Sacrificial Closures for Flexible Pouch Sterilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for sterilizing flexible pouches, such as chemical sterilization and ionizing radiation, face challenges like residue presence and complex logistics, which increase costs and complexity in maintaining sterility during transport and handling.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus using sacrificial closures applied to empty pouches for sterilization, allowing for efficient transportation and handling while maintaining sterility, utilizing a transport device to manage and stack pouches for collective sterilization by ionizing radiation, followed by application of a tamper-proof cap post-filling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If chemical sterilisation is performed using hydrogen peroxide, then sterilisation is achieved, but residues of the disinfecting agent remain in the dry container
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful chemical sterilisation process is extracted and replaced with physical sterilisation using ionising radiation (gamma rays or electron beams), which eliminates the need for chemical agents and their residues while maintaining sterilisation effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
Chemical sterilisation is replaced with physical sterilisation through ionising radiation, substituting a chemical-based system with a physical energy-based system that achieves sterilisation without leaving residues
2Reliability
If chemical sterilisation is performed, then sterilisation is achieved, but non-disinfected areas remain due to complex or irregular geometries of the pouch
Solution Approach 1:
Chemical sterilisation is replaced with ionising radiation sterilisation, which penetrates complex and irregular geometries effectively without requiring direct contact or flow through all surfaces, thus achieving complete sterilisation of pouches with complex shapes
3Reliability
If pouches are sent to specialized centres for sterilisation by ionising radiation, then sterilisation is achieved, but significant transport costs and complexity in managing pouches occur
Solution Approach 1:
The sterilisation function is merged with the filling operation by integrating an on-site sterilisation unit at the filling location, allowing pouches to be sterilised immediately before filling without requiring transport to external specialised centres, thus eliminating complex logistics and transport costs
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables efficient transportation and handling of a larger number of pouches while maintaining sterility, simplifies the logistics, and allows quick access to the pouch interior without unscrewing or separating the closure, reducing costs and complexity.
Implementation Method 1
sterilisation by ionising radiation, such as gamma rays or electron beams
Implementation Method 2
sterilisation by ionising radiation, such as gamma rays or electron beams
Implementation Method 3
sterilisation by ionising radiation, such as gamma rays or electron beams
Data Source
AI summary
A system of managing the sterilisation of empty flexible pouches (1) provides applying sacrificial closures (200) to the empty pouches, loading the empty provisional closed pouches to be sterilised on a transport device (300) for the collective transportation, performing the sterilisation of the transport device (300) carrying the empty provisional closed pouches, and finally separating, in a sterile chamber, the sacrificial closures (200) from the pouches, filling and applying a tamper-proof cap (100).