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Residual Air in the Steam Sterilization of Textiles with Pre‐Vacuum
Author(s) -
Henry P. S. H.,
Scott E.
Publication year - 1963
Publication title -
journal of applied bacteriology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 0021-8847
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1963.tb04773.x
Subject(s) - autoclave , sterilization (economics) , moisture , boiling , pulp and paper industry , materials science , air space , environmental science , waste management , composite material , engineering , metallurgy , physics , business , thermodynamics , finance , exchange rate , foreign exchange market , aerospace engineering
S ummary : An account is given of difficulty in sterilizing small loads of cotton materials in an autoclave that is efficient with large loads. The effect cannot be due to original air left in the package since the amount of this would not be greater for small loads than for large. Nor would residual air in the free space of the autoclave interfere unless it entered the package with the steam. The extent to which this takes place is discussed and several ways for reducing it are proposed. ‘Boiling out’ of moisture from the cotton in the later stages of evacuation would help, but the conclusion is reached that this does not occur with many existing pre‐vacuum autoclaves when the cotton is enclosed in drums, and only to a limited extent with bare cotton‐wrapped packages. It can be induced by more effective pumping, but this is more expensive than the other remedies proposed.