Rules for working with a medical autoclave. The principle of operation of a home autoclave: instructions for use. There are two main modes of autoclaving

To make canned food tasty, choose only fresh and high-quality products. Rinse glass jars, fill them with prescription products and seal tightly with metal lids. Autoclave jars do not need to be pre-sterilized.

Loading jars into the autoclave

Place the closed jars on the rack at the bottom of the autoclave. You can install jars in the autoclave in several layers. The next row of jars can be placed directly on the lids of the previous row.

If the autoclave is equipped with special clamping cassettes, the jars are installed in them according to the instructions that come with the device.

Attention! Important! Only jars of the same type with the same lids should be placed in one layer!

Then pour cold water into the autoclave so that the free space up to the top edge of the device is approximately 3-4 cm.

Preservation in an autoclave

Close the cover of the device, make sure that the sealing ring is present. Close the lid. To ensure that the cover does not warp to the side, and it lies flat, tighten the nuts crosswise.

If the autoclave is supplied without cassettes that compensate for the pressure difference in the jars and the apparatus, pump air into the tank with a pump through the “nipple” until the pressure gauge shows 1 atm with an automobile or any other pump. The creation of pressure in the autoclave up to 1 atm is necessary to preserve the integrity of the cans, since when heated, a difference in pressure is formed in the autoclave itself and inside the cans, and to check the tightness of the connection between the lid and the body.

If the autoclave is supplied with special pressure cassettes, pre-pumping is not necessary.

Turn on the heat. As it heats up, the pressure in the device will increase, which we need - 0.4 MPa, it corresponds to 120 ° C. When the autoclave is heated to the desired temperature, the jars must be kept in this mode for the recommended time for canned products. For example, for meat, it is about an hour, canned vegetables in an autoclave will be ready after 20 minutes of sterilization at the same temperature, pickled mushrooms must be cooked for 40-50 minutes at a temperature of at least 110 degrees.

Completion of sterilization

After the required time has elapsed, gradually reduce the pressure, gradually reducing the heat until the heat source is completely turned off. Allow the unit to cool down to a temperature of no more than 30°C, then slowly release the pressure with the nipple. Do not allow sudden heating and cooling, a sharp release and increase in pressure - the cans may open.

Before opening the lid, check the pressure relief valve to make sure that the pressure in the autoclave and outside is equal. If nothing happened, you can safely open the lid.

Canned food is ready!

Open the lid and remove the jars. One bookmark and bringing canned food to cooking takes 3-3.5 hours. As a rule, experienced people do this in the afternoon and by the evening they turn off the autoclave and then leave it to cool in this position until the morning.

As the sun rises, you can take out ready-made jars, which will then be a wonderful delicacy to your table!

After you have studied the instructions for using the autoclave, you can start cooking dishes, including: fish and meat stews, vegetable preparations, homemade pickles, jams and marmalades.

Sterilization modes

Autoclaving is understood as the treatment of instruments, linen, chemical glassware and appliances, and other materials with hot steam at elevated pressure. Under these conditions, all bacteria and viruses die quite quickly, in less than an hour.

Autoclaving is a narrower term than sterilization. Sterilization also implies the destruction of all pathogenic microorganisms, but different methods can be chosen, including autoclaving. In addition, it happens:
chemical sterilization (with various chemical reagents, for example, ethyl alcohol, gases, hydrogen peroxide, iodine compounds, chloramine, etc.);
ultraviolet sterilization, for example, using bactericidal irradiators, Ambilife air disinfection units;
ultrasonic sterilization;
processing by infrared radiation;
sterilization in dry ovens (air sterilizers).

Autoclaving is performed using special devices - autoclaves. Autoclaves differ in size, design, purpose. In laboratories and medical institutions, they are used for sterilization. Industrial enterprises use autoclaves to produce dyes, herbicides, rubber products, building materials, carbon fibers, metals, food, and much more. Household autoclaves for canning at home are also produced.

The principle of operation of the autoclave is based on the fact that at normal pressure water boils at +100 °C. With further heat supply, the water temperature does not rise, but intensive vaporization begins. If the vessel is hermetically sealed, then the vapor pressure begins to rise. The temperature of water and steam also starts to rise. In a balanced system, the evaporation process stops, and the resulting hot steam easily penetrates the cells of microorganisms, killing them.

Hot steam also kills spores. To increase the disinfecting effect, many models of autoclaves are equipped with a system for removing air and oxygen contained in it. The fact is that oxygen can contribute to the protection of some bacteria. In contrast, steam in an evacuated autoclave has greater penetrating power.

Autoclaves come in different designs, sizes, degrees of automation, but they all consist of:
an outer casing capable of withstanding high pressure;
caps with built-in pressure gauge and valve to reduce excess pressure;
chambers with water that generates steam (equipped with a tap for draining residual water after work is completed);
chamber for sterilized materials and equipment, into which steam is supplied under pressure.

The heat supply can be either external, for example, from a gas or electric stove, or built-in (electric heaters).

Working with an autoclave involves certain risks. An autoclave left unattended can explode. This is why autoclaving should only be carried out by specially trained personnel.

The autoclaving process begins with the lid of the instrument with sterilized objects placed in it, hermetically close and close all taps, except for the air outlet valve. Water is poured into the water chamber and the heaters are turned on. They wait for the moment when the chamber with the material to be sterilized is filled with steam, which begins to displace air. The pressure is raised to 1 atmosphere and waiting for the complete release of air. After that, the pressure is adjusted (according to the readings of the manometer) to the desired value, and from this moment the countdown of the sterilization time begins.

After sterilization is completed, the heaters are first turned off, then the tap is opened and steam is released. Only after the pressure gauge shows the value "0", the cover can be opened. All materials from the autoclave are immediately unloaded - you cannot leave them there! The water from the chamber is drained and the autoclave is left to dry.

There are two main modes of autoclaving:

1. More rigid with a temperature of +132 ° C and a pressure of 2 atmospheres. Sterilization time 20 minutes. In this mode, dressings, glass, porcelain and stainless steel dishes, corrosion-resistant instruments, glass syringes, needles, tweezers, etc. are sterilized; underwear, overalls.
2. Gentle with a temperature of +120 ° C and a pressure of 1.1 atmospheres. Time - 45 min. This is how plastic products (polypropylene, high-density polyethylene, polystyrene), rubber, latex are sterilized.
In medical institutions and biological laboratories, the operation of the autoclave is periodically checked. To do this, during the next cycle of operation of the device, ampoules with benzoic acid are placed inside (it becomes purple when heated to +120 ° C) or with urea (melts at +132 ° C). For a more accurate analysis, test tubes with saprophytes and their spores are placed in the autoclave, and then in the laboratory they check whether they survived the procedure.

A household autoclave has long become an indispensable kitchen attribute for many zealous owners who prefer to cook a variety of meat and fish snacks, compotes and juices at home. This unique machine allows you to easily, quickly and safely process large volumes of food at one time. Another important advantage of this method of preservation is that all ingredients retain their useful and nutritious properties.

Varieties of autoclaves

Currently, home autoclaves of three modifications can be found on sale: electric, heated on a gas stove and combined, which provide for the possibility of both modes of operation. In addition, the models differ in functionality, volume and power, which allows each consumer to choose the right option for themselves. The price of an autoclave, depending on its technical features, can vary from 25,000 to 45,000 rubles.

Once upon a time, the preparation of canned food in an autoclave was considered a rather risky occupation due to the high explosiveness of old models of such units. But modern products are completely safe, as they have in their design multi-stage protection mechanisms, special locks, safety valves to prevent excessive pressure build-up and automatic shutdown systems.

Effective destruction of harmful organisms

Back in the 19th century, microbiologists proved that the death of vegetative forms of microorganisms present in food products occurs when they are cooked for an hour at a temperature of 60 ° C. This process was called pasteurization, but it had one serious drawback - at this temperature, spore forms of microbes and bacteria were not destroyed. Complete neutralization could only be ensured by sterilization of products under high-temperature conditions. But even in a liquid boiling at 100°C, some dangerous organisms, such as botulism bacteria, survived. Therefore, it was necessary to find a solution to increase the processing temperature.

Experimentally, it was found that if pressure is created inside the container, the boiling point will rise above 120 ° C. Thus, the first sterilizer prototypes were developed.

The household canning autoclave also functions. It eliminates harmful microorganisms by 100%. At the same time, no other devices (multi-cookers, pressure cookers and other devices) have such efficiency. The autoclave method of preparing canned food allows not only to make them completely safe, but also to be stored for a very long time.

Design

The autoclave is a hermetically sealed vessel of mostly cylindrical shape, equipped with a lid. All structural elements are made of durable metal. The cover of the device is equipped with a manometer designed to control pressure, a thermometer and a fitting for pumping in and bleeding air.

All models of devices are characterized by a fairly simple principle of operation. They provide fast heating and, when loaded, for the time required for the preparation of canned food, they operate at constant temperature (approximately 120 ° C) and pressure (approximately 4.5 atm.)

Electric models are fully automated. Some of them are equipped with an electronic control unit. Please note that if you want to purchase an automated autoclave, its price will be much higher than that of simple gas modifications.

The principle of operation of the autoclave system

In a leaky container, such as a saucepan, it is impossible to heat water more than its boiling point. That is, when reaching 100 ° C, the liquid ceases to heat up. This happens due to its intensive evaporation during the heating process. With a long boil, water from a liquid state turns into a completely gaseous state - steam.

Home autoclaves have a sealed design, inside which a certain pressure is created by means of water vapor. The higher the temperature of the liquid, the stronger the evaporation and, consequently, the greater the pressure in the system. A modern household autoclave, regardless of modification, provides fractional evacuation, that is, oxygen is removed in several cycles, due to which the latent heat generated during the pressure increase is characterized by a huge penetrating force that destroys spores of microorganisms.

Due to the increased temperature, cooking in an autoclave is much faster than by cooking in the usual way. For example, it takes only 1 minute to stew fresh cabbage, 5 minutes for green beans, and about 20 minutes for a whole 3-kilogram chicken. Due to rapid cooking under pressure, a household autoclave allows you to save all the taste and vitamin value of the products.

Operating rules

Despite the design features of different models, they all work according to the same scheme. The instructions for the home autoclave contain data on technical characteristics (internal volume, dimensions, weight, operating pressure and temperature), as well as operating requirements that must be observed. In general, the algorithm for using these devices is as follows:

1. Preparation of jars of the appropriate volume (0.5 or 1 l).
2. Filling the container with the necessary ingredients (there are various recipes for the autoclave).
3. Sealing filled cans with metal lids (in order to avoid swelling and tearing off the lids, the products should not reach the edge of the neck by 2-3 cm).
4. Laying a dense fabric lining or a wooden lattice on the bottom of the autoclave (to protect the cans, it is recommended to lay a fabric between their walls).
5. Loading containers into a household autoclave in several "floors".
6. Pour water into the tank of the unit to the level specified in the instructions.
7. Closing the autoclave and creating an initial pressure using a pump (it is necessary to make sure that the installation is closed hermetically and air does not poison anywhere).
8. Heating the device until the required pressure is created (the instruction manual should contain a table of the dependence of temperature indicators on pressure).
9. Cooking (Recipes for autoclaving usually include cooking times for canned pork, beef, chicken, rabbit, fish, various game species, and vegetables.)
10. Smooth decrease in pressure after the required time has elapsed (heating is reduced gradually until the heat source is completely turned off).
11. Cooling down of the plant.
12. Slow release of pressure in the apparatus by lightly pressing the spool.
13. Opening the autoclave and removing the finished preservation.

It should be noted that with sudden heating and cooling, pressure release and increase, there is a risk of spontaneous opening of cans, so all transitions must be performed smoothly. In addition, it is strictly forbidden to leave the working autoclave unattended, as it is necessary to constantly monitor the pressure.

Choosing the optimal model

When choosing an apparatus, one should be guided by the operating conditions and the number of cans with a volume of 0.5 or 1 l, which can be loaded at a time. For example, if it is planned to preserve small batches of products, then it is not advisable to buy a 46-liter unit, since it is quite possible to get by with a compact and inexpensive gas model of 20-25 liters.

When buying, be sure to ask about the availability of a quality certificate and manufacturer's warranty.

Sterilization modes

These indicators are determined by the configuration of the apparatus, heating methods, heat transfer characteristics and other criteria. The optimal modes of preparation of certain products are often selected experimentally, focusing on prescription recommendations.

Benefits of using autoclaves

This is high quality and safety of home canning products. Quick and easy preparation. Extended shelf life of finished products.

Instrument sterilization is a necessity in the medical field and cosmetology. For this, special equipment is used. Autoclaves are the most common. They can have different performance, design, technical features.
In cosmetology and medicine, three types of autoclaves are used:

• columned;
• horizontal;
• vertical.

Each device is equipped with a heat exchanger (external or internal), a special mixing device. The latter can be mechanical, electromagnetic, pneumatic. Maintenance and repair of the autoclave is carried out by the master, taking into account its design and technical features.

Features of the use and repair of autoclaves

There are certain requirements for sterilization equipment. First of all, it must be serviceable and efficient. Autoclaves are used in areas where the sterility of the instrument means a lot. Accordingly, the condition of sterilization equipment must be carefully monitored.

Maintenance and repair of autoclaves should be carried out as planned. During maintenance, specialized specialists assess the condition of sterilization equipment, reveal hidden defects in parts, and diagnose the performance of components. If necessary, worn elements are replaced with new ones. Scheduled component repairs are also carried out.

Autoclave repair is a task for professionals

Maintenance, modernization, restoration of sterilization equipment must be carried out by specialists of the appropriate profile. The work is carried out both at the facility using equipment in Moscow or another city with the departure of the master, and at the service center.

Diagnostics, examination, autoclave repair require special equipment and tools, certain knowledge and skills. It is necessary to trust the performance of diagnostic and repair work to professionals.

Engineers and technical specialists of Glory Med Service will perform the entire range of necessary service work with a guarantee of the quality of the result. We service autoclaves of all common brands and models. Cooperation with clients is carried out on contractual terms.

We also perform testing, commissioning of sterilization equipment during the modernization of the material and technical base in a medical institution, a cosmetology room.

Question answer

Question #260

Sanzhiev Aldar Nikolaevich asked a question on the topic: autoclave repair

Good afternoon, please tell me how much it will cost to repair an autoclave in the city of Tomsk? along with all the costs? We need to carry out diagnostics, disassembly, repair of pressure gauge, maintenance of control valve, repair of emergency valve, cleaning of expansion barrel, cleaning of hydraulic pipes, assembly of autoclave, and test operation of autoclave. Can I please throw off the Commercial offer, to pay for your services, to settle the price with the authorities?

Question #260 answered GloriMedEstetik Sergey Nikolaevich, Leading Engineer

Good afternoon. We have a service center only in Moscow. You can send it to us for diagnosis and repair. The exact price can be said only after the diagnosis.

Maxim continued the question on the topic: autoclave repair

Sterilization by boiling.

Sterilization by boiling is carried out in a sterilizer. Distilled water is poured into the sterilizer, as tap water forms scale. (Glass objects are immersed in cold, metal objects in hot water with the addition of sodium bicarbonate). Sterilized items are boiled over low heat for 30-60 minutes. The beginning of sterilization is considered the moment of boiling water in the sterilizer. At the end of boiling, the instruments are taken with sterile tweezers, which are boiled along with the rest of the items.

Dry heat sterilization.

Sterilization by dry heat is carried out in a Pasteur oven. The material prepared for sterilization is placed on the shelves so that it does not come into contact with the walls. The closet is closed and after that the heating is turned on. The duration of sterilization at a temperature of 150°C is 2 hours, at 165°C - 1 hour, at 180°C - 40 minutes, at 200°C - 10-15 minutes (at 170°C paper and cotton wool turn yellow, and at a higher temperature charred). The beginning of sterilization is the moment when the temperature in the oven reaches the desired height. At the end of the sterilization period, the oven is turned off, but the cabinet doors are not opened until completely cooled, since the cold air entering the cabinet can cause cracks on hot dishes.

Steam sterilization under pressure.

Steam sterilization under pressure is carried out in an autoclave. The autoclave consists of two boilers inserted one into the other, a casing and a cover. The outer boiler is called a water-steam chamber, the inner one is called a sterilization chamber. Steam is produced in a steam boiler. The material to be sterilized is placed in the inner cauldron. There are small holes in the upper part of the sterilization kettle through which steam from the steam chamber passes. The lid of the autoclave is hermetically screwed to the casing. In addition to the listed main parts, the autoclave has a number of parts that regulate its operation: a pressure gauge, a water gauge glass, a safety valve, exhaust, air and condensate cocks. The pressure gauge is used to determine the pressure that is created in the sterilization chamber. Normal atmospheric pressure (760 mm Hg. Art.) is taken as zero, therefore, in an idle autoclave, the pressure gauge needle is at zero. There is a certain relationship between the pressure gauge readings and temperature (Table 1).

The red line on the gauge scale indicates the maximum working pressure that is allowed in the autoclave. The safety valve serves to protect against excessive pressure buildup. It is set to a predetermined pressure, that is, the pressure at which sterilization is to be carried out, when the pressure gauge arrow goes beyond the line, the autoclave valve automatically opens and releases excess steam, thereby slowing down the further rise in pressure.

On the side wall of the autoclave there is a gauge glass showing the water level in the steam boiler. On the tube of the water gauge glass, two horizontal lines are applied - the lower and the upper, indicating, respectively, the permissible lower and upper water levels in the water-steam chamber. The air valve is designed to remove air from the sterilization and water-steam chambers at the beginning of sterilization, since air, being a poor heat conductor, violates the sterilization regime. At the bottom of the autoclave there is a condensation cock to release the sterilization chamber from the condensate formed during the heating of the sterilized material.

Autoclave rules.

Before starting work, inspect the autoclave and instrumentation. In autoclaves with automatic steam control, the arrows on the electrovacuum manometer of the water vapor chamber are set in accordance with the sterilization mode: the lower arrow is set to 0.1 atm. lower, upper - by 0.1 atm. above the working pressure, the water-steam chamber is filled with water up to the upper mark of the measuring glass. During the period of filling with water, the valve on the pipe through which steam enters the chamber is kept open for the free exit of air from the boiler. The sterilization chamber of the autoclave is loaded with the material to be sterilized. After that, the lid (or door) of the autoclave is closed, tightly fastened with a central lock or bolts; to avoid distortion, the bolts are screwed crosswise (in diameter). Then the heating source (electric current, steam) is turned on by closing the valve on the pipe connecting the steam source to the sterilization chamber. With the onset of vaporization and the creation of pressure in the water-steam chamber, purge is performed (air is removed from the sterilization boiler). The method of removing air is determined by the design of the autoclave. At first, the air comes out in separate portions, then a smooth continuous jet of steam appears, indicating that the air has been completely expelled from the sterilization chamber. After removing the air, the valve is closed, and a gradual increase in pressure begins in the sterilization chamber.

The beginning of sterilization is the moment when the pressure gauge indicates the set pressure. After that, the heating intensity is reduced so that the pressure in the autoclave remains at the same level for the required time. At the end of the sterilization time, heating is stopped. Close the valve in the pipeline supplying steam to the sterilization chamber and open the valve on the condensate (downward) pipe to reduce the steam pressure in the chamber. After the pressure gauge needle drops to zero, slowly loosen the clamping devices and open the lid of the autoclave.

The temperature and duration of sterilization are determined by the quality of the material to be sterilized and the properties of those microorganisms with which it is infected.

Temperature control in the sterilization chamber is carried out periodically using bacteriological tests. Biotests are produced by the bacteriological laboratories of the Central Epidemiological Service. If these tests fail, the technical condition of the autoclave is checked.