KR101727646B1

KR101727646B1 - A sterilizer with a condenser

Info

Publication number: KR101727646B1
Application number: KR1020150104306A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김정해
Original assignee: 김정해
Priority date: 2015-07-23
Filing date: 2015-07-23
Publication date: 2017-05-02
Also published as: KR20170011535A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sterilizing apparatus, and more particularly, to a sterilizing apparatus having a condensing apparatus provided between a sterilizing chamber and a vacuum pump. The sterilizing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a sterilizing chamber, a sterilizing means supply device for supplying sterilizing means to the sterilizing chamber, and a vacuum pump connected to the sterilizing chamber, wherein the sterilizing device comprises a condenser provided between the sterilizing chamber and the vacuum pump And a weight detection sensor installed inside the sterilization chamber for measuring the weight of the object to be sterilized in the sterilization chamber, wherein the gas discharged from the sterilization chamber flows, and one end is connected to the sterilization chamber A gas cooling unit for cooling the gas flowing through the first line to partially condense the gas and the liquid discharged from the other end of the first line; A gas exhaust port connected to the vacuum pump and exhausted from the other open end of the first line; And a liquid discharge port through which the liquid is discharged. The sterilization apparatus according to the present invention can prevent the liquid from flowing into the vacuum pump by using the condenser. Therefore, the service life of the vacuum pump can be increased and deterioration of the sterilization effect due to the performance degradation of the vacuum pump can be prevented.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a sterilizer with a condenser,

The present invention relates to a sterilizing apparatus, and more particularly, to a sterilizing apparatus having a condensing apparatus provided between a sterilizing chamber and a vacuum pump.

Sterilization apparatuses for removing microorganisms present in a variety of materials including various types of apparatuses, glass products, magnetic products, metal products, rubber, plastics, paper, fibers, reagents and water are widely used in various fields such as medical industry, It is used in the field.

Sterilization is a high-level treatment which means to completely remove all living microorganisms through physical and chemical action, unlike cleaning or disinfection.

Typical sterilization apparatuses include a high pressure steam sterilization apparatus, an ethylene oxide (EO) gas sterilization apparatus, and a plasma sterilization apparatus. Usually, the object to be sterilized by a high-pressure steam sterilization apparatus is sterilized by an EO gas or a plasma sterilization apparatus.

Vacuum pumps are installed in such sterilization apparatuses. The vacuum pump serves to lower the pressure inside the sterilization chamber before sterilizing the object to be treated. In addition, it serves to discharge moisture, EO gas, hydrogen peroxide, etc. in the sterilization chamber to the outside of the sterilization chamber. A treatment device capable of removing harmful substances is provided at the rear end of the vacuum pump.

However, if the temperature or pressure of the sterilization chamber is high, if the gas in the sterilization chamber is discharged outside the sterilization chamber, the temperature of the gas is lowered and the pressure is lowered, so that the gas may be condensed beyond the saturated vapor pressure of the substance. The liquid generated by such condensation can shorten the performance and life of the vacuum pump, and as a result, the effect of sterilization may be deteriorated. The conventional sterilization apparatus has a problem that the vacuum pump must be replaced once every several months in severe cases.

To solve such a problem, Patent Document KR10-1424532 discloses an oil circulating apparatus for a vacuum pump equipped with a condensate removing apparatus. The apparatus includes a first oil passage including a first oil inlet through which oil flows from a vacuum pump, a first oil outlet through which the oil in the interior is discharged by a vacuum pump, and a first condensed water outlet for discharging condensed water, A first valve connected to the condensed water discharge port of the first oil reservoir for controlling the amount of condensed water discharged from the first oil passage, And a control unit for opening and closing the first valve by driving the first driving unit such that the condensed water is discharged by a predetermined amount when the detected oil level is higher than the first predetermined oil level.

However, the above-mentioned apparatus has a problem that the condensed water introduced into the vacuum pump is removed, and the inflow of the condensed water itself can not be prevented.

In addition, the conventional sterilization apparatuses have been sterilized for a certain period of time regardless of the weight or moisture content of the article to be treated. Therefore, there is a problem in that the sterilization process is carried out in a state in which water is not sufficiently removed. Further, there is a problem in that it can not be confirmed whether or not it is sufficiently dried even after the sterilization is completed and dried.

In order to solve such a problem, Patent Document KR10-1043594 discloses a sterilizing and drying apparatus in which a load cell for measuring the weight of a drying object and determining whether the drying object is drying is installed. In this patent, a load cell capable of measuring the weight is mounted on the lower portion of the sterilizing and drying apparatus to measure the weight decreased as the object to be dried is dried. Through this, the degree of moisture evaporation is constantly monitored to determine the degree of drying , And the operation of the sterilization drying apparatus is automatically terminated.

However, since the load cell is installed outside the sterilization chamber and the weight change of the sterilization chamber itself is measured, the weight of the sterilization chamber itself may vary depending on various external factors such as vibrations or shocks caused by the operation of the components such as the pump. There is a problem that it is difficult to accurately measure minute changes in the weight of the object to be processed in the process.

Patent Registration No. KR10-1424532 Patent Registration No. KR10-1043594

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a new sterilizing device equipped with a condensing device capable of preventing liquid from flowing into a vacuum pump.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a sterilizing apparatus comprising a sterilizing chamber, a sterilizing means supply device for supplying a sterilizing means to the sterilizing chamber, and a vacuum pump connected to the sterilizing chamber, And a weight detection sensor provided in the sterilization chamber for measuring the weight of the object to be sterilized in the sterilization chamber, wherein the gas discharged from the sterilization chamber flows, and one end of the sterilization chamber is sterilized A gas cooler connected to the chamber and configured to cool the gas flowing through the first line and to partially condense the gas; a gas cooler connected to the first end of the first line, And a gas exhaust port connected to the vacuum pump to discharge the gas exhausted from the other open end of the first line, And a liquid discharge port through which the discharged liquid is discharged.

The sterilization apparatus according to the present invention can prevent the liquid from flowing into the vacuum pump by using the condenser. Therefore, the service life of the vacuum pump can be increased and deterioration of the sterilization effect due to the performance degradation of the vacuum pump can be prevented.

In addition, some embodiments of the present invention have the advantage of being able to more accurately measure the change in weight of the article to be treated. The optimum sterilization process can be performed by accurately measuring the change in weight of the object to be treated before and after the sterilization process. In addition, it is possible to maintain a constant drying state by controlling the water content of the material to be treated in the drying step.

1 is a conceptual diagram of an embodiment of a sterilization apparatus according to the present invention.
2 is a conceptual diagram of the condenser shown in Fig.
3 is a conceptual diagram of another embodiment of the condensing device shown in Fig.
4 is a conceptual diagram of another embodiment of the sterilizing chamber shown in Fig.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments of the present invention may be modified into various other forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described below. Embodiments of the present invention are provided to more fully explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the shapes and the like of the elements in the drawings are exaggerated in order to emphasize a clearer description, and elements denoted by the same symbols in the drawings denote the same elements.

1 is a conceptual diagram of an embodiment of a sterilization apparatus according to the present invention. 1, an embodiment of the sterilization apparatus according to the present invention includes a sterilization chamber 10, a sterilization means supply unit 20, a vacuum pump 30, and a condensation unit 40. [

The sterilization chamber 10 is a reactor in which a sterilization treatment is performed on a substance to be treated, for example, a medical equipment or a cookware. The sterilizing chamber 10 is further provided with a supporting table 11 for supporting the object to be processed and a weight detecting sensor 13 for measuring the weight of the object to be processed. The weight detection sensor 13 may be a plurality of load cells disposed under the support 11. The support 11 may be in various forms, such as a plate, a plurality of bars, and may be in the form of a basket, as shown in FIG. Depending on the type of the object to be treated, the support table 11 may not be required. The load cell may be provided with a guide 131 for holding the edge of the support 11 in order to prevent the support 11 from moving. In the sterilization chamber 10, through-holes through which the lead wire connected to the load cell can pass are formed, and a gasket 19 for sealing the through-holes is provided.

In the case of sterilizing apparatus using plasma, an electrode plate (not shown) for generating plasma in the sterilization chamber 10 of the sterilization chamber 10 may be disposed. An RF device for generating RF (radio frequency) high voltage applied to the electrode plate is disposed outside the sterilizing chamber 10. The RF device and the electrode plate are connected by wires.

A heater 12 for controlling the temperature of the sterilization chamber 10 is installed outside the sterilization chamber 10 to surround the sterilization chamber 10.

Although not shown, a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor for measuring the internal temperature and pressure of the sterilizing chamber 10 may be installed in the sterilizing chamber 10.

Sterilization Means The device 20 is a device that allows the sterilization chamber 10 to be provided with sterilization means. 1, the entire sterilizing means supply device 20 is illustrated as being disposed outside the sterilizing chamber 10. Depending on the type of sterilizing device, a part of the device may be disposed inside the sterilizing chamber 10. [ The raw material for forming the sterilizing means or the sterilizing means made in the sterilizing means supply device 20 is supplied to the inside of the sterilizing chamber 10 through the first pipe 21 connecting the sterilizing means supply device 20 and the sterilizing chamber 10, . Sterilization Means A first valve (22) is installed in the first pipe (21) connecting the sterilization chamber (10) with the supply device (20).

As the sterilizing means supply device 20, a high pressure steam generating device, an ethylene oxide (EO) gas supplying device and a water supplying device, a plasma generating device and a hydrogen peroxide supplying device, etc., can be used. The high-pressure steam, ethylene oxide gas, water, hydrogen peroxide, etc., provided in these devices are supplied to the sterilization chamber 10 or react in the sterilization chamber to remove microorganisms and the like present in the material to be treated.

More specifically, the ethylene oxide gas is mixed with steam generated by the evaporation of water supplied from the sterilization chamber to remove microorganisms present in the material to be treated, and the hydrogen peroxide supplied to the sterilization chamber is ionized by the plasma generated in the sterilization chamber And sterilizing action is performed. Since the sterilizing means feeding device 20 is a well-known technique, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The vacuum pump 30 discharges the gas inside the sterilizing chamber 10 to the outside. The vacuum pump 30 preferably has durability against sterilization means. The vacuum pump 30 is connected to the sterilizing chamber 10 with the condenser 40 therebetween. The vacuum pump 30 and the condenser 40 are connected through the third pipe 17.

The processing unit 50 processes the gas passing through the vacuum pump 30 to remove harmful substances and discharge the harmful substances.

The condenser 40 is installed between the sterilizing chamber 10 and the vacuum pump 30. The condensing device 40 is connected to the sterilization chamber 10 through the second pipe 15. A second valve 16 is provided in the second pipe 15 between the sterilizing chamber 10 and the condenser 40 to open and close the second pipe 15. The condensing device 40 prevents condensation of gas in the vacuum pump 30 by pre-condensing the gas discharged from the sterilizing chamber 10 by heat exchange with a refrigerant having a temperature lower than the temperature of the vacuum pump 30 .

2 is a conceptual diagram of the condenser shown in Fig. 2, the condensing device 40 includes a gas-liquid tank 41, a first line 42, a second line 43, and a cooling device 45. The gas-

The gas-liquid tank 41 has an outer wall forming an inner space. A first connection port 411 connected to the second pipe 15 is formed on one side of the outer wall and a gas discharge port 412 connected to the third pipe 17 is formed on the other side.

One end of the first line 42 is connected to the second pipe 15 through the first connection port 411 and the other end thereof is disposed in the inner space of the gas-liquid tank 41. In the first line 42, the gas discharged from the sterilizing chamber 10 flows.

The second line 43 flows with a refrigerant whose temperature is lower than that of the gas flowing through the first line 42. [ The second line (43) is installed adjacent to the first line (42) so that heat exchange between the refrigerant and the gas discharged from the sterilizing chamber (10) is possible. Both ends of the second line 43 are connected to the second connection port 414 and the third connection port 415 formed on the bottom surface and one side surface of the gas-liquid tank 41, respectively.

The first line 42 is preferably positioned so as to be positioned higher than the other end of the first pipe 42 connected to the second pipe 15. So that the liquid condensed in the first line 42 is easily discharged to the opened second end by the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the gas discharged from the sterilizing chamber 10. The liquid discharged from the open end of the first line (42) drops to the bottom surface of the gas-liquid tank (41). The separated liquid is discharged to the liquid discharge port 413 formed on the bottom surface of the outer wall of the gas-liquid tank 41. The liquid outlet 413 is connected to the drain 48. The liquid discharge port 413 of the gas-liquid tank 41 is provided with a flow rate sensor (not shown) capable of measuring the flow rate of the liquid condensed and discharged from the gas.

The cooling device 45 is installed in the refrigerant circulation pipe 44 connected to the second connection port 414 and the third connection port 415 of the gas-liquid tank 41. The cooling device 45 serves to cool the coolant whose temperature has risen through heat exchange with the gas and to supply the coolant to the second line 43 through the coolant circulation pipe 44. The cooling device 45 may be, for example, a cooling cycle including a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, and an expansion valve, and may be a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the cooling water and the refrigerant. It may also be a cooling device 45 using a Peltier element. In the present embodiment, the cooling device 45 and the refrigerant circulation pipe 44 constitute a gas cooling portion.

Referring again to FIG. 1, a check valve 18 is provided between the gas-liquid tank 41 and the vacuum pump 30. The check valve 18 serves to allow the gas discharged from the gas discharge port 412 to flow only in the direction of the vacuum pump 30.

The sterilizing apparatus according to the present embodiment may further include a controller 60. [ The controller 60 adjusts or indexes the sterilization parameter according to the kind of the object to be processed and the weight of the object to be measured measured by the weight detection sensor 13. [ The sterilization parameters may be the supply time of the sterilization means, the temperature and sterilization time of the sterilization chamber 10, the drying time, the moisture content, and the like. By controlling the sterilization parameter by using the weight of the object to be processed measured by the weight detection sensor 13, the sterilization condition can be optimized and the sterilization time can be shortened.

Further, the controller can optimize the drying conditions through the change in the weight of the object to be processed, and also can dry the drying time. First, the weight of the object to be processed put into the sterilizing chamber 10 is measured. After completion of the vacuum drying process before the sterilization process, the weight of the object to be treated is measured. If the measured weight value is smaller than the first measured weight value, the newly measured weight value is stored as the weight value of the water-removed subject matter. After completion of the sterilization process, the weight of the object to be treated is measured, and the moisture content of the object to be sterilized after completion of the sterilization process is calculated by comparing the weight of the object to be treated with moisture. In the drying process, the real-time moisture content can be calculated by measuring the weight of the object in real time. When the moisture content reaches the set point, the drying process is completed. Since the drying process is performed while confirming the moisture content in real time, the drying time can be shortened by optimizing the drying process.

Also, the controller 60 may receive the flow rate value measured by the flow rate sensor of the gas-liquid tank 41 and check the amount of moisture removed in the object to be processed again.

Hereinafter, an example of the action of the sterilizing apparatus described above will be described.

First, the object to be sterilized is placed in the sterilization chamber 10 of the sterilization apparatus. Then, the type of the object to be processed is input to the sterilizing device, and the sterilizing device is operated.

When the sterilizing apparatus is activated, the controller 60 receives the weight value of the object to be processed measured by the weight detecting sensor 13, and determines the sterilizing temperature, the sterilizing time and the drying time according to the kind and weight of the object to be processed .

Hereinafter, the operation when the high-pressure steam is used as the sterilizing means will be described. First, high-pressure steam is supplied into the sterilization chamber (10). When the temperature in the sterilizing chamber 10 reaches the set temperature, the vacuum pump 30 is activated. When the vacuum pump 30 is operated and the pressure in the sterilization chamber 10 reaches a set pressure, high-pressure steam is again supplied into the sterilization chamber 10. After this process is repeated several times, high-pressure steam is supplied until the sterilization temperature is reached, and sterilized for the specified sterilization time. When the sterilization is completed, it enters the drying step. In the drying step, the vacuum pump 30 is operated to lower the pressure of the sterilization chamber 10, thereby removing the moisture in the sterilized object and the gas in the sterilization chamber 10. When the object to be processed is dried up to a predetermined degree, air is injected into the sterilization chamber 10 by opening the air injection valve 23, and then the sterilization chamber 10 is opened to collect the sterilized object to be sterilized. Even if the sterilization is completed, the object to be processed in the sterilization chamber 10 may be left for several hours without being collected. At this time, as the temperature of the sterilization chamber (10) drops, condensation may occur in the sterilization chamber (10), and the object to be processed may become wet. Therefore, when the object to be processed is left in the sterilization chamber 10 after sterilization is completed, it is necessary to operate the vacuum pump 30 to maintain the dry state. When the sterilizing chamber 10 does not have the weight detection sensor 13, it is necessary to operate the vacuum pump 30 intermittently to maintain the dry state. If the object to be treated is wet or contains a large amount of water, the object to be treated may be exposed to the outside air at the time of collecting and the microorganism may adhere to the object to be treated, Drying of water is also important.

During the operation of the vacuum pump (30), the condenser (40) exchanges the gas discharged from the sterilizing chamber (10) with the refrigerant to condense the gas in advance. The liquid generated by the condensation of some gases is discharged through the drain 48, and the remaining gas is supplied to the vacuum pump 30. Since the condensed liquid is removed by heat exchange with the refrigerant at a low temperature, it is not condensed again in the vacuum pump 30. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the performance of the vacuum pump 30 from being deteriorated or broken by the liquid.

Next, the case where the plasma is used as the sterilization means will be described.

First, the object to be sterilized is introduced into the sterilization chamber 10. When the type of the object to be sterilized is input to the sterilizing apparatus, the controller 60 of the sterilizing apparatus receives the weight value of the object to be processed measured by the weight detection sensor 13 and calculates the amount of hydrogen peroxide . The hydrogen peroxide diffusion time, the plasma generation time, the drying time of the drying process, and the like of the sterilization process are set and the plasma sterilization apparatus operates. The operation sequence is as follows.

When the heater 12 is operated and the sterilization chamber 10 reaches the set temperature, the second valve 16 is opened and the vacuum pump 30 is activated, so that the pressure of the sterilization chamber 10 falls below the saturated vapor pressure, As a result, the water contained in the object to be treated is vaporized and becomes vapor. At this time, the water content can be confirmed by changing the weight of the object to be treated. The second valve 16 is closed and the air injection valve 23 is opened to supply air to the sterilizing chamber 10 when the water content is above the reference value Inject. Then, the air injection valve 23 is closed and the second valve 16 is opened, and then the vacuum pump 30 is operated.

When the moisture content reaches a desired value, the vacuum pump 30 is continuously operated. When the vacuum pressure reaches 0.5 Torr, the second valve 16 and the vacuum pump 30 are stopped, and the first valve 22 is opened to remove hydrogen peroxide So that it is sucked into the sterilization chamber and vaporized. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the air injection valve 23 is opened, the second valve 16 and the vacuum pump 30 are operated again to bring the sterilization chamber 10 to a set pressure, and hydrogen peroxide is again supplied to the sterilization chamber 10 Inject.

The injected hydrogen peroxide is vaporized and permeates into the object to be treated. At this time, when RF high voltage is applied between the electrode plate in the sterilizing chamber 10 and the inner wall of the sterilizing chamber 10, a plasma is formed in the sterilizing chamber 10, and hydrogen peroxide generated by ionization of the hydrogen peroxide is sterilized do. After a certain period of time, the air injection valve 23 is opened to inject air into the sterilizing chamber 10.

Then, the second valve (16) and the vacuum pump (30) are operated for a predetermined time to dry the object to be treated. When drying is completed, the process is completed.

Next, the case of using EO gas as sterilization means will be described.

First, the object to be sterilized is put into the sterilization chamber 10 of the sterilization apparatus. When the type of the object to be sterilized is input to the sterilizer, the controller 60 of the sterilizer receives the weight of the object to be processed measured by the weight sensor 13, The amount of water is determined. The sterilization temperature of the sterilization process, the sterilization time, and the drying time of the drying process are set in the controller 60 so that the EO gas sterilizer operates. The operation sequence is as follows.

When the heater 12 is operated and the temperature of the sterilization chamber 10 reaches the set temperature, water is supplied to the sterilization chamber 10. Then, the vacuum pump 30 is operated to lower the pressure of the sterilization chamber 10 to a saturated vapor pressure or lower, so that the water in the object to be treated is vaporized to become vapor, thereby wetting the object to be treated. Then, when the first valve 22 for injecting the EO gas is opened and the sterilization chamber 10 reaches the set pressure, the sterilization step proceeds. At this time, the sterilization temperature and the sterilization time are controlled by the controller 60. When the sterilization time has elapsed, the operation proceeds to the drying step, the vacuum pump 30 is operated, and the EO gas in the sterilization chamber 10 is discharged to the sterilization chamber 10. When the drying time has elapsed, the entire process is completed.

3 is a conceptual diagram of another embodiment of the condensing device shown in Fig.

The condenser shown in FIG. 3 differs from the condenser shown in FIG. 2 in the gas cooler and the gas-liquid tank. The gas cooling section of the condenser shown in FIG. 3 includes a cooling fan 46. Since the gas flowing in the first line 42 is condensed by using the cooling fan 46, the refrigerant circulation pipe 44 is not needed, which is advantageous in that the structure is very simple. In this embodiment, the first line 42 is not disposed inside the gas-liquid tank 47 and the open end of the first line 42 is connected to the first connection port 471 of the gas-liquid tank 47 There is a difference in that it is connected directly. 2, the cooling fan 46 and the first line 42 may be disposed in the gas-liquid tank 47 to reduce the installation space. However, in the water-vapor-permeable liquid tank 47, It is more preferable that the cooling fan 46 and the first line 42 are disposed outside the gas-liquid tank 47 because the cooling fan 46 is more likely to fail when the fan 46 is disposed .

4 is a conceptual diagram of another embodiment of the sterilizing chamber shown in Fig.

In the sterilization chamber 10 shown in FIG. 4, a high temperature steam generator 25, which is a part of a sterilizing means supply device 20 for forming high temperature steam, is disposed. The high temperature steam generator 25 includes a heat conduction plate 251, a heater 252 disposed inside the heat conduction plate 251, and a water supply line 253 in the form of a coil. The heat supplied from the heater 252 heats the water supplied through the water supply line 253 to form steam. The formed steam is stored in a reservoir 254 connected to the end of the water supply line 253 and then discharged into the sterilization chamber 10 through a plurality of steam outlets 255 formed in the reservoir 254. The steam outlet 255 is formed above the water supply line 253. The water pump 26 installed to supply water to the water supply line 253 must be capable of supplying water to the high temperature steam generator 25 even when the inside of the sterilization chamber 10 is in a high temperature and high pressure state. The flow rate of the water supply line 253 is adjusted in the water supply valve 27. In addition, a bimetal switch (not shown) may be provided on the heat conduction plate 251 to automatically control the temperature. Although the heater 252 is shown on the left and right in FIG. 4, it may be installed around the water supply line 253. 4, a valve (not shown) may be provided at the steam outlet 255 to control the supply of steam. In place of the heater 252, a high frequency induction heating apparatus may be used.

In the apparatus shown in Fig. 4, the operation time of the water pump 26 and the water supply valve 27 is set in accordance with the weight of the object to be treated in the sterilizing chamber 10. Fig.

Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be briefly described.

When the temperature in the sterilizing chamber 10 reaches the set temperature by using the external heater 12, the vacuum pump 30 is operated. When the vacuum pump 30 is operated and the pressure in the sterilization chamber 10 reaches the set vacuum pressure, air is injected into the sterilization chamber 10 by opening the air injection valve 23 again. After this process is repeated several times, water is supplied to the high-pressure steam generator 25 by the operation of the water supply valve 27 and the water pump 26, and high-pressure steam is generated in the high-pressure steam generator 25. The high-pressure steam is supplied into the sterilization chamber 10 through the steam outlet 255. When the temperature in the sterilization chamber 10 reaches the sterilization temperature by the supplied steam, sterilization is started and the sterilization temperature is controlled and sterilized until the sterilization time.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, or substitutions will be possible, and that these embodiments are within the scope of the present invention.

1, the weight detection sensor 13 is disposed inside the sterilization chamber 10. However, the weight detection sensor 13 may be disposed outside the sterilization chamber, The sensors 13 may be connected to each other by a rod. At this time, the rod passes through the through holes formed in the sterilizing chamber (10).

10: Sterilization chamber 11: Support
12: Heater 13: Weight sensor
15: second piping 16: second valve
17: Third piping 18: Check valve
20: sterilizing means feeding device 21: first piping
22: first valve 23: air injection valve
30: Vacuum pump 40: Condenser
41, 47: gas-liquid tank 412: gas outlet
413: liquid outlet 42: first line
43: second line 45: cooling device
46: cooling fan 48: drain
50: processing device 60: controller

Claims

A sterilization apparatus comprising a sterilization chamber, a sterilizing means supply device for supplying sterilization means to the sterilization chamber, and a vacuum pump connected to the sterilization chamber,
And a condensing device provided between the sterilizing chamber and the vacuum pump,
The condensing device includes:
A first line through which the gas discharged from the sterilizing chamber flows, one end connected to the sterilizing chamber and the other end opened;
A gas cooling unit for cooling the gas flowing in the first line to partially condense the gas,
A gas exhaust port connected to the vacuum pump for discharging the gas discharged from the other open end of the first line to form an internal space for accommodating the gas discharged from the other end of the first line and the liquid; And a valve disposed in a drain connected to the liquid discharge port and a liquid discharge port through which the liquid discharged from the other end of the first line is discharged.

The method according to claim 1,
The gas-
A second line disposed adjacent to the first line and having a temperature lower than that of the gas and circulating the refrigerant for heat exchange with the gas and a cooling device for cooling the refrigerant to supply the refrigerant to the second line Wherein the sterilizing device is a sterilizing device.

The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a weight detection sensor installed in the sterilization chamber and measuring the weight of the object to be sterilized in the sterilization chamber.

The method according to claim 1,
The sterilization means supply device comprises:
And a high-temperature steam generator arranged in the sterilizing chamber,
The high temperature steam generator includes a heat conduction plate, a heater installed in the heat conduction plate, a water supply line in the form of a coil, and a reservoir connected to an end of the water supply line and having a steam outlet,
Wherein the water flowing into the water supply line is converted into steam by heat generated by the heater and is supplied into the sterilization chamber through the steam outlet after being stored in the reservoir.

5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the steam outlet is provided with a valve for controlling steam discharge.

The method of claim 3,
Further comprising a controller for adjusting a sterilization parameter according to the type of the object to be processed and the weight of the object to be processed measured by the weight detection sensor.

The method according to claim 6,
The weight detection sensor is installed on the bottom surface of the sterilization chamber,
A wire connecting the weight sensor and the controller through the wall of the sterilization chamber,
Further comprising a gasket for maintaining a sealed state of a wall surface of the sterilizing chamber through which the lead wire passes.

The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the controller adjusts the sterilization parameter using a change in the weight value of the object to be processed measured in real time.

The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the liquid discharge port of the gas-liquid tank is provided with a flow rate sensor capable of measuring the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the opened end of the first line, and the flow rate sensor transmits the measured flow rate value to the controller Sterilization device.

The method according to claim 6,
Wherein when the object to be treated remains in the sterilization chamber even after completion of the sterilization, the controller operates the vacuum pump to maintain the dry state of the object to be sterilized.