Jan 2012
T190 Iss.2
Page 29 of 38
The sterilise cycle consists of 3 distinct phases. They are:
•
Heat up.
During the heat up phase, maximum power is applied to the heating elements. CO
2
control is disabled to
protect the sensor and the door locks are activated.
•
2 hour dwell.
The dwell phase starts once the chamber temperature reaches 200°C.
Heater power is automatically reduced to regulate the temperature at 200°C.
•
Cool down.
After 2 hours at 200°C power is removed from the heaters and the cooling phase begins. The chamber is
allowed to cool naturally. When the chamber temperature reaches 38°C the door locks are deactivated and
CO
2
control is enabled.
The time taken for a full sterilisation cycle is dependent on the cool down phase.
As cooling relies on the heat loss through the chamber walls the time taken is affected by the
location of the incubator and the ambient temperature.
So, an incubator placed under a worktop will take longer to cool than a freestanding incubator on a
worktop.
We recommend that you carry out the sterilise cycle at the end of a working day. That way, when you
return to work in the morning the incubator will be ready for you to use.
This sterilise cycle graph shows a typical start to finish duration of 8 hours:
2 hour dwell
Heat up
1 hour 20min
Cool down to 38°C
4 hour 40min