This article was written by Suzanne Rowe Barrett
What you’ll find in a hospital sterilization room can only be compared to a room full of extremely large pressure cookers.
Autoclaves work in a similar way to a pressure cooker, but they’re typically used in a more extreme form of cooking: to blast the bacteria on things with steam long enough to sterilize them. The extra pressure in an autoclave means that water boils at a temperature higher than its normal boiling point—roughly 20°C hotter—so it holds and carries more heat and kills germs more effectively.
Autoclaving is a bit like cooking, safety is all-important. Since you’re using high-pressure, high-temperature steam, you must be especially careful when you open an autoclave that there is no sudden release of pressure that could cause a steam accident. Similarly, the exterior of the autoclave should be properly insulated. ThermaXX insulation jackets are custom and allow for the many “cut outs” that will be required to make the jacket fit properly.
When we are called in to a hospital to spot the energy and safety opportunities, the autoclave room is always at the top of our list. Insulation jackets provide thermal savings and reduce ambient temperature. Gas companies offer custom gas incentives for insulation upgrades so strike while the autoclave is hot and give us a call today! We will provide you with the ROI information you will need to get the funding to proceed.
Contact us today to learn more!
