KR101848311B1

KR101848311B1 - Spraying Type Sterilization Apparatus And Method Using Complex Disinfectant Fluids and Plasma Jet

Info

Publication number: KR101848311B1
Application number: KR1020160049212A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 손희식
Original assignee: 주식회사 에스피텍
Priority date: 2016-04-22
Filing date: 2016-04-22
Publication date: 2018-04-12
Also published as: WO2017183781A1; KR20170120838A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sterilization apparatus and a sterilization method for increasing the efficiency of sterilization by promoting the generation of OH radicals by using a reaction between a drug such as hydrogen peroxide and ozone. The arrangement of the apparatus comprises; Carrier gas supply means (T1) for generating a plasma jet; Plasma power supply means (T2); A plasma jet generating means T3; And means (T5) for storing the liquid disinfecting agent (T4), the means (T5) for exposing the liquid disinfectant to the plasma to make liquid fine particles and spraying the liquid disinfectant with the carrier gas.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a disinfectant fluid sterilization apparatus and method using a plasma jet,

The present invention relates to a sterilization apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a sterilization apparatus and a sterilization method which increase the efficiency of sterilization by promoting the generation of OH radicals by using a reaction between a drug such as hydrogen peroxide and ozone.

In particular, the present invention relates to a method of using a sterilizing agent in the form of liquid (liquid) microparticles without using a disinfectant in the form of gas, and applying ozone and plasma in combination as needed.

Traditionally, sterilization or sterilization apparatuses use high temperature steam, and there are a method using ethylene oxide (ETO) gas, a method using ozone and water, a method using hydrogen peroxide vapor, and a method using hydrogen peroxide and plasma. In recent years, various attempts have been made to improve sterilization efficiency by various combinations of ozone, hydrogen peroxide, plasma, ultraviolet (UV), and photocatalyst (TiO ₂ ).

The supply of chemicals is largely supplied in the form of vapor, gas bubbler, and liquid (mist).

The high concentration of hydrogen peroxide is a toxic substance in handling, and direct contact between the sterilizing object and the plasma may cause electrostatic damage by electric field and surface damage by plasma. Ozone is involved only in the decomposition process of limited organic bonds, or is consumed in the oxidation reaction of metal, which is disadvantageous in that it takes a long time for the sterilization treatment.

As a sterilization method using hydrogen peroxide, there is a case of Shinan No. 20-0303495 registered in the Republic of Korea and hydrogen peroxide vapor above atmospheric pressure is used to increase sterilization efficiency.

On the other hand, there have been various attempts to sterilize ozone using the strong oxidizing power. Ozone has a higher oxidation-reduction level (2.07 eV) next to fluorine (F, 2.87 eV), hydroxyl group (OH, 2.85 eV) and is known to be a stronger oxidizer than hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ , 1.77 eV).

Documents using ozone include Korean Patent No. 10-0737210, US 2004/0161361 A1, JP 2005-211095A, JP 2008-104488A, JP 2005-211095A JP 2008-104488A, and the like. However, ozone has a disadvantage in that the sterilization reaction time is slow and the speed variation in the decomposition process is large depending on the type of organic matter.

Methods using hydrogen peroxide, ozone, and plasma include JP2006-204889. This technique is disadvantageous in that the object to be sterilized is directly affected by the plasma by generating plasma on the entire inside of the decompressed chamber.

Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2012-0028413 discloses a method of activating hydrogen peroxide by a low-temperature plasma with hydrogen peroxide in a gaseous state at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, and additionally introducing ozone at a separate inlet. However, this method is disadvantageous in that the hydrogen peroxide in the gaseous phase is decomposed while passing through the plasma to reduce the disinfection performance.

In Korean Patent No. 10-1250748, at the atmospheric pressure, the inlet for spraying the hydrogen peroxide water into the fine particles on the side of the closed container and the plasma generating the ozone and the OH radical are mounted on the other side at the same time, . At this time, the plasma is involved only in a part of the gas circulating inside the vessel, the amount of generated ozone is small, and hydrogen peroxide is activated and then moved.

The above-described technique is fundamentally a method using a sealed container, and the majority of them are characterized in that sterilization is performed under a reduced pressure at atmospheric pressure or lower.

As a method of sterilizing the exposed place rather than the airtight container, a method of spraying hydrogen peroxide or a sterilizing agent is mainly used. This method has the merit of simplifying the apparatus because it eliminates the closed container and the decompressing process of the closed container have. Representative examples of such a method include the documents of US 7008592 B2 and US 6969487 B1. Here, the disinfectant is sprayed with fine particles and then the microparticles are exposed to the activation energy to further activate the disinfectant to sterilize the entire exposed surface or space.

However, it is difficult to apply plasma because of the electric disturbance effect of liquid fine particles. Therefore, until now, the method of activating the liquid fine particles of the disinfectant by radicals or the like has been practiced by generating a high-voltage electric arc between the two sharp electrodes so that the liquid fine particles passing through the area are passed through this area. This method forms OH radicals when the fine particles pass through the arc discharge, but tends to be exhausted before reaching the surface of the object to be sterilized because the life span of OH radicals is short. Therefore, there is a disadvantage that sterilization effect can be generated if the injection speed is fast and must be maintained.

The method using ultraviolet rays is also effective, but ultraviolet energy is considered to be insufficient for activating the fine particles to be sprayed in a short time.

Therefore, in the present invention, a method of using a disinfectant and plasma in combination is used to sterilize a surface or a space exposed to the outside, in which a spraying or spraying process of a relatively simple disinfectant is used as a basic process and the sterilization efficiency is further increased I want to. More particularly, the present invention is characterized in that liquid fine particles of a sterilizing agent and ozone generated by plasma are used at the same time, and an activation reaction occurs after the sterilizing fluid reaches the surface of the sterilizing object. At this time, the ozone is supplied by the ozone generated when passing through the plasma.

Japanese Patent Publication JP2006-204889

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0028413

Korean Patent No. 10-1250748

US Patent Publication No. US 7008592 B2

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a disinfection and sterilization apparatus and a sterilization method which are excellent in sterilization power and simple in apparatus.

An object of the present invention is to provide: Carrier gas supply means (T1) for generating a plasma jet;

Plasma power supply means (T2);

The plasma jet generating means (T3)

A means (T4) for storing a liquid disinfectant,

And a means (T5) for exposing the liquid disinfectant to plasma and spraying the liquid sterilant with the carrier gas by making it into liquid fine particles.

According to an aspect of the present invention,

The spraying means T5 may be a spray nozzle 23 formed of a venturi tube 20 and the storage means T4 of the disinfectant may be connected to the disinfectant inlet 21 .

According to another aspect of the present invention,

The spraying means T5 may be a venturi tube, a spray nozzle, an ultrasonic particle generator, or a combination thereof.

According to still another aspect of the present invention,

The carrier gas may be air, oxygen, argon, nitrogen, helium, or any combination thereof.

According to still another aspect of the present invention,

The ultraviolet (UV) irradiation device may further be provided to irradiate ultraviolet rays (UV) to any one of the liquid disinfecting agent, the liquid disinfecting agent fine particles injected, the sterilizing object, or a combination thereof.

According to still another aspect of the present invention,

The power source for the plasma jet may be a voltage in the range of 0.2 to 25 kV and a frequency in the range of 0.5 to 50 kHz in the form of pulses or alternating currents.

According to still another aspect of the present invention,

The liquid disinfecting agent may be any one of hydrogen peroxide water, ozone-containing water, peracetic acid, hypochlorous acid, sodium percarbonate, glutaraldehyde, ethylenediamine-tetracetate, isopropyl alcohol or a combination thereof.

According to still another aspect of the present invention,

The hydrogen peroxide concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution may be 50% or less.

Another object of the present invention is to provide:

Charging a liquid disinfectant into the container (S1);

Supplying a carrier gas generating a plasma jet (S2);

Generating a plasma jet (S3);

Supplying and introducing the sterilizing agent (S4);

Mixing the plasma and disinfectant (S5);

(S6) spraying the liquid sterilization agent with the carrier gas into fine particles; (S7) the complex disinfectant fluid consisting of the liquid disinfectant and the carrier gas flying to reach the sterilizing object;

delete

(S8) sterilizing the complex disinfection fluid by causing a complex reaction,

Characterized in that the final disinfected complex disinfectant fluid comprises liquid disinfectant microparticles, ozone, and a carrier gas.

According to another aspect of the present invention,

The disinfectant is sprayed by a spray nozzle 23 formed of a venturi tube 20 and the storage means T4 of the disinfectant and the spray nozzle are connected to a sterilizing agent inlet 21, .

According to still another aspect of the present invention,

The disinfecting agent may be sprayed by a venturi tube, a spray nozzle, an ultrasonic particle generator, or a combination thereof.

According to still another aspect of the present invention,

An ultraviolet (UV) irradiation device may further be provided to irradiate ultraviolet rays (UV) to any one of the liquid disinfectant, the liquid disinfectant fine particles injected, the sterilizing object, or a combination thereof.

According to still another aspect of the present invention,

The power source for the plasma jet may be a voltage in the range of 0.2 to 25 kV and a frequency in the range of 0.5 to 50 kHz in the form of pulse or alternating current.

According to still another aspect of the present invention,

The liquid sterilization agent may be any one of hydrogen peroxide water, ozone water, peracetic acid, hypochlorous acid, sodium percarbonate, glutaraldehyde, ethy lenediamine-tetracetate, isopropyl alcohol or a combination thereof.

According to still another aspect of the present invention,

The above-described sterilization apparatus and method are simple in apparatus and excellent in sterilization efficiency as a result of complex reaction of sterilization agent and plasma. In particular, the device can be simplified by omitting the decompression system in sterilization, and the efficiency of sterilization can be increased through the generation of active species on the surface of the sterilized object, rather than after migration of the active species.

Therefore, the sterilization apparatus and method of the present invention can be easily applied to the sterilized object exposed to indoor and outdoor, and further applicable to the inside of the closed container, so that it can be easily applied to the sterilization of medical instruments and the like.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an activation process by a plasma jet according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a process of sterilization by the disinfectant (hydrogen peroxide) and ozone according to the present invention.
Fig. 3 shows an example of the apparatus configuration of the sterilization method of the disinfectant and the plasma jet according to the present invention.
4 is an embodiment of the plasma jet structure.
5 is a flow chart showing a sterilization process according to the present invention.

The present invention aims to efficiently utilize a complex reaction with plasma, disinfectant (hydrogen peroxide, etc.), ozone and water. The main purpose of plasma use is the generation of ozone and the liquid activation of liquid fine particles. Liquid disinfection chemicals, ozone, and activated liquids that constitute a complex disinfection fluid have a relatively long lifetime, so they reach the object to be sterilized without consuming the ingredients even after the spraying process, and cause a complex reaction to form radicals and the like.

The present invention is a system for allowing liquid fine particles and a carrier gas, which are sprayed when spraying a disinfectant, to pass through a plasma to convert oxygen in the carrier gas to ozone and to activate liquid fine particles. As a result, the carrier gas (including oxygen) present in the disinfection fluid is converted to the vapor ozone by the plasma, and the liquid is activated by the plasma for the liquid disinfecting drug microparticles. Liquid ozone, OH radicals and the like are formed in the liquid due to the activation of the liquid.

The various types of plasma devices and their characteristics and the amounts of ozone and active oxygen produced in the presence of oxygen are shown in Table 1. According to Table 1, it can be seen that active oxygen is mainly formed when a space discharge is generated under a reduced pressure (low pressure discharge). In addition, a conventional arc discharge or plasma torch is a high-temperature plasma generating a high temperature by applying a high voltage, and it is known that a large amount of active oxygen is mainly generated.

In the case of Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD), a large amount of ozone is generated, and plasma jet (Jet) shows a balanced generation of ozone and active oxygen.

Efforts to introduce sterilization chemicals or ozone and to increase the efficiency of sterilization using low-pressure discharge can be found in various publications. However, there are side effects such as complicated decompression device of the sealed container and direct contact of the sterilizing object with the plasma.

US Pat. No. 6,054,892 B2 discloses a method for exposing a mist to arc discharge after spraying a sterilizing agent mist to improve sterilization efficiency. However, due to the use of liquid mist, the plasma method other than arc discharge can not be applied due to the electric disturbance characteristic of the liquid. In addition, due to the nature of arc discharge, active oxygen and radicals are mainly formed, and active oxygen and radicals have a short life-span.

On the other hand, the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma generates a large amount of ozone and is mainly used for ozone generation. In the field of sterilization, it is used for the decomposition and activation of hydrogen peroxide when supplying hydrogen peroxide for the generation of ozone, for the activation of the circulating gas in the closed vessel or for the decomposition for preventing hydrogen peroxide and radical components from being polluted. However, it is disadvantageous that it is difficult to apply because the liquid disturbance occurs when the liquid fine particles pass through the DBD plasma in addition to the gas.

In the case of plasma jet, active research is being carried out, and it is advantageous that plasma can be moved from a generation site to a remote place.

In the field of sterilization, the application of plasma has focused on the generation of large amounts of active oxygen and OH radicals and sterilization. That is, it can be said that the active species is formed and then the active species is moved. However, the short life span of the active species has a disadvantage in the long-distance movement, and the active species must be continuously supplied.

According to Table 1, DBD discharge plasma or plasma jet is suitable for using ozone by plasma. In the present invention, a plasma jet is mainly used.

Since the plasma jet generates ozone and active oxygen to the same extent and can generate the plasma remotely, the electric discharge disturbance does not occur when the liquid fine particles pass through the plasma, so that the present invention can be applied to the present invention.

When a plasma jet is applied, as shown in Table 1, a large amount of gaseous ozone and active oxygen are generated, and when the liquid fine particles pass through the plasma, the liquid is activated and ozone and OH radicals are formed in the liquid. Some of the generated gaseous ozone also dissolves into the liquid. The phenomenon that occurs when oxygen and liquid fine particles pass through the plasma is shown in Fig. 1 as a conceptual diagram. In Fig. 1, ozone and radicals are formed not only in the gaseous ozone but also in the liquid fine particles by the action of the plasma.

When the hydrogen peroxide in the gas phase is exposed to the plasma, it decomposes into water, oxygen and hydrogen and is destroyed. Therefore, the sterilization method of supplying the hydrogen peroxide vapor through the plasma is questionable. In the case of the present invention, since the disinfectant such as hydrogen peroxide is used in the form of liquid fine particles, the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide can be prevented and the liquid disinfectant can easily reach the target.

In the present invention, the liquid disinfecting agent microparticles and the carrier gas are passed through a plasma to generate gaseous ozone, and the liquid fine particles are activated to form a complex disinfectant fluid. This complex disinfection fluid has a relatively stable disinfectant, ozone, and radicals. After reaching the object to be sterilized, the object is sterilized by the complex reaction.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the concentration of ozone in the complex disinfecting fluid of the liquid fine particles and ozone finally sprayed is not more than 15% based on the gas excluding the liquid. In addition, the complex disinfection fluid may be sterilized by spraying the sterilization object toward the sterilization target in the indoor or outdoor environment, or may be further provided with a closed space for isolating the sterilization target from the outside, and the sterilization object may be sterilized by spraying the sterilization fluid into the closed space.

Next, the role of ozone in the present invention will be described.

Hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, hypochlorous acid and the like are used as disinfection chemicals, which is a known technology. However, the method of spraying the disinfectant also takes a lot of time for sterilization. Especially, in the case of hydrogen peroxide, the sterilization effect of Gram-negative bacteria having a protective enzyme such as superoxide dismutase is small.

In the case of ozone, the ozone-only sterilization method or the ozone-and-steam sterilization method is also a known technique. Ozone is involved only in the decomposition process of limited organic bonds, or is consumed in the oxidation reaction of metals, which is disadvantageous in that it takes much time between sterilization treatments. Therefore, the present invention improves the efficiency by inducing the combined reaction of disinfectant such as hydrogen peroxide and ozone and water.

Hydrogen peroxide and ozone cause a peroxone reaction. The peroxone reaction is represented by the following formula, which produces OH radicals and the like.

H ₂ O ₂ + 2O ₃ -> 2OH ^* + 3O ₂

In the case of OH radicals, fluoride (F, 2.87 eV) is followed by a strong oxidizing action (2.85 eV), which reacts with almost all organic materials at a high rate and is effective for sterilization. However, since the survival life is short, the residence time is very short. Hydrogen peroxide has a stable lifetime unless triggered specifically by the reaction. In the present invention, in the case of ozone, it may be gaseous ozone or liquid ozone. The half-life of ozone differs depending on the temperature, but it is about 20 minutes to 12 hours, which is sufficient for practical application.

Further, since the present invention uses hydrogen peroxide water or the like, the disinfecting drug already contains water. When ozone coexists with water, the hydrolysis reaction of ozone takes place through various reaction paths, and OH radical and hydrogen peroxide are produced by using HO ₂ radical as an initiator.

In the present invention, ozone is gaseous or liquid, and since water is also present in a liquid state, since the object is vaporized and continuously supplied to the object, the sterilization reaction continues even after the spraying time.

In the present invention, a sterilizing agent is used as a main component of a disinfectant fluid such as disinfectant (hydrogen peroxide water, etc.), a complex disinfectant fluid containing ozone (gaseous or liquid) is formed using a plasma jet, Thereby increasing sterilization efficiency. A conceptual diagram of this process is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ozone may be a gas by plasma, or may be ozone dissolved in water. The mixed liquid and vapor disinfection fluid to be sprayed flows in an outer space of atmospheric pressure in the state of coexistence of ozone in gas or liquid state, hydrogen peroxide in liquid state, water in liquid state, air and carrier gas. During the flight of the complex disinfection fluid, some of the reaction of ozone, hydrogen peroxide, ozone and water vapor described above occurs, but most of the disinfectant fluid reaches the surface of the sterilizing object. Therefore, a complex reaction of hydrogen peroxide, ozone, and water occurs on the surface of the sterilized object to actively generate OH radicals, resulting in a sterilization reaction.

Also, when hydrogen peroxide is used as a disinfectant in the present invention, hydrogen peroxide and ozone are converted into water and oxygen after the sterilization is finished, so that the disinfectant is not left.

In the meantime, hydrogen peroxide is exemplified as a disinfectant for convenience, but hydrogen peroxide, ozone-containing water, peracetic acid, hypochlorous acid, sodium peroxocarbonate, glutaraldehyde, ethylenediaminetetraacetate, isopropyl alcohol, citric acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid, or a combination thereof may be used.

When the hydrogen peroxide solution is used as a disinfectant, the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution is preferably divided into 50%, 35%, 15%, 7.5%, 6%, or 3% Do.

The carrier gas used in the spraying and the carrier gas used in generating the plasma are preferably one of air, oxygen, argon, nitrogen, helium, or a combination thereof.

The means for spraying the liquid disinfectant with the carrier gas may be a venturi tube, a spray nozzle, an ultrasonic particle generator, etc. The size of the sprayed fine particles is preferably 1 to 50 microns.

Finally, the present invention will be compared with the prior art similar to the present invention in order to differentiate the present invention.

First, Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2012-0028413 discloses a method for increasing sterilization efficiency by using hydrogen peroxide, ozone, and plasma. In this patent, hydrogen peroxide (20-60%) is made into a gas and the gas is passed through a plasma to enter the container. At the same time, ozone is generated in a separate ozone generator, and the ozone is heated and activated to enter the vessel. In such devices, the plasma consumes, decomposes, and activates gaseous hydrogen peroxide as a raw material. Ozone is also consumed by heating to decompose and activate. Therefore, high concentration of hydrogen peroxide and a large amount of ozone are required.

The present invention does not require a sealed decompression state, uses liquid fine particles as a disinfectant, uses plasma to generate both vapor and liquid ozone and activates liquid, and is efficient at the same time, The fact that plasma does not decompose gaseous hydrogen peroxide, the liquid phase disinfecting agent microparticles and ozone are injected straight to the surface of the object to be sterilized, and OH radicals are generated by reaction of hydrogen peroxide with ozone and reaction with ozone and water after reaching the object surface This is a big difference from the patent.

On the other hand, Korean Patent No. 10-1250748 discloses a prior art for improving sterilization efficiency by using liquid disinfecting fine particles and ozone generated by plasma. In this patent, liquid hydrogen peroxide (5%) is injected into the fine particles and the mesh DBD plasma device is exposed to a part of the side of the vessel to generate ozone and OH radicals. This is similar to the present invention in that liquid fine particles of ozone and hydrogen peroxide are utilized. However, in this document, the plasma activates part of the gas circulating in the vessel passively and continuously, but converts a portion of the oxygen in the internal gas into ozone, so that the amount of ozone generated is small and the sterilizing action is not sufficient because the plasma decomposes hydrogen peroxide After activation, the sterilization action depends on the diffusion and migration of this active species.

The present invention uses a plasma jet, which is a remote plasma, not a DBD method, that converts inflow air or oxygen actively into ozone, the fact that plasma does not decompose and activate hydrogen peroxide using liquid fine particles, It differs from this patent in that the fine particles of medicine and ozone are injected straight to the surface of the object to be sterilized, and then OH radical is generated by reaction of hydrogen peroxide with ozone and reaction with ozone and water after reaching the object surface.

On the other hand, there is a prior art in which atomized liquid hydrogen peroxide fine particles are activated by arc discharge. In the case of US 7008592 B2, it was intended to increase sterilization efficiency by activating sprayed liquid disinfectant microparticles with electric energy or light energy. However, the activation method calls for AC, AC arc, DC, pulse DC, DC arc, electron beam, ion beam, microwave beam, RF beam and ultraviolet beam, but the concrete method is a high voltage AC arc or DC arc Only methods have been proposed. This patent does not deal with plasma, because it causes electrical disturbances when fine particles of liquid pass through the plasma region.

Therefore, until now, the method of activating the liquid fine particles of the disinfectant by radicals or the like has been practiced by generating a high-voltage electric arc between the two sharp electrodes so that the liquid fine particles passing through the area are passed through this area.

However, as shown in Table 1, in the case of arc discharge, since ozone is not generated but only active oxygen is generated, it is difficult to utilize the function of ozone and the life span of generated active species is short. The method using ultraviolet rays may also be considered, but it is judged that ultraviolet energy is insufficient to activate the sprayed fine particles in a short time.

In the present invention, it is possible to prevent the electrical disturbance of the liquid fine particles by using a plasma jet capable of generating remotely from the electrode of the plasma, and to allow plasma to pass through the liquid fine particles. The plasma jet causes simultaneous generation of ozone and reactive oxygen species, The balance of the fluid can be maintained. The difference in the present invention is that the injection device is simple using a venturi tube or the like.

Summarizing the features of the present invention, the present invention allows chemically stable, long half-life ozone to reach the sterilizing object while at the same time reaching the liquid disinfecting agent microparticles. Thereafter, active radical forming reaction is induced on the surface of the sterilized object, thereby maximizing sterilization efficiency. That is, the present invention is not a transfer method after the generation of active species, which is a conventional method, but a method of generating active species in the sterilized object after the disinfection component moves to the object as shown in FIG.

When the liquid fine particles were passed through the plasma, a remote plasma was introduced to stabilize the plasma electrically. When the complex disinfection fluid passes through the plasma, a large amount of gaseous ozone and active oxygen are generated, and a part of generated ozone is dissolved in the liquid fine particles. In addition, liquid activation of the liquid fine particles occurs due to the plasma action, and ozone in the liquid phase is generated in the fine particles, thereby further increasing the sterilization efficiency.

The present invention has a fundamental difference from the prior art through a deep understanding of the sterilization process, and it is considered that the present invention has technological advances such as application of a plasma jet, which is a remote plasma. That is, the principle differentiation in the present invention is not a movement method after the generation of active species such as OH radicals but a system in which OH radicals are generated by inducing activation by a complex reaction after the disinfectant and ozone reach the object to be sterilized, In other words, it is an active species generation method after movement. The technical difference is that plasma is directly applied to the liquid fine particles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Example of device configuration)

Fig. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the apparatus according to the present invention. First, a carrier gas supply device T1 is provided. The device may be a gas compressor. And at least one plasma jet apparatus T3 connected to the plasma power source T2. Figure 4 shows one embodiment of a plasma jet structure. The plasma jet is a plasma generating device in which a plasma is generated by lowering electricity to a plasma generating electrode and a carrier gas is passed through a plasma generating region to discharge a plasma from a generation site to a free space (external space) through a plasma discharge port 5 . The structure and generation principle of the plasma jet are well known techniques, and the plasma generation method includes the lightning rod electrode method and the DBD electrode method. In the present invention, the power source for driving the plasma jet uses a voltage in the range of 0.2 to 25 kV and a frequency in the range of 0.5 to 50 kHz in the form of pulse or alternating current.

Next, a sterilizing agent storage tank T4 is provided, and a microparticle generating and spraying apparatus T5 for supplying liquid disinfecting medicine (such as hydrogen peroxide solution) from the sterilizing agent storage tank T4 and spraying the liquid disinfecting agent is provided do. Although a venturi tube T5 is used in the present embodiment, a spray nozzle or a particle generator using ultrasonic waves may be used, or a combination thereof may be used.

The venturi tube (T5, 20) uses the phenomenon that the pressure change is caused by the speed difference of the fluid. When the gas is moved at a high speed in the venturi tube, pressure difference occurs and the liquid disinfectant (T4) ). The high velocity gas in the venturi tube is supplied by the carrier gas supply (T1). The disinfectant flowing into the venturi tube through the disinfectant inlet 21 enters the plasma jet region 10 and finally is injected through the injection nozzle 23 of the venturi tube. The injection amount of the disinfectant 30 and the size of the liquid fine particles 40 are determined by the supply pressure of the carrier gas, the inlet diameter of the venturi tube, the diameter of the interior of the venturi tube, the discharge diameter of the venturi tube, Or the like.

In the present invention, the function of the plasma jet is to generate a large amount of gaseous ozone and active oxygen when the complex disinfectant fluid passes through the plasma, and to activate the liquid fine particles by liquid activation. Finally, the composite disinfection fluid finally sprayed through the Venturi tube is composed of liquid disinfectant microparticles, vapor ozone, liquid ozone, active oxygen and carrier gas. In this case, the size of the liquid fine particles is preferably in the range of 1 micron to 50 microns, and the spraying speed and amount of the fine particles can be adjusted depending on the application.

(Example)

The sterilization apparatus was constructed in accordance with the above apparatus configuration example, and the process parameters used at this time are as follows.

The disinfection agent used was an aqueous solution of 10% hydrogen peroxide. The size of the sprayed liquid fine particles ranged from 5 to 25 μm and the spray amount was 500 cm ³ / hr. The plasma jet was applied with AC power of 10 kV, 30 kHz, and the pressure of the carrier gas was adjusted so that the plasma expanded to 1.5 cm from the plasma discharge port. The discharge port of the plasma discharge port, the discharge port of the venturi pipe, and the inlet port diameter of the disinfectant were respectively 2 mm.

The microorganism samples used in the sterilization test were BI (Biological Indicator). BI was commercially available, and 10 ⁶ inoculated strains of Geobacillus Stearothermophillus were placed on stainless steel at a distance of 30 cm from the spray outlet of the disinfectant. Thereafter, the sterilization apparatus was operated and a sterilization test was performed by spraying for 20 seconds in 1 second increments. Table 2 shows the spraying time when the BI was incubated at the elapsed time of 1 hour after spraying and no reaction was observed.

As shown in Table 2, Example 1 is a case in which hydrogen peroxide and plasma jet are applied as a case of the apparatus configuration example, and Example 2 is a case in which the operation of the plasma jet is stopped and only hydrogen peroxide is sprayed.

According to Table 2, the sterilization efficiency of Example 1 is about three times that of Example 2.

Sterilization ability division No Hydrogen peroxide plasma Sterilization time (sec) Remarks Example
One O Plasma jet 6 Device Configuration Example 2 O X 18

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described specific preferred embodiments, and any person skilled in the art can make various modifications without departing from the gist of the invention claimed in the claims. And such changes are within the scope of the claims.

T1 ...... Carrier gas supply T2 ...... Plasma power supply
T3 ...... Plasma jet generator T4 ...... Disinfection agent storage container
T5 ...... Liquid particle generation and spraying device
5 ...... Plasma discharge port 10 ...... Plasma
20 ...... Venturi tube 21 ...... Disinfectant inlet
23 ...... injection nozzle 30 ...... complex disinfection fluid
40 ...... liquid fine particles
S1 ...... Step of disinfecting medicine loading
S2 ...... Carrier gas supply step
S3 ...... Plasma jet generating step
S4 ...... Supply and disinfection of disinfection chemicals
S5 ...... Plasma and disinfectant mixing step
S6 ...... sterilization agent atomization and spraying step
S7 ...... Flight and Reach Phase
S8 Complex reaction and sterilization step

Claims

Carrier gas supply means (T1) for generating a plasma jet;
Plasma power supply means (T2);
The plasma jet generating means (T3)
A means (T4) for storing a liquid disinfectant,
And a means (T5) for exposing the liquid disinfecting agent to plasma to make liquid fine particles and spraying the liquid disinfectant with the carrier gas.

The method according to claim 1,
The spraying means T5 is a spray nozzle 23 formed by a venturi tube 20 and the storage means T4 of the sterilizing agent and the spray nozzle are connected to the sterilizing agent inlet 21 Wherein the sterilizing device is a sterilizing device.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the spraying means T5 is any one of a venturi tube, a spray nozzle, an ultrasonic particle generator, or a combination thereof.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the carrier gas is any one of air, oxygen, argon, nitrogen, helium, or a combination thereof.

The method according to claim 1,
Characterized in that an ultraviolet (UV) irradiating device is further provided to emit ultraviolet rays (UV) to any one of the liquid disinfecting agent, the liquid disinfecting agent fine particles injected, the sterilizing object, or a combination thereof.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the power source for the plasma jet is a pulse or alternating current with a voltage in the range of 0.2 to 25 kV and a frequency in the range of 0.5 to 50 kHz.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the liquid disinfectant is one of hydrogen peroxide water, ozone-containing water, peracetic acid, hypochlorous acid, sodium percarbonate, glutaraldehyde, ethyl enediamine-tetracetate, isopropyl alcohol or a combination thereof. Fluid spray sterilization apparatus.

8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the hydrogen peroxide concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution is 50% or less.

Charging a liquid disinfectant into the container (S1);
Supplying a carrier gas generating a plasma jet (S2);
Generating a plasma jet (S3);
Supplying and introducing the sterilizing agent (S4);
Mixing the plasma and disinfectant (S5);
(S6) spraying the liquid sterilization agent with the carrier gas into fine particles;
(S7) the complex disinfectant fluid consisting of the liquid disinfectant and the carrier gas flying to reach the sterilizing object;
(S8) sterilizing the complex disinfection fluid by causing a complex reaction,
Characterized in that the final disinfection composite disinfection fluid comprises liquid disinfectant microparticles, ozone, and carrier gas.

10. The method of claim 9,
The disinfectant spraying means comprises a spray nozzle 23 formed of a venturi tube 20 and the storage means T4 of the sterilizing agent and the spray nozzle are connected to a sterilizing agent inlet 21, Wherein the sterilization method comprises the steps of:

10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the spraying of the sterilizing agent is performed by a venturi tube, a spray nozzle, an ultrasonic particle generator, or a combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the carrier gas is one of air, oxygen, argon, nitrogen, helium, or a combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 9,
Characterized in that the apparatus further comprises an ultraviolet (UV) irradiating device and is irradiated with ultraviolet rays (UV) on any one of the liquid disinfecting agent, the liquid disinfecting agent fine particles injected, the sterilizing object, or a combination thereof .

10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the power source for the plasma jet is a pulsed or alternating current with a voltage in the range of 0.2 to 25 kV and a frequency in the range of 0.5 to 50 kHz.

10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the liquid disinfectant is one of hydrogen peroxide water, ozone-containing water, peracetic acid, hypochlorous acid, sodium percarbonate, glutaraldehyde, ethyl enediamine-tetracetate, isopropyl alcohol or a combination thereof. Fluid spray sterilization method.

16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein the hydrogen peroxide concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution is 50% or less.