Sterilization Apparatus Using Vacuum Wrapper and Plasma Purification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional chemical sterilizers using hydrogen peroxide face inefficiencies due to sterilant absorption in permeable films, leading to prolonged sterilization times and safety concerns from residual sterilants, and require additional purification processes.
Innovation Solution
A sterilization method employing an impermeable film vacuum wrapper with a vacuum container, where hydrogen peroxide is directly injected and expanded to ensure sterilant diffusion, and plasma discharge is used for purification, eliminating the need for external purification and enhancing safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a selectively permeable film (e.g., TIVEK) is used to wrap the target article, then the sterilant can pass through the film during sterilization, but the sterilant is partially absorbed in the film leading to loss of sterilant and reduced sterilization efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sterilant supply function from the external environment and places it inside the pouch cavity. The sterilant is directly injected into the sealed pouch, eliminating the need for sterilant to pass through the pouch film. This removes the film absorption issue entirely while maintaining sterilization effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The pouch cavity acts as an intermediary space that contains the sterilant in direct contact with the target article. By introducing this intermediate chamber, the sterilant is isolated from the external environment and the pouch film, preventing absorption while ensuring adequate sterilization exposure.
2Temperature
If a conventional chemical sterilizer uses vacuum pumping and heated-air injection for heating, then the sterilization chamber can be heated to process temperature, but the convection-based heating process has low heat transfer efficiency and requires sufficiently increased process time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical convection-based heating system with a plasma heating system. Plasma generates heat through electromagnetic energy and ion collisions, providing direct and efficient heating to the target article and pouch contents, significantly reducing the heating time compared to convection methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes plasma, which involves phase transitions of gas into an ionized state, to achieve heating. The plasma state allows for highly efficient energy transfer and rapid heating of the sterilization chamber contents, overcoming the limitations of conventional convection heating.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If vacuum pumping and aeration processes are used for purification after sterilization, then residual sterilant can be removed from the sterilization chamber, but the indirect purification process has low efficiency and requires long purification time to ensure user safety
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical vacuum pumping and aeration purification systems with plasma discharge purification. Plasma effectively decomposes and neutralizes residual sterilant through chemical reactions, providing rapid and thorough purification without the time-consuming mechanical processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs plasma discharge, involving transition of gas to plasma state, to purify residual sterilant. The high-energy plasma environment facilitates rapid decomposition and neutralization of harmful substances, achieving efficient purification in significantly reduced time compared to conventional methods.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the sterilization chamber is heated to process temperature using convection, then thermal equilibrium can be reached, but the low heat transfer efficiency requires the sterilization chamber and target article to be held at process temperature for sufficiently increased time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes convection heating with plasma heating to achieve thermal equilibrium. Plasma provides intense and uniform heating that rapidly brings the sterilization chamber and target article to the required process temperature, eliminating the need for prolonged holding time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes plasma phase transition to achieve rapid and uniform heating. The plasma state enables efficient energy transfer throughout the sterilization chamber, quickly establishing thermal equilibrium and maintaining it for the required duration with significantly reduced total process time.
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 method significantly reduces sterilization time, minimizes sterilant usage, and maintains a sterile state for longer, ensuring user safety by eliminating residual sterilant exposure and simplifying the purification process.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum pump for evacuating the vacuum container
Implementation Method 2
the sterilant supplied is vaporized at a low temperature of 60° C. or lower
Implementation Method 3
raising the temperature of the sterilization chamber to a process temperature
Implementation Method 4
gaseous sterilant to pass through a wrapping film in the sterilization chamber and reach a target object
Implementation Method 5
plasma discharge processes may be performed as the purification process
Data Source
AI summary
A sterilization method may include loading a vacuum wrapper containing and sealing a target object in a vacuum container, evacuating the vacuum container and the vacuum wrapper, injecting a sterilant into the vacuum wrapper, which is disposed in the vacuum container and is maintained at a vacuum state, and venting the vacuum container to allow it to have an atmospheric pressure.