A laboratory Autoclave has a steam sterilization function. The laboratory autoclave kills bacteria, viruses, spores, and fungi. It uses steam under pressure to kill these substances on the item kept inside the vessel. These items in the vessel get heated at a suitable sterilization temperature for some time to kill the fungi, bacteria, spores, and viruses. In the steam sterilization method, the moisture present in the steam transfers the heat to the objects to destroy the bacteria by killing the bacteria’s protein structure.
Essential components of a laboratory autoclave
The laboratory autoclave consists of the following components:
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Vessel
The vessel is considered the central part of the Laboratory Autoclave, consisting of an inner chamber and an outer jacket. The laboratory autoclaves are built with a jacketed chamber consisting of steam that helps reduce the time for the sterilization process compared to other autoclaves and condensation inside the chamber.
Eventually, this helps to lessen the wet steam and wet packs, which are harmful for good sterilization; it is considered superior to partial jacketed ones. The inner jacket of the vessel is designed using 316L stainless steel and nickel clad, and the outer jacket is designed of 316L to 304L stainless steel or carbon steel.
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Control system
The laboratory autoclaves have a control system; these control systems are more sophisticated than household appliances. The sterilization process in a laboratory autoclave follows a step-by-step process, like a software formula that opens and closes the valves, etc., sequenced. All the laboratory autoclaves need a control system built into them. It can be simple as a push button or sophisticated or complex as a logic controller device with a color touch screen.
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Thermostatic trap
The laboratory autoclaves have a thermostatic trap or a steam trap designed to release air and water from the chamber. The different laboratory autoclaves may use different types of surprises, but they perform all the essential functions, such as removing condensate to prevent the passage of dry steam. These steam traps are often the temperature-sensitive that closes the valves when the heated part reaches a certain set point. The thermostatic traps are a dangerous component of a laboratory autoclave.
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Waste-water cooling mechanism
The waste-water cooling mechanism in a laboratory autoclave is built to cool the steam before sending it to the drainage pipe. However, passing the air, moisture, and condensate directly to the drainpipe above 1400F can harm the drainage pipes.
The simple method to cool the condensate, steam, or air is to mix it with the cold tap water. But this may require more water, which can cause AutoclaveAutoclave to the building’s water usage, which may be a significant contributor. That’s why laboratory autoclaves are designed in a way that they help to reduce or eradicate the consumption of water.
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Safety valve
The laboratory autoclaves are designed with safety valves to prevent a user from danger. In addition, all the laboratory autoclaves work under an elevated pressure of around 14-45 pound-force per square inch gauge; these are built with several features for the user’s safety.
Among these safety features, the safety valve is the final fail-safe device; this is used when all the pressure vessel’s electronic controls fail. These safety valves need to be inspected, verified, and tested to work correctly according to the recommendations of the sterilizer. The insurance and local inspection agencies should try these.
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Vacuum system
While sterilizing items in an autoclave, the air inside the chamber needed to be replaced by the steam. However, the most commonly sterilized goods, particularly the porous material, including cloths, animal bedding, or containers with small openings, such as goods or flasks in the bags, are left with the air pockets.
If these air pockets are present during the sterilizing process, the microorganisms can survive within these pockets. The items will not get adequately sterilized to prevent this; many laboratory autoclave sterilizers may include a built-in vacuum system that forcibly removes the air before the cycle.
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Steam generator
There is a special house boiler in the center of every Autoclave, the primary source of steam. Whenever the house steam is not sufficient for the sterilization process, the amount of steam can be fixed using the electric steam generator, also known as a boiler. The boiler is embedded underneath the autoclave chamber, using electric heating elements and heats the water to generate steam.
These are some of the key components used in a laboratory autoclave. You can go through each of the basic structures and work to use them more effectively.
