3 Performance specifications
11
Program sequences
A program runs in three main phases: the air removal and heating up phase, the sterilization phase and
the drying phase. After program start, you can follow the program run on the display. It shows the chamber
temperature and pressure as well as the time until the end of sterilization / drying.
Program phases of a standard sterilization program
Program phase
Description
1. Air removal and heating
up phase
Air removal
The air removal phase comprises of the conditioning and the fractionating
phase. During conditioning, steam is repeatedly injected into and removed
from the sterilization chamber. This generates over-pressure and the
residual air is removed. Then, during fractionation, the mixture of air and
steam is evacuated from the sterilization chamber and steam is injected.
This procedure is also called the fractionated vacuum procedure.
Heating
The continued steam injection into the sterilization chamber leads to an
increase in pressure and temperature which continues until the program-
specific sterilization parameters have been reached.
2. Sterilization phase
Sterilizing
If the pressure and temperature correspond to the program-dependent
nominal values, the sterilization phase begins. The corresponding process
parameters (pressure and temperature) are held at sterilization level. The
sterilization time (holding time) is indicated on the display.
3. Drying phase
Pressure release
The sterilization phase is followed by pressure release from the sterilization
chamber.
Drying
The sterile material is dried using a vacuum (vacuum drying).
Ventilation
Upon program end, the sterilization chamber is filled with sterile air via the air
filter and adjusted to the ambient pressure. A corresponding display
message Ventilation is shown.
Program phases of the vacuum test
Program phase
Description
1. Evacuation phase
The sterilization chamber is evacuated until the pressure for the vacuum test
has been reached.
2. Equilibration time
An equilibration time of 5 min will follow.
3. Measurement time
The measuring time is 10 min. The pressure increase within the sterilization
chamber is measured during the measurement time. The evacuation
pressure and the equilibration time or measurement time are shown on the
display.
4. Ventilation
The chamber is ventilated after the end of the measuring time.
5. Test end
The display shows the test result, the batch number, the total number of
batches and the leakage rate.
