JP2003135573A - Exhaust gas processor for ethylene oxide gas sterilizer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve optimum detoxification process operation without power losses according to the operating condition of an EOG (ethylene oxide gas) sterilizer by easily and surely detecting the operating condition of the EOG sterilizer without remodeling an existing EOG sterilizer. SOLUTION: A current measuring instrument 27 is inserted in a power cord 3 of the EOG sterilizer 1 and the amount of current detected by the instrument is used to detect whether the EOG sterilizer 1 is performing a sterilization process or an aeration process. In response to a detection signal thereof, detoxification operation of an exhaust gas processor 2 is controlled to automatically turn on and off.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to harmful EOG-containing exhaust gas discharged from an EOG sterilizer for sterilizing medical instruments, clothes, bedding and the like with ethylene oxide gas (hereinafter referred to as EOG). Is introduced, for example, by oxidative decomposition of EOG by a catalytic reaction, absorption reaction in dilute sulfuric acid solution, adsorption by an adsorbent such as activated carbon, and detoxification treatment and release to the atmosphere. EOG
The present invention relates to an exhaust gas treatment device for a sterilizer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art If EOG-containing exhaust gas discharged from an EOG sterilizer is released into the atmosphere without being treated, it becomes a factor of air pollution, which is not preferable for environmental hygiene. So EOG
A means for connecting an exhaust gas treatment device to a sterilizer, introducing harmful EOG-containing exhaust gas discharged from the EOG sterilizer into the exhaust gas treatment device, and detoxifying it by a catalytic reaction or the like has been generally adopted conventionally.

By the way, the EOG sterilizer and the exhaust gas treatment device are separate devices, and when these devices are connected and used, generally, a power switch is turned on for starting and ending the operation of the EOG sterilizer. The operation control system has been adopted in which the power switch of the exhaust gas treatment device is manually turned on and off in accordance with the turning off.

[0004]

However, in the case of the conventional operation control method as described above, not only is the operation operation troublesome, but also forgetting to turn on the power switch at the start of the operation of the EOG sterilizer. Due to this, the EOG-containing exhaust gas discharged from the EOG sterilizer and introduced cannot be detoxified as prescribed, and harmful EOG may be released to the atmosphere. In addition, the operation of the exhaust gas treatment device may be unnecessarily continued due to forgetting to turn off the power switch at the end of the operation of the EOG sterilizer, resulting in excessive power consumption loss. Moreover, since the start time of the aeration process operation of the EOG sterilizer is not known at all, the exhaust gas treatment device must always be operated at the maximum treatment capacity from the stage when the power switch is turned on, and the operation becomes redundant accordingly. However, there is a problem that the power consumption is further increased and the size of the entire device is easily increased.

Further, a communication means is provided between the EOG sterilizer and the exhaust gas treatment device, and information on the operating state of the EOG sterilizer side is transmitted to the exhaust gas treatment device side so that the exhaust gas treatment device can be connected to the EOG sterilizer.
Although it may be possible to operate the OG sterilizer appropriately according to the operating condition, there is a problem that it cannot be applied to the existing EOG sterilizer that does not have such communication means or control function.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the operating state of an EOG sterilizer can be detected easily and surely without modifying the existing EOG sterilizer.
An object of the present invention is to provide an exhaust gas treatment device for an EOG sterilizer, which is capable of performing a detoxification treatment operation that is optimum and has no power loss according to the operating state of the sterilizer.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, an exhaust gas treating apparatus for an EOG sterilizer according to the present invention introduces EOG in a vacuum state of the chamber and raises the temperature in the chamber to a set temperature. In addition, the sterilization process operation for maintaining the set temperature for a predetermined time is performed, and the EOG-containing exhaust gas in the chamber is discharged at the end of the sterilization process operation, and clean air is introduced into the chamber from the outside to replace the air. EO for detoxifying by introducing EOG-containing exhaust gas discharged from an EOG sterilizer configured to perform a series of aeration process operations for discharging exhaust gas in the chamber after air replacement
An exhaust gas treatment device for a G sterilizer, which is provided with means for detecting an operating state of the EOG sterilizer by monitoring the amount of current flowing through the power supply line of the EOG sterilizer or the control power line of each part. In response, a means for automatically controlling the operation of the exhaust gas treatment device is provided.

According to the present invention having the above structure, the EOG
When the power switch of the sterilizer is turned on or off, the amount of current flowing through the power line or the control power line of each part changes. When the operating state of the EOG sterilizer is detected by monitoring this amount of electric current, and the exhaust gas treatment device responds to the detection signal in accordance with the operating state of the EOG sterilizer, that is, when the EOG sterilizer starts operating. Is automatically started, and is automatically stopped when the EOG sterilizer ends its operation. Therefore, it is possible to automatically control the operation of the exhaust gas treatment device at the optimum timing according to the operating state of the EOG sterilizer by simply performing a simple operation such as turning on and off the power switch of the EOG sterilizer. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a defective situation in which EOG is released to the atmosphere without being treated, and to minimize the loss of power consumption due to the wasteful operation of the exhaust gas treatment device and reduce the running cost. In addition, existing EOGs that do not have communication means or exhaust gas emission control functions
Even a sterilizer can be applied easily and inexpensively with almost no modification.

As an automatic operation control means in the exhaust gas treatment apparatus for an EOG sterilizer having the above structure, as described in claim 2, it responds to a detection signal based on the monitoring of the current amount at the start and end of the operation of the EOG sterilizer. First control means for turning on and off the power switch of the exhaust gas treatment device, and EO
A second control means for turning on and off the detoxification treatment operation of the exhaust gas treatment device in response to a detection signal based on monitoring the amount of current at the start and stop of the aeration process operation of the G sterilizer By using the EOG sterilizer, the concentration of the EOG sterilizer in the operating state is high and harmful.
The exhaust gas treatment device is detoxified only during the period from the start of the aeration process operation in which the exhaust gas containing is discharged until it is stopped, and the power switch is turned on in the standby state during the other sterilization process operations. It is possible to stop unnecessary operation by this, and thereby, although the detoxification process can be performed as specified, it is possible to reduce power consumption as much as possible and reduce running cost.

In particular, as described in claim 3, by using the control means set to exert the maximum processing capacity at the first discharge of the EOG-containing exhaust gas in the aeration process operation of the EOG sterilizer, It is not necessary to always operate the exhaust gas treatment device with the maximum treatment capacity, and while performing the detoxification treatment that ensures the maximum treatment capacity only when the exhaust gas containing the highest concentration of EOG is introduced into the device, Power consumption can be saved to the maximum.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall schematic configuration diagram of an EOG sterilizer and an exhaust gas treatment device according to the present invention.
The OG sterilizer 1 and the exhaust gas treatment device 2 are independent devices and have separate power cords 3 and 4 with plugs, respectively, and exhaust the EOG-containing exhaust gas discharged from the EOG sterilizer 1 into exhaust gas. The EOG sterilizer 1 and the exhaust gas treatment device 2 are connected via an exhaust gas pipe 5 so as to be introduced into the treatment device 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the EOG sterilizer 1 includes a chamber 6 for containing an object to be sterilized, a vacuum pump 7 for exhausting air and EOG-containing exhaust gas in the chamber 6, and an air and Solenoid valve 8 for controlling the flow of EOG-containing exhaust gas, the state of discharging air to the outside, and EOG
A three-way valve 9 capable of switching the exhaust gas contained therein to the exhaust gas pipe 5 and raising the temperature in the chamber 6 to a set temperature optimum for sterilization, and maintaining the set temperature for a predetermined time. Heater 10 and a filter 11 for introducing fresh air FA from the outside into the chamber 6 for air replacement and an air introduction line 13 with an on-off valve 12.
And an on-off valve 14 for introducing EOG gas into the chamber 6.
It is equipped with an attached gas introduction line 15 and a pressure sensor 16 for monitoring the pressure in the chamber 6, and the power cord 3 can be turned on and off.
And a sequencer 18 for automatically controlling the movable elements such as the vacuum pump 7, the solenoid valve 8, the three-way valve 9, the heater 10, the opening / closing valves 12 and 14 in a preset order in a time series.
Are electrically connected.

In the EOG sterilizer 1 having the above-described structure, when the power switch 17 is turned on in a state where the object to be sterilized is accommodated in the chamber 6, first the vacuum pump 7 is operated and the air in the chamber 6 is set by the pressure sensor 16. It is discharged to the outside through the solenoid valve 8 and the three-way valve 9 until the pressure is reached. Next, the opening / closing valve 14 is opened to introduce a predetermined amount of EOG from the gas introduction line 15 into the chamber 6, and then the heater 10
Is activated to raise the temperature inside the chamber 6 to the optimum temperature for sterilization, and the temperature is maintained for a predetermined time to perform the sterilization process operation for the object to be sterilized.

When the above-mentioned sterilization step operation is completed, the vacuum pump 7 is operated and the EOG-containing exhaust gas in the chamber 6 is discharged to the exhaust gas pipe 5 through the electromagnetic valve 8 and the three-way valve 9.
Then, after the pressure inside the chamber 6 is reduced to a constant pressure,
The open / close valve 12 is opened and the fresh air FA is filtered by the filter 1.
1 and the air introduction line 13 are introduced into the chamber 6 to perform air replacement, and after this air replacement, the vacuum pump 7 is restarted to cause the EOG-containing exhaust gas in the chamber 6 to operate the solenoid valve 8 and the three-way valve 9. Aeration process operation for gradually reducing the residual EOG concentration is performed by repeating the air replacement and the exhaust gas discharge a plurality of times such as being discharged to the exhaust gas pipe 5 after that.

The series of sterilization operation steps and aeration step operations are automatically controlled in a time series by a preset order by the operation of the sequencer 18. In addition,
The time required to repeat each operation of the aeration process is generally 5 to 10 minutes. In addition, the aeration process operation is performed by continuously supplying fresh air FA in the chamber 6.
In some cases, the EOG-containing exhaust gas is set to be discharged to the exhaust gas pipe 5 while introducing the exhaust gas and performing continuous air replacement.

On the other hand, as the exhaust gas treatment device 2 for introducing the EOG-containing exhaust gas discharged from the EOG sterilizer 1 into the exhaust gas pipe 5 to detoxify it, a catalyst type device for oxidizing and decomposing EOG by a catalytic reaction or EOG is used. There are a solution absorption system for absorbing and reacting dilute sulfuric acid with a dilute sulfuric acid solution, and an adsorption system for adsorbing EOG on an adsorbent such as activated carbon. Here, an example using a catalyst type exhaust gas treatment apparatus 2 will be described. .

The catalyst type exhaust gas treating apparatus 2 is shown in FIG.
As clearly shown in FIG. 2, a catalytic reactor 19 containing a catalyst for oxidative decomposition of EOG, and a heater 2 for heating to raise the temperature of the reaction catalyst of the catalytic reactor 19 to a predetermined temperature.
0, an air introduction line 22 with an on-off valve 21 that introduces combustion air BA to the upstream side of the catalytic reactor 19, and an exhaust pipe 24 with an exhaust pump 23 that releases the detoxified exhaust gas VG to the atmosphere. In addition to being equipped, the power cord 4 is provided with a power switch 25 that can be turned on and off and movable elements such as the heater 20, the on-off valve 21, and the exhaust pump 23, which are automatically set in time series in a preset order. A sequencer 26 for controlling operation is electrically connected.

The catalyst type exhaust gas treatment apparatus 2 having the above structure is
EOG discharged from the EOG sterilizer 1 into the exhaust gas pipe 5
At the same time that the contained exhaust gas is introduced into the catalytic reactor 19, the opening / closing valve 21 of the air introduction line 22 is opened to introduce the combustion air BA into the catalytic reactor 19, and at this time, the catalyst is supplied via the heater 20 to the catalyst. By raising the temperature to the reaction start temperature, EOG in the exhaust gas reacts with oxygen in the combustion air VA in the catalytic reactor 19 and decomposes into harmless carbon dioxide and water. The decomposed harmless exhaust gas VG is discharged to the atmosphere through the exhaust pipe 24 as the exhaust pump 23 operates. The series of detoxification processing operations are automatically controlled in time series in a preset order by the function of the sequencer 26.

In the device in which the EOG sterilizer 1 and the exhaust gas treatment device 2 are connected through the exhaust gas pipe 5 as described above, a power switch is provided in the middle of the power cord 3 which is the power line of the EOG sterilizer 1. By monitoring the amount of current flowing through the power cord 3 when the switch 17 is turned on, E
A current measuring device 27 such as a CT capable of detecting the operating state of the OG sterilizer 1 is interposed, and a signal line 28 for transmitting a detection signal from the current measuring device 27 to a power switch 25 of the exhaust gas treatment device 2 is provided. Thus, the power switch 25 is turned on and off in response to the detection signals at the time of starting and stopping the operation of the EOG sterilizer 1 to automatically control the operation of the exhaust gas treatment device 2.

Specifically, the automatic operation control means of the exhaust gas treatment device 2 is, when the power switch 17 on the EOG sterilizer 1 side is manually turned on or off, as shown in the timing chart of FIG. The amount of current flowing in the power cord 3 (hereinafter referred to as the first set current value A1) is detected by the current measuring device 27, and the detection signal is transmitted to the power switch 25 on the exhaust gas treatment device 2 side via the signal line 28, and the power source is supplied. The first control function of automatically turning on or off the switch 25 and the power cord 3 when the EOG sterilizer 1 is transferred to the aeration process operation described above by the action of the sequencer 18 or when the aeration operation process is completed. Current amount (hereinafter referred to as the second set current value A2)
Is detected by the current measuring device 27, and the detection signal is transmitted to the signal line 28 and the power switch 25 on the side of the exhaust gas treatment device 2 so that the sequencer 26 starts operating and the exhaust gas treatment device 2
And a second control function for automatically turning on or off a predetermined detoxification operation by the.

Next, the operation of a series of devices including the EOG sterilizer 1 and the exhaust gas treatment device 2 having the above-mentioned configuration will be briefly described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. EOG
When the power switch 17 of the sterilizer 1 is turned on (step S31), the EOG sterilizer 1 starts the sterilization process operation by the function of the sequencer 18 (step S32).
The amount of current flowing through the power cord 3 during this sterilization process operation is detected by the current measuring device 27, and the detected amount of current A
Is determined to be equal to or greater than the first set current amount A1 (step S33), and based on the determination result of A ≧ A1,
The detection signal is transmitted to the power switch 25 on the exhaust gas treatment device 2 side via the signal line 28, the power switch 25 is turned on, and the exhaust gas treatment device 2 enters a standby state in which it can operate (step S34).

Next, the EOG sterilizer 1 finishes the sterilization process operation and shifts to the aeration process operation. At this time, the detected current amount A by the current measuring device 27 for detecting the amount of current flowing through the power cord 3 is 2 It is determined whether the set current amount A2 or more is reached (step S35), and based on the determination result of A ≧ A2, the detection signal is transmitted to the power switch 25 on the exhaust gas treatment device 2 side via the signal line 28 and the sequencer. By starting the operation of 26, a predetermined detoxification operation by the exhaust gas treatment device 2 is automatically started (step S3).
6).

Then, when the EOG sterilizer 1 finishes the predetermined aeration operation process (step S37), it is determined whether the detected current amount A is less than the second set current amount A2 (step S38). Based on the determination result of A <A2, the detection signal passes through the signal line 28 and the exhaust gas treatment device 2
When the sequencer 26 is transmitted to the power switch 25 on the side and the operation of the sequencer 26 is stopped, the predetermined harmless operation by the exhaust gas treatment device 2 is automatically stopped (step S39). Then, when the power switch 17 of the EOG sterilizer 1 is turned off (step S40), it is determined whether the detected current amount A is less than the first set current amount A1 (step S4).
1), based on the determination result of A <A1, the detection signal is transmitted to the power switch 25 on the exhaust gas treatment device 2 side via the signal line 28, the power switch 25 is turned off, and the operation of the exhaust gas treatment device 2 is automatically performed. Stop (step S4)
2).

As described above, by simply performing the simple operation such as turning on / off the power switch 17 on the EOG sterilizer 1 side, the exhaust gas treatment device 2 is automatically operated at the optimum timing according to the operating state of the EOG sterilizer 1. It is possible to control the operation of the exhaust gas, prevent the occurrence of a bad situation in which EOG is released to the atmosphere without being processed, and make the exhaust gas treatment device 2 redundant even after the operation of the EOG sterilizer 1 is completed. It is possible to minimize the loss of power consumption due to continuous operation and reduce the running cost.

In the above embodiment, the exhaust gas treatment device 2 is of the catalytic type, but in addition to this,
It goes without saying that a solution absorption method in which EOG is absorbed and reacted in a dilute sulfuric acid solution or an adsorption method in which EOG is adsorbed on an adsorbent such as activated carbon may be used.

Further, in the above embodiment, the exhaust gas treating apparatus 2 has been described so as to be operated with the maximum treatment capacity during the entire period of the aeration process operation of the EOG sterilizer 1. However, the EOG sterilizer is described. Containing the highest concentration of EOG by controlling the operation of the exhaust gas treatment device 2 using the control means set so that the exhaust gas treatment device 2 exerts the maximum treatment capacity at the time of discharging the first exhaust gas containing EOG in the aeration process operation of 1. It is possible to maximize the processing capacity and perform the detoxification processing reliably only when the exhaust gas that is generated is introduced into the device 2, while maximizing the power consumption.

Further, in the above embodiment, the current measuring device 27 is provided in the power cord 3 constituting the power line, but the movable elements such as the vacuum pump 7, the electromagnetic valve 8 and the heater 10 in the EOG sterilizer 1 are provided. One or a plurality of current measuring devices may be provided in the control power line for monitoring the amount of current flowing through each movable element.

[0028]

In summary, according to the present invention, the EOG is
Simply by turning on / off the power switch of the sterilizer, the operating state of the EOG sterilizer can be reliably detected, and the exhaust gas treatment device can be automatically operated at the optimum timing according to the detected operating state. Since the operation can be controlled, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a defective situation in which EOG is left unprocessed and is released to the atmosphere due to forgetting to turn on the power switch, and the exhaust gas treatment device can be operated unnecessarily due to forgetting to turn on the power switch. It is possible to minimize the loss of consumed power and significantly reduce the running cost. Moreover, even an existing EOG sterilizer having no communication means or exhaust gas emission control function can be easily and inexpensively applied with almost no modification.

In particular, by adopting the configurations of claims 2 and 3, it is possible to maximize the power consumption while performing a detoxifying process with certainty.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an entire series of devices including an EOG sterilizer and an exhaust gas treatment device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of a main part of the same apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing an operation control timing in the same apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation sequence in the same apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 EOG sterilizer 2 Exhaust gas treatment equipment 3,4 power cord 6 chambers 17,25 power switch 27 Current meter

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A sterilization process operation in which a chamber is evacuated to introduce ethylene oxide gas, the temperature in the chamber is raised to a set temperature, and the set temperature is maintained for a predetermined time; Upon completion, exhaust gas containing ethylene oxide gas in the chamber is discharged, clean air is introduced into the chamber from the outside to replace the air, and the exhaust gas in the chamber after air replacement is discharged. Is an exhaust gas treatment apparatus for an ethylene oxide gas sterilizer, which introduces an exhaust gas containing ethylene oxide gas discharged from an ethylene oxide gas sterilizer configured to perform a detoxification treatment, and is a power supply line of the gas sterilizer. Or, means for detecting the operating state of the gas sterilizer by monitoring the amount of current flowing through the control power line of each part, Ethylene oxide gas sterilization dexterity air pollution control apparatus, characterized in that it is provided with means for automatically controlling the operation of the exhaust gas treatment device in response to the detection signal of the detection means. 2. The power supply switch of the exhaust gas treatment device is responsive to a detection signal based on the monitoring of the amount of current at the start and end of the operation of the ethylene oxide gas sterilizer, as the operation automatic control means of the exhaust gas treatment device. First control means to turn on and off, and to turn on and off the detoxification treatment operation of the exhaust gas treatment device in response to a detection signal based on monitoring the current amount at the start and stop of the aeration process operation of the ethylene oxide gas sterilizer The exhaust gas treatment device for an ethylene oxide gas sterilizer according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. The second control means in the automatic operation control means of the exhaust gas treatment device exerts the maximum processing capacity at the first discharge of the exhaust gas containing ethylene oxide gas in the aeration process operation of the ethylene oxide gas sterilizer. The exhaust gas treatment device for an ethylene oxide gas sterilizer according to claim 2, which is set to.