As described above, in the present invention, the ratio of the relative humidity exerted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the first relative humidity can be derived through the measured value of the oxygen sensor.

Next, the hydrogen peroxide concentration measurement method according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes calculating the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor in the sterilization chamber through a ratio of the relative humidity exerted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor at the first relative humidity. Do (S240).

When the step of calculating the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor in the sterilization chamber is described, first, the first relative humidity detected by the first humidity sensor is 80%, and at this time, the first relative humidity derived through step S230 Assume that the ratio of relative humidity exerted by hydrogen peroxide vapor is 50%.

In addition, it is assumed that the temperature in the sterilization chamber is 45°C and the air pressure is 1000mb, and the volume of the sterilization chamber is assumed to be 1000L.

At this time, since the ratio of the relative humidity exerted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor at the first relative humidity is 50%, the ratio of 50% corresponds to the ratio of the relative humidity determined by the amount of hydrogen peroxide vapor.

That is, the relative humidity reacted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the air in the sterilization chamber corresponds to 50%.

At this time, since the temperature in the sterilization chamber is 45°C, referring to Table 5, the saturated vapor pressure of hydrogen peroxide at a temperature of 45°C corresponds to 9.8mb.

On the other hand, in general, since the relative humidity (%) = (current water vapor pressure / saturated water vapor pressure) × 100, therefore, the hydrogen peroxide vapor pressure x in the sterilization chamber corresponds to 50% = (x mb/9.8 mb) × 100%, so hydrogen peroxide It corresponds to vapor pressure x = 4.9mb.

At this time, since the air pressure in the sterilization chamber is 1000mb, the gas concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor corresponds to (4.9mb/1000mb)×100%=0.49%.

Converting this into weight per volume, the ideal gas volume at 45°C corresponds to (22.4L/mol(at 273k)×(273+45))/273=26.09 L/mol.

Therefore, when 0.49% of the gas concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor is divided by the ideal gas volume at the temperature, that is, 0.49% / 26.09 (L/mol) = 0.0188 mol%, and thus, hydrogen peroxide vapor in a 1000L volume sterilization chamber is It is present at 0.000188 mol/L.

At this time, since the molecular weight of hydrogen peroxide is 34 g/mol, it may be expressed as a concentration of 6.4 mg/L.

In the same way as described above, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor in the sterilization chamber can be calculated.

As described above, when the hydrogen peroxide solution is concentrated to a high concentration hydrogen peroxide solution and used as a sterilizer, it is not easy to measure the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide in the sterilization chamber of the sterilization device.

However, in the present invention, the first relative humidity of the gas inside the sterilization chamber is detected by the first humidity sensor, and the measured value of the oxygen sensor is measured by the oxygen sensor of the sampling unit located outside the sterilization chamber. By deriving the ratio of the relative humidity exerted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the first relative humidity, the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the sterilization chamber can be calculated.

Meanwhile, as described above, the method for measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide according to the first embodiment of the present invention corresponds to a method for measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide when a separate oxygen is included as an external gas inside the sterilization chamber.

That is, in the present invention, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor is calculated through the concentration of oxygen. Since it is not possible to determine how much additional oxygen is contained as an external gas inside the sterilization chamber, the first humidity sensor A process of measuring the relative humidity was necessary.

However, when separate oxygen is not included in the interior of the sterilization chamber, or when the content of separately included oxygen is negligible, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor can be measured directly through the measured value of the oxygen sensor. In the following, we will explain how to do this.

That is, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor can be calculated without the first humidity sensor 111 of FIG. 2 described above.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of measuring a hydrogen peroxide concentration according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

At this time, as described above, in the method for measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide according to the second embodiment of the present invention, when separate oxygen is not included as an external gas inside the sterilization chamber, or the content of oxygen separately included is negligible. This is a method for measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide when it is in a very small amount.In the case that separate oxygen is not included as an external gas inside the sterilization chamber, or when the content of oxygen separately included is negligible, the sterilization chamber It may mean a case where the vacuum degree of the sterilization chamber is reduced to 10 torr or less by evacuating the sterilization chamber.

Referring to Figure 6, the hydrogen peroxide concentration measurement method according to the second embodiment of the present invention, through the oxygen sensor 230 of the sampling unit 200 located in the outer region of the sterilization chamber, hydrogen peroxide in the gas inside the sterilization chamber. It includes the step of calculating an oxygen sensor measurement value by oxygen formed by decomposing the steam (S310).

More specifically, as described above, the sampling unit 200 includes a hydrogen peroxide vapor decomposition device 210 for decomposing the hydrogen peroxide vapor; _{And a storage unit 220 for storing water vapor (H 2} O) and oxygen (O ₂ ) decomposed from the hydrogen peroxide steam decomposition device, and the storage unit 220 includes an oxygen sensor 230.

At this time, the process of calculating the measured value of the oxygen sensor is as follows.

(1) A certain amount of gas inside the sterilization chamber 110, consisting of water vapor and hydrogen peroxide vapor, is moved to the sampling unit 200.

(2) In the process of moving a certain amount of the gas, by the hydrogen peroxide vapor decomposition device 210 of the sampling unit 200, the hydrogen peroxide vapor (H ₂ O ₂ ) is water vapor (H ₂ O) and oxygen (O ₂ ).

_{(3) Water vapor (H 2} O) and oxygen (O ₂ ) decomposed from the hydrogen peroxide steam cracking device are stored in the storage unit 220.

(4), the oxygen sensor 230 of the storage unit 220 calculates the measured value of the oxygen sensor by _{the oxygen (O 2 ).}

In the present invention, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor in the sterilization chamber is measured through the measured value of the oxygen sensor calculated through the oxygen sensor 230 as described above.

Next, the hydrogen peroxide concentration measurement method according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes calculating the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor in the sterilization chamber through the measured value of the oxygen sensor (S320).

That is, in the present invention, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor in the sterilization chamber can be measured through the measured value of the oxygen sensor calculated through the oxygen sensor 230.

On the other hand, the measured value measured by the oxygen sensor 230 is measured as the ratio of the oxygen pressure in the storage unit 220 to the total atmospheric pressure of the storage unit 220, that is, by the following equation (1) Can be expressed.

…… 수학식(1)

… … Equation (1)

On the other hand, as described above, hydrogen peroxide vapor (H ₂ O ₂ ) is decomposed into water vapor (H ₂ O) and oxygen (O ₂ ) is decomposed by the following reaction equation 1.

2H ₂ O ₂ → 2H ₂ O + O ₂ … … … Scheme (1)

At this time, a certain amount of gas inside the sterilization chamber 110, which is composed of water vapor and hydrogen peroxide vapor, moves to the sampling unit 200, and the hydrogen peroxide vapor is all decomposed into water vapor and oxygen, and thus, the storage unit In 220, a greater amount of water vapor than the amount of water vapor moved to the sampling unit is stored, and oxygen present by decomposition of hydrogen peroxide vapor is stored.

Since this is the same as the first embodiment described above, a detailed description will be omitted below.

In this situation, when the gas in the sterilization chamber, that is, water vapor and hydrogen peroxide vapor, moves to the sampling unit, and the hydrogen peroxide vapor is decomposed, the pressure due to the water vapor and the oxygen pressure of the sampling unit are the same as in Table 6 above As shown in Table 7 below, it will change.

division Before disassembly After disassembly Pressure by water vapor 28.7mb 33.6mb Pressure by hydrogen peroxide vapor 4.9mb - Pressure by oxygen - 2.45mb

In the above table, the term before decomposition refers to the pressure due to gas in the sterilization chamber, and the term after decomposition refers to the pressure in the storage unit of the sampling unit.

As can be seen from Table 7, before decomposition, the pressure due to the hydrogen peroxide vapor was 4,9 mb, but as the hydrogen peroxide vapor moves to the storage unit of the sampling unit, the hydrogen peroxide vapor is all decomposed as shown in the following reaction equation (1). There is no steam pressure.

2H ₂ O ₂ → 2H ₂ O + O ₂ … … … Scheme (1)

In addition, according to the reaction equation (1), as the hydrogen peroxide vapor is decomposed, _{the content of water vapor (H 2} O) increases, and at this time, 2 mol of hydrogen peroxide vapor becomes 2 mol of water vapor, so the pressure of hydrogen peroxide vapor is 4.9 mb. As a result, the pressure due to water vapor increases, and thus, the pressure due to water vapor after decomposition corresponds to 33.6 mb (28.7 mb + 4.9 mb).

In addition, according to the reaction equation (1), as the hydrogen peroxide vapor is decomposed, oxygen (O ₂ ) is generated, and at this time, 2 mol of hydrogen peroxide vapor becomes 1 mol of oxygen, so 1/ of 4.9 mb, which is the pressure by hydrogen peroxide vapor. As much as 2, the pressure due to oxygen is generated, and thus, the pressure due to oxygen after decomposition is 2.45mb (4.9mb*1/2).

On the other hand, as described above, in the second embodiment of the present invention, since it is assumed that no separate oxygen is included in the interior of the sterilization chamber or the content of oxygen separately included is negligibly traceable, According to the reaction equation (1), since the pressure generated by oxygen corresponds to the pressure due to the decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide vapor, in the end, it can be determined that twice the pressure value generated by oxygen is the pressure value due to the hydrogen peroxide vapor. have.

Accordingly, in the second embodiment of the present invention, even without the first humidity sensor 111 of FIG. 2 described above, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor can be calculated through the measured value measured by the oxygen sensor 230. .

For convenience of explanation, assuming that the pressure value due to water vapor inside the sterilization chamber is “a” and the pressure value due to hydrogen peroxide vapor is “b”, assuming that the pressure value inside the sterilization chamber is “P”, Corresponds to P=a+b, which corresponds to a measurable value.

That is, as in Table 7 above, P=28.7+4.9=33.6 mb.

In addition, assuming that the measured value of the oxygen sensor is “C” in Equation (1), the oxygen pressure in the storage unit corresponds to b/2 by the above-described reaction equation (1).

The total atmospheric pressure of the storage unit _{corresponds to the sum of the oxygen pressure (Po 2} ) in the storage unit and the atmospheric pressure of water vapor (P _H2O ) in the storage unit, and at this time, the atmospheric pressure (P _H2O ) of the water vapor in the storage unit is “in the sterilization chamber. Since it corresponds to the sum of "the atmospheric pressure of water vapor" and "the atmospheric pressure of water vapor generated by decomposition of hydrogen peroxide vapor introduced from the sterilization chamber", in the end, the atmospheric pressure (P _H2O ) of the water vapor in the storage part corresponds to "a+b". .

Accordingly, in Equation (1) described above, “C”, which is the measured value of the oxygen sensor, can be expressed as Equation (2) below.

…… 수학식 (2)

… … Equation (2)

At this time, as described above, since it corresponds to P=a+b, it corresponds to a=P-b, and by substituting it into Equation (2) and summarizing the b value, it is as shown in Equation (3) below.

…… 수학식 (3)

… … Equation (3)

Meanwhile, as described above, the oxygen sensor measurement value C is the value to be measured, and the pressure value ”P” inside the sterilization chamber corresponds to a measurable value. Therefore, in the present invention, through the oxygen sensor measurement value , b value, the pressure value due to hydrogen peroxide vapor can be calculated.

For example, when the C value, which is the measured value of the oxygen sensor, is 6.8% (0.068), and as in Table 7 above, P = 28.7 + 4.9 = 33.6 mb, the b value (hydrogen peroxide vapor pressure) corresponds to 4.92 mb. .

At this time, assuming that the air pressure in the sterilization chamber is 1000mb, the gas concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor corresponds to (4.9mb/1000mb)×100%=0.49%.

Converting this into weight per volume, the ideal gas volume at 45°C corresponds to (22.4L/mol(at 273k)×(273+45))/273=26.09 L/mol.

Therefore, when 0.49% of the gas concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor is divided by the ideal gas volume at the temperature, that is, 0.49% / 26.09 (L/mol) = 0.0188 mol%, and thus, hydrogen peroxide vapor in a 1000L volume sterilization chamber is It is present at 0.000188 mol/L.

At this time, since the molecular weight of hydrogen peroxide is 34 g/mol, it may be expressed as a concentration of 6.4 mg/L.

In the same way as described above, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor in the sterilization chamber can be calculated.

As described above, when the hydrogen peroxide solution is concentrated to a high concentration hydrogen peroxide solution and used as a sterilizer, it is not easy to measure the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide in the sterilization chamber of the sterilization device.

However, in the present invention, when separate oxygen is not included in the sterilization chamber, or when the content of separately included oxygen is negligible, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor can be directly measured through the measured value of the oxygen sensor. I can.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the above and the accompanying drawings, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. You can understand that there is. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative and non-limiting in all respects.

Claims (8)

In the sterilization apparatus comprising a sterilization chamber,
It includes a sampling unit located in a predetermined area outside the sterilization chamber,
The sampling unit may include a hydrogen peroxide steam cracking device; And a storage unit for storing water vapor and oxygen decomposed from the hydrogen peroxide steam decomposition device,
The storage unit includes an oxygen sensor,
The sterilization chamber further comprises a first humidity sensor located in a predetermined area inside the sterilization chamber,
The first humidity sensor detects the first relative humidity based on the amount of hydrogen peroxide vapor and the amount of water vapor, and the oxygen sensor calculates an oxygen sensor measurement value by oxygen decomposed from the hydrogen peroxide vapor decomposition device. Sterilization device. delete delete Detecting a first relative humidity of the gas inside the sterilization chamber by a first humidity sensor;
Calculating an oxygen sensor measurement value by oxygen formed by decomposing hydrogen peroxide vapor in the gas inside the sterilization chamber through an oxygen sensor of the sampling unit located in the outer region of the sterilization chamber;
Deriving a ratio of the relative humidity exerted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor from the first relative humidity through the measured value of the oxygen sensor; And
And calculating the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the sterilization chamber through a ratio of the relative humidity exerted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor at the first relative humidity. The method of claim 4,
The sampling unit may include a hydrogen peroxide steam cracking device; And a storage unit for storing water vapor and oxygen decomposed from the hydrogen peroxide vapor decomposition device, and the storage unit includes the oxygen sensor,
The measured value of the oxygen sensor is the hydrogen peroxide concentration measurement method, characterized in that the following equation (1).

… … Equation (1) The method of claim 5,
In Equation (1), the oxygen pressure (Po ₂ ) in the storage unit refers to the atmospheric pressure of oxygen generated by decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide vapor introduced from the sterilization chamber, and the total atmospheric pressure (Pc) of the storage unit is the It corresponds to the sum of the oxygen pressure (Po ₂ ) in the storage unit and the atmospheric pressure (P _{H2O) of water vapor in the storage unit,
The air pressure (P H2O} ) of the water vapor in the storage unit corresponds to the sum of "the air pressure of the water vapor in the sterilization chamber" and "the air pressure of the water vapor generated by decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide vapor introduced from the sterilization chamber" How to measure the concentration of hydrogen peroxide. Calculating an oxygen sensor measurement value by oxygen formed by decomposing hydrogen peroxide vapor in the gas inside the sterilization chamber through an oxygen sensor of a sampling unit located in an area outside the sterilization chamber; And
Comprising the step of calculating the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the sterilization chamber through the measured value of the oxygen sensor,
The pressure value by water vapor inside the sterilization chamber is "a", the pressure value by hydrogen peroxide vapor is "b", the pressure value inside the sterilization chamber is "P", the oxygen sensor measurement value is "C", P= In the case of a+b, the value of b is the following equation (3).

… … Equation (3)
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