WO2018124339A1 - Sterilizing device and method for measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration of sterilizing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sterilizing device and a method for measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration of the sterilizing device, the sterilizing device comprising a sterilizing chamber, wherein the sterilizing chamber comprises a first humidity sensor located in a certain area therein and a second humidify sensor located adjacently to the first humidity sensor, and the first humidity sensor detects a first relative humidity by using the amount of hydrogen peroxide and the amount of vapor, and the second humidity sensor detects a second relative humidity by using the amount of vapor. Since the first humidity sensor and the second humidity sensor are included in the sterilizing chamber, relative humidity is measured by each of the sensors, and the concentration of hydrogen peroxide can be easily measured by a difference in the relative humidity.

Description

Sterilization apparatus and hydrogen peroxide concentration measurement method of the sterilization apparatus

The present invention relates to a sterilization apparatus and a method for measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration of the sterilization apparatus, and more particularly, a sterilization apparatus capable of accurately detecting the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in hydrogen peroxide by a simple method and the measurement of hydrogen peroxide concentration of the sterilization apparatus. It is about a method.

Medical instruments are usually sterilized by high pressure steam sterilization using saturated steam under high pressure, or by ethylene oxide gas sterilization using chemicals such as ethylene oxide that does not damage heat-affected instruments or materials.

However, since the high pressure steam sterilizer sterilizes at a high temperature of more than 120 degrees, medical instruments made of synthetic resins that have been recently developed are deformed, and medical instruments made of steel are dulled with fine blades, which are much shorter than the conventional lifespan. . In particular, high-pressure steam sterilization may be an unsuitable sterilization method because expensive medical devices, instruments, and devices that are increasing due to the development of the latest surgical technology may be damaged during sterilization reprocessing because they are sensitive to heat or moisture.

Although the ethylene oxide gas sterilizer can minimize the damage to the device, it can be sterilized at low temperature, but the ethylene oxide remains in the sterilized product or the reaction product may cause carcinogenic and toxic substances to be generated. Time is required. In addition, ethylene oxide gas itself is a high explosion risk, it has been reported that it can act as a genetic toxic substance that can cause mutations, and it is prescribed as a carcinogen, which requires much attention to its use.

On the other hand, the sterilization method using hydrogen peroxide steam is a short sterilization time within 30 to 60 minutes at a temperature of 40 to 50 degrees, and the substances discharged to the atmosphere after sterilization are harmless to humans or the environment, so the disadvantages of the high pressure steam sterilizer and ethylene oxide gas Various disadvantages of the sterilizer can be compensated for.

However, the hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution used to generate the hydrogen peroxide vapor makes it difficult to sufficiently diffuse hydrogen peroxide by evaporating and diffusing water before hydrogen peroxide during the vaporization process. This is because water is evaporated more quickly because of the higher vapor pressure than hydrogen peroxide, and because the molecular weight of water is lower than hydrogen peroxide, water vapor diffuses more rapidly into the gas phase than hydrogen peroxide vapor.

 Because of this property, when the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution is evaporated in the space surrounding the product to be sterilized, the water reaches the product to be sterilized at a higher concentration than the hydrogen peroxide.

Water vapor diffuses more quickly into diffusion-limiting spaces, such as smaller crevices or long narrow lumens, to suppress the permeation of hydrogen peroxide vapor. In other words, water reaches the sterilized product before hydrogen peroxide, so that sterilization is not performed properly.

In order to effectively sterilize, it is preferable to use a more concentrated aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution, but when the concentration of the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution is 60% by weight or more, it is practically difficult to handle such as transportation and storage.

For this reason, it is common to use a hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution having a handleable concentration of 60 wt% or less through each step of concentration, for example, to a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution of 95 wt% or more and use it as a sterilizing agent. It can improve sterilization effect.

At this time, in concentrating the hydrogen peroxide water to a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide water to use as a sterilizing agent, it is not easy to measure the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the sterilization chamber of the sterilization apparatus.

In particular, since a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide gas easily condenses, a means for directly measuring the concentration is not common, and the gas concentration is usually measured by an absorption bottle method.

In this case, however, there has been a problem that it is not possible to grasp the gas concentration change in a short time or to be a means for continuously monitoring the gas concentration.

In many cases, as a means of continuously monitoring the gas quality of the sterilizing apparatus, it is necessary to monitor the supply status (temperature, quantity, pressure, etc.) of the hot air for generating gas and the hydrogen peroxide water in combination, and to judge the quality of the gas. In general, however, these methods are also complex and lack reliability.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is that the present invention was developed in order to solve the above problems, it is possible to accurately detect the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the hydrogen peroxide by a simple method, avoiding the enlargement or complexity of the sterilization apparatus It is to provide a sterilization apparatus and a method for measuring the hydrogen peroxide concentration of the sterilization apparatus.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects which are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a sterilization apparatus including a sterilization chamber, the sterilization chamber, the first humidity sensor and a second humidity located adjacent to the first humidity sensor located in a predetermined region inside And a sensor, wherein the first humidity sensor detects the first relative humidity by the amount of hydrogen peroxide and the amount of water vapor, and the second humidity sensor detects the second relative humidity by the amount of water vapor. to provide.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the first humidity sensor is a humidity sensor of a moisture absorption method, a humidity sensor of a saturation method or a humidity sensor of an absorption method, and the second humidity sensor is a humidity sensor of a spectroscopic method. It provides a sterilization apparatus.

The present invention also provides a sterilization apparatus for calculating the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide by calculating a difference between the first relative humidity detected by the first humidity sensor and the second relative humidity detected by the second humidity sensor. do.

In addition, the present invention comprises the steps of detecting the first relative humidity by the first humidity sensor; Detecting a second relative humidity by a second humidity sensor; Deriving a difference value between the first relative humidity and the second relative humidity; And it provides a hydrogen peroxide concentration measuring method comprising the step of calculating the concentration of hydrogen peroxide through the difference value.

The present invention also provides a method for measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration in which the first humidity sensor determines relative humidity by the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide, and the second humidity sensor determines the relative humidity by the amount of water vapor.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the first humidity sensor is a humidity sensor of a moisture absorption method, a humidity sensor of a saturation method or a humidity sensor of an absorption method, and the second humidity sensor is a humidity sensor of a spectroscopic method. It provides a method for measuring the hydrogen peroxide concentration.

In addition, the present invention is a target space for measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, wherein the target space includes a first humidity sensor located in a predetermined internal area and a second humidity sensor located adjacent to the first humidity sensor; The first humidity sensor detects a first relative humidity by the amount of hydrogen peroxide and the amount of water vapor, and the second humidity sensor provides a target space for detecting the second relative humidity by the amount of water vapor.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the first humidity sensor is a humidity sensor of a moisture absorption method, a humidity sensor of a saturation method or a humidity sensor of an absorption method, and the second humidity sensor is a humidity sensor of a spectroscopic method. Provide the target space.

In addition, the present invention provides a target space, characterized in that the temperature of the first humidity sensor and the second humidity sensor is controlled higher than the temperature of the target space.

(Effects of the Invention)

According to the present invention as described above, in the sterilization chamber, by including a first humidity sensor and a second humidity sensor, the relative humidity is detected by each of these sensors, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide by the difference in these relative humidity It can be measured easily.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a sterilizer using an aqueous solution of a sterilant according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a sterilizer using an aqueous solution of a sterilant according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a sterilization method of the sterilization apparatus using a sterilant aqueous solution according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is a graph showing the response of the capacitive humidity sensor in the sterilization apparatus.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration according to the present invention.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in various forms, and only the present embodiments are intended to complete the disclosure of the present invention, and the general knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains. It is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Regardless of the drawings, the same reference numbers refer to the same components, and “and / or” includes each and every combination of one or more of the items mentioned.

Although the first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, these components are of course not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. Therefore, of course, the first component mentioned below may be a second component within the technical spirit of the present invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In this specification, the singular also includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise in the phrase. As used herein, "comprises" and / or "comprising" does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components in addition to the mentioned components.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the present specification may be used in a sense that can be commonly understood by those skilled in the art. In addition, the terms defined in the commonly used dictionaries are not ideally or excessively interpreted unless they are specifically defined clearly.

The spatially relative terms " below ", " beneath ", " lower ", " above ", " upper " It can be used to easily describe a component's correlation with other components. Spatially relative terms are to be understood as including terms in different directions of components in use or operation in addition to the directions shown in the figures. For example, when flipping a component shown in the drawing, a component described as "below" or "beneath" of another component may be placed "above" the other component. Can be. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The components can be oriented in other directions as well, so that spatially relative terms can be interpreted according to the orientation.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a sterilizer using an aqueous solution of a sterilant according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a sterilizer using an aqueous solution of a sterilant according to the present invention.

However, in the present invention, the sterilizing agent may be hydrogen peroxide, the sterilizing agent aqueous solution may be hydrogen peroxide, and for the sake of convenience of explanation, the sterilizing agent is hydrogen peroxide, and the sterilizing agent aqueous solution will be described in correspondence with hydrogen peroxide. do.

1 and 2, the sterilization apparatus 100 using hydrogen peroxide according to the present invention includes a sterilization chamber (110).

The sterilization chamber 110 represents a container into which sterilized substances, such as medical instruments or surgical instruments, to be sterilized are put. At this time, one side of the sterilization chamber 110 may include a door for access to the sterilized material.

In addition, it includes a vacuum pump 120 connected to one side of the sterilization chamber 110, the vacuum pump 120 may draw a gas inside the sterilization chamber 110 to form a vacuum state. At this time, between the sterilization chamber 110 and the vacuum pump 120, a vacuum valve 121 for controlling the operation of the vacuum pump 120 is connected.

1 and 2, the sterilization apparatus 100 using hydrogen peroxide water according to the present invention is connected to the other side of the sterilization chamber 110 to supply hydrogen peroxide vapor to the sterilization chamber 110. And a hydrogen peroxide supply unit 150 for supplying hydrogen peroxide to the vaporizer 130.

At this time, between the sterilization chamber 110 and the vaporizer 130 may include a vaporization valve 131.

In addition, the sterilization apparatus 100 using hydrogen peroxide according to the first embodiment of the present invention, one side is connected to the vaporizer 130, the other side is connected to the sterilization chamber 110, the vaporizer 130 A collector 140 (or may be termed a collector vaporizer) for concentrating the supplied hydrogen peroxide.

At this time, between the sterilization chamber 110 and the collector 140 may include a vaporization valve 131.

In addition, between the sterilization chamber 110 and the collector 140 may include a collection valve 141.

That is, the vaporization valve 131 and the collection valve 141 may be connected in parallel between the sterilization chamber 110 and the collector 140.

On the other hand, as described above, between the sterilization chamber 110 and the vaporizer 130 may include a vaporization valve 131, that is, one side of the vaporization valve 130 and the sterilization chamber 110 and The other side may be connected in parallel with the vaporizer 130 and the collector 140.

1 and 2, the sterilization apparatus 100 using hydrogen peroxide according to the present invention includes a first connection pipe 142 and the vaporization connecting the collector 140 and the vaporization valve 131. It may include a second connecting pipe 133 connecting the valve 131 and the sterilization chamber 110.

In addition, a third connecting pipe 143 connecting the collector 140 and the collection valve 141 and a fourth connecting pipe 144 connecting the collection valve 141 and the sterilization chamber 110. can do.

In this case, in the drawing, the fourth connection pipe 144 is connected to the second connection pipe 133, and the vaporization valve 131 and the collection valve 141 are disposed between the sterilization chamber 110 and the collector 140. Although shown in parallel, the fourth connection pipe 144 is connected directly to the sterilization chamber 110, the vaporization valve 131 between the sterilization chamber 110 and the collector 140, in contrast. And the collection valve 141 may be connected in parallel.

In addition, the vaporizer 130 may include a fifth connection pipe 132 connecting the vaporization valve 131, in this case, the fifth connection pipe 132 is the first connection pipe 142 in the drawing Is connected to the vaporization valve 130 and the vaporizer 130 and the collector 140, but in contrast, the fifth connection pipe 132 is directly connected to the vaporization valve 131 The vaporization valve 130 may be connected in parallel with the vaporizer 130 and the collector 140.

At this time, the vaporization valve 131 and the collection valve 141 may control the flow of the fluid of the first connection pipe 142 to the fifth connection pipe 132 by the open / close operation, The open / close operation of the vaporization valve 131 and the collection valve 141 may be controlled by a separate controller.

In addition, as shown in the figure, the first connection pipe 142 for connecting the collector 140 and the vaporization valve 131 and the second connection pipe 133 for connecting the sterilization chamber 110 and the vaporization valve 131. ) May have a larger inner diameter than other connection pipes, that is, the third connection pipes 143 to the fifth connection pipes 132, for example, the third connection pipes 143 to the fifth connection pipes 132. In the case of 1/4 inch pipe, the first connection pipe 142 and the second connection pipe 133 may be 1 inch pipe. This will be described later.

On the other hand, although not shown in the figure, it may include a temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the sterilization chamber 110, the vaporizer 130 and the collector 140, the temperature control means may be a heater, which Since it is obvious in the art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, the collector 140 may further include a cooling means as a temperature control means, and the cooling means may use a suitable means such as direct cooling using cooling water or a thermoelectric element or air cooling by blowing a heat exchanger. .

Hereinafter, a sterilization method using a sterilization apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a sterilization method of the sterilization apparatus using a sterilant aqueous solution according to the present invention.

However, in the present invention, the sterilizing agent may be hydrogen peroxide, the sterilizing agent aqueous solution may be hydrogen peroxide, and for the sake of convenience of explanation, the sterilizing agent is hydrogen peroxide, and the sterilizing agent aqueous solution will be described in correspondence with hydrogen peroxide. do.

On the other hand, the sterilization method described below will be described with reference to the reference numerals of the sterilization apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2 described above.

Referring to Figure 3, the sterilization method of the sterilization apparatus using hydrogen peroxide according to the present invention includes the step of evacuating the sterilization chamber 110 (or, may be named sterilization chamber) and the vaporizer 130 ( S110).

Evacuating the sterilization chamber 110 and the vaporizer 130 may be evacuated by operating the vacuum pump 120 (on) and opening the vacuum valve 121.

On the other hand, step S110, that is, the step of evacuating the sterilization chamber and the vaporizer may be continued until step S160 to be described later, when the sterilization chamber reaches a predetermined set pressure, and the hydrogen peroxide liquid from which the water is removed is collected in the collector This step can be completed.

In addition, in order to evacuate the vaporizer 130, the vaporization valve 131 between the sterilization chamber 110 and the vaporizer 130, or between the sterilization chamber 110 and the collector 140 The collection valve 141 is in an open state, is in communication with the sterilization chamber in the vacuum exhaust to be a pressure below atmospheric pressure and closed in the next step.

On the other hand, at the same time as the step of evacuating the sterilization chamber 110 and the vaporizer 130, the sterilization chamber and the vaporizer may be maintained at a temperature set by the above-described temperature control means.

Next, a step of injecting hydrogen peroxide water of the first concentration into the vaporizer 130 of the first temperature and the first pressure (S120).

The hydrogen peroxide solution may be introduced through a hydrogen peroxide supply device 150 for storing hydrogen peroxide water at a first concentration. Meanwhile, although not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vaporizer 130 and the hydrogen peroxide supply are provided. A hydrogen peroxide water supply control valve (not shown) may be provided between the devices 150 to supply an appropriate amount of hydrogen peroxide water.

In this case, the first concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution may be 60% by weight or less.

As described above, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide is limited to 60% by weight or less in the handling of hydrogen peroxide solution, i.e., hydrogen peroxide water, so it is practically difficult to use a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide as a sterilant.

That is, in the present invention, the first concentration of the hydrogen peroxide water indicates the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide water that can be handled and does not have an important meaning in understanding the meaning of the present invention.

In addition, the first temperature may be 60 to 70 ℃, the first pressure may be 800 mb (pre-bar) to atmospheric pressure.

At this time, in step S120, while the hydrogen peroxide water of the first concentration is introduced into the vaporizer 130, the vaporization valve 131 and the collection valve 141 may correspond to a close state, but, depending on the supply device open It may be a state.

On the other hand, in step S120 the pressure of the sterilization chamber 110 is 600 mb to atmospheric pressure, the temperature may be 45 to 55 ℃, the pressure of the collector 140 is 800 mb to atmospheric pressure, the temperature is 38 to May be 42 ° C.

At this time, the first temperature in the present invention is characterized in that higher than the temperature of the sterilization chamber.

In the case of the first temperature, it corresponds to the temperature of the vaporizer in the process of vaporizing more water vapor from the hydrogen peroxide water, the vaporization process of the water vapor very strong endothermic reaction occurs to suppress the vaporization rate very strongly.

At this time, in order to increase the vaporization rate, there is also a method of increasing the vacuum degree by lowering the pressure of the vaporizer, but there is a disadvantage that the vaporization rate of hydrogen peroxide can be increased, and the consumption of hydrogen peroxide increases, and the amount of heat required for vaporization in a low temperature state Since it is difficult to supply smoothly, therefore, it is preferable that the first temperature is at least higher than the temperature of the sterilization chamber.

Next, the step of vaporizing the hydrogen peroxide water of the first concentration to form a hydrogen peroxide water of a second concentration (S130).

That is, the hydrogen peroxide water of the first concentration injected into the vaporizer 130 is vaporized (ie, water is removed) to form hydrogen peroxide water of the second concentration.

The second concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution may be 75% by weight to 85% by weight, and step S130 may be performed by vaporizing water in 60% by weight or less of hydrogen peroxide, thereby forming hydrogen peroxide water at a concentration of 75% by weight to 85% by weight. It may be a first concentration step.

In general, at the same temperature and pressure, water evaporates faster because of its higher vapor pressure than hydrogen peroxide, and because water has a lower molecular weight than hydrogen peroxide, water diffuses more rapidly into the gas phase than hydrogen peroxide.

Accordingly, since water (ie, moisture) evaporates and diffuses faster than hydrogen peroxide at the same temperature and pressure conditions, water in the hydrogen peroxide water is evaporated / diffused before hydrogen peroxide, and thus a second concentration of hydrogen peroxide water may be formed.

At this time, the evaporated water is evacuated through the vacuum pump via the sterilization chamber 110, and thus, in step S130 to operate (on) the vacuum pump 120, the vacuum valve 121 and the vaporization valve 131 corresponds to an open state.

On the other hand, in step S130, the temperature of the vaporizer 130 is temporarily lowered by the endothermic reaction of the vaporization process, the temperature is in the range of 55 to 65 ℃, the pressure can be 30 to 800 mb (pre-bar) have.

In addition, while the evaporated water is evacuated through the sterilization chamber 110 through a vacuum pump, the pressure of the sterilization chamber 110 is in the range of 10 to 600 mb, the temperature may be 45 to 55 ℃ In addition, the pressure of the collector 140 is in the range of 20 to 500 mb, the temperature may be 35 to 40 ℃.

Next, the step of injecting the hydrogen peroxide water of the second concentration into the collector of the second temperature and the second pressure (S140).

In order to inject the hydrogen peroxide solution of the second concentration into the collector 140 of the second temperature and the second pressure, the vacuum pump 120 is operated (on), and the vacuum valve 121 is opened, The vaporization valve 131 may be controlled in a close state, and the collection valve 141 may be controlled in an on state.

At this time, the second temperature may be 35 to 42 ℃, the second pressure may be 8 to 50 mb.

In addition, while the hydrogen peroxide of the second concentration is moved from the vaporizer 130 to the collector 140, the pressure of the vaporizer 130 may be 10 to 60 mb, the temperature may be 55 to 60 ℃, the second The concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution may move from the vaporizer 130 to the collector 140 via the fifth connection pipe 132 and the first connection pipe 142.

On the other hand, in step S140 the sterilization chamber 110 is continuously evacuated, the pressure of the sterilization chamber 110 is 1 to 10 mb, the temperature may be 45 to 55 ℃.

At this time, the second temperature in the present invention is characterized in that lower than the temperature of the sterilization chamber.

The second temperature corresponds to the temperature of the collector in which the hydrogen peroxide water of the second concentration is collected, and if the saturated hydrogen peroxide vapor from the vaporizer is higher than the temperature of the chamber in the course of passing through the collector, the hydrogen peroxide vapor cannot be condensed in the collector. May be exhausted through the chamber.

Even if the hydrogen peroxide vapor is partially condensed in the early stage of the S140 / S150, where the pressure is rather high, if the collector is higher than the chamber temperature in the stage where the vacuum pressure is continuously applied to the evacuated chamber, the heat of evaporation of hydrogen peroxide is low compared to water vapor, so it is easily regasified. It is not possible to remain in the collector, and eventually, the step S170 to be described later can not be performed, therefore, the second temperature is preferably at least lower than the temperature of the sterilization chamber.

As can be seen above, in the present invention, after the step S130, that is, the step of evaporating the hydrogen peroxide water of the first concentration to form a hydrogen peroxide water of the second concentration, step S140, that is, the second temperature and the second Injecting the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide water into the collector of 2 pressure.

For example, to perform the step S140 without the step S130, it may be considered that the first concentration of hydrogen peroxide water directly into the collector, but is not preferable for the following reasons.

Table 1 below shows an example of the vaporization rate of hydrogen peroxide vapor by the concentration of hydrogen peroxide water.

Table 1

Referring to Table 1, it can be seen that the higher the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, and the higher the set temperature, the higher the vaporization rate of the hydrogen peroxide vapor than the water vapor.

For example, at 50 ° C., the vaporization rate of hydrogen peroxide vapor in a 60% by weight hydrogen peroxide solution is 13%, which means that the remaining 87% is water vapor, and the vaporization rate of hydrogen peroxide vapor in an 80% by weight hydrogen peroxide solution. Is 40%, which means that the remaining 60% is water vapor.

That is, performing step S140 without step S130 may mean, for example, adding 60% by weight of hydrogen peroxide to a collector, and performing step S140 after performing step S130 is performed by 80% by weight. This could mean adding hydrogen peroxide to the collector.

In this case, when the step S140 is performed without the step S130, the ratio of the water vapor passing through the collector in the initial stage is relatively higher than when the step S140 is performed after the step S130 is performed.

If the proportion of water vapor is higher than the hydrogen peroxide vapor, the collector is introduced into the collector when the pressure of the collector is high (saturated water vapor pressure is 75mb when the collector temperature is 40 ° C). It can also be condensed in the collector.

The condensation of water vapor into the collector means that there is a limit to the concentration of hydrogen peroxide that is concentrated by the amount of water vapor that is condensed.

Therefore, in the present invention, in order to prevent the water vapor is condensed in the collector first, the limit occurs in the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution to be concentrated, step S130, that is, the hydrogen peroxide water of the second concentration by vaporizing the first concentration of hydrogen peroxide water After the step of forming the step, step S140, that is, the step of introducing the hydrogen peroxide water of the second concentration to the collector of the second temperature and the second pressure.

Next, the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide water is condensed in the collector, and the step of evacuating the water vapor from the collector (S150). As described above, the water is faster than the hydrogen peroxide because of the higher vapor pressure Water is diffused into the gas phase more quickly than hydrogen peroxide because the molecular weight of water is lower than hydrogen peroxide, and therefore, at the same temperature and pressure conditions, water (i.e., moisture) evaporates and diffuses faster than hydrogen peroxide. Since water of evaporates / diffuses before hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen peroxide vapor is condensed in the collector, and water vapor is exhausted from the collector, so that a third concentration of hydrogen peroxide water can be formed.

That is, water has a higher vapor pressure than hydrogen peroxide, and therefore hydrogen peroxide condenses more easily than water in the vapor state. Accordingly, the hydrogen peroxide water condensed in the collector may include hydrogen peroxide at a concentration higher than the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide water at the second concentration.

On the other hand, the hydrogen peroxide vapor and steam passing through the pipe at step S140 is moved in the order of the fifth connection pipe, the first connection pipe, the third connection pipe, the fourth connection pipe, in this case, the smaller inner diameter of these connection pipes The temperature of must be higher than the temperature of the collector 140.

This means that if the pipe temperature in the stage before and after the hydrogen peroxide vapor reaches the collector is lower than the collector, it may remain condensed in the pipe first, and the hydrogen peroxide vapor condensed in the pipe having a small inner diameter may be at a higher temperature when vaporized in step S170. This is because the water vapor content due to decomposition may be increased in the step of being exposed to the chamber.

In addition, as shown in Table 1, once the concentration is high (less than 85% by weight), the vapor ratio of water and hydrogen peroxide is similar, the concentration by the vaporization ratio is to reduce the concentration efficiency.

The gaseous hydrogen peroxide vapor and water vapor differ in temperature at which they can condense at the same pressure. For example, at 35 degrees, hydrogen peroxide condenses above 5 mb and water vapor condenses above 55 mb.

Thus, this difference is, for example, when the collector temperature being evacuated through the collecting valve is 35, the hydrogen peroxide vapor is condensed when the pressure is in the range of 5 mb to 55 mb, and the steam can be exhausted from the collector.

At this time, the third concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution may be 90% by weight to 95% by weight, and step S150 by vaporizing water in 75% by weight to 85% by weight of hydrogen peroxide, 90% by weight to 95% by weight of hydrogen peroxide It may be a second concentration step of hydrogen peroxide solution to form water.

On the other hand, the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the step and the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the collector of the second temperature and the second pressure of step S140 and condensed in the collector, The exhaust gas from the collector is described as being sequentially performed, but, alternatively, the steps S140 and S150 may be performed at the same time.

That is, while injecting the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide water into a collector at a second temperature and a second pressure, at the same time, hydrogen peroxide vapor in the second concentration of hydrogen peroxide water is condensed into the collector, and water vapor is exhausted from the collector. Can be.

At this time, the evaporated water is evacuated through the vacuum pump, and thus, in operation S150, the vacuum pump 120 may be operated (on), and the vacuum may be evacuated by opening the vacuum valve 121. In order for the evaporated water to be evacuated through the vacuum pump, the collection valve 141 corresponds to an open state.

Next, the method includes lowering the sterilization chamber to a predetermined pressure and concentrating the third concentration of hydrogen peroxide water to a fourth concentration of hydrogen peroxide water (S160).

At this time, the predetermined pressure should be a set pressure for sterilization in the sterilization chamber, and, if the sterilant is hydrogen peroxide vapor, it should be easy to diffuse vacuum degree.

Therefore, the set pressure may be 0.5 to 1.3 mb, the temperature of the sterilization chamber may be 45 to 55 ℃.

In addition, the fourth concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution may be greater than or equal to 95% by weight, the third concentration of hydrogen peroxide to form more than 95% by weight of hydrogen peroxide by evaporating water in the hydrogen peroxide solution of the concentration of 90% to 95% by weight in step S160 It may be a step.

At this time, the evaporated water is evacuated through the vacuum pump, and thus, in step S160, the vacuum pump 120 may be operated (on) and vacuumed by opening the vacuum valve 121.

On the other hand, in step S160 the collection valve 141 may repeat the open state and the close state.

That is, in concentrating the third concentration of hydrogen peroxide water to the fourth concentration of hydrogen peroxide water, the higher the concentration of hydrogen peroxide water, the lower the pressure at which the liquid hydrogen peroxide water can evaporate.

For example, under the same temperature of 45 ° C, hydrogen peroxide evaporates at a pressure of about 20mb or less in 80% by weight hydrogen peroxide solution, but hydrogen peroxide does not evaporate at a pressure of about 11mb or less in 90% by weight hydrogen peroxide solution. Done.

This is because in the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide water of the third concentration to the hydrogen peroxide water of the fourth concentration, not only vaporization of the water, but also hydrogen peroxide, it is difficult to concentrate the hydrogen peroxide water to a predetermined concentration.

That is, the high concentration of hydrogen peroxide can continue the decomposition reaction, the water generated during the decomposition will lower the concentration of hydrogen peroxide.

Therefore, in order to remove the water which is such a small amount of impurities, it is possible to effectively remove the water while suppressing the removal of the vaporized hydrogen peroxide when the pressure rise / fall is repeated in the fluctuation range of 0.1 to 2 mb.

This water removal method takes a very long time in the low concentration step, but is effective to remove a small amount of water in the high concentration step, it can be said to be effective to maintain at least a high concentration.

Therefore, by lowering to a predetermined pressure of the sterilization chamber, the pressure of the collector 140 containing a third concentration of hydrogen peroxide is continuously lowered to prevent the hydrogen peroxide from evaporating at a lower pressure, the collection The valve 141 may prevent the pressure of the collector 140 from continuously lowering by repeating the open state and the close state.

At this time, the pressure of the collector 140 is 5 to 10 mb, the temperature may be 35 to 40 ℃, the pressure of the vaporizer 130 may be 7 to 10 mb, the temperature may be 60 to 70 ℃.

On the other hand, in step S160, since the aqueous solution of the vaporizer is completely exhausted, the temperature is restored in a vacuum state, and the collector is concentrated with high concentration of hydrogen peroxide, and a small amount of water is removed, or stays in the collector while maintaining an appropriate pressure.

The collector can then be lowered to a lower temperature by temperature control means to prevent excessive exhaustion of hydrogen peroxide.

Next, the hydrogen peroxide vapor of the hydrogen peroxide solution of the fourth concentration is put into a sterilization chamber, and the step of sterilizing the object to be treated (S170).

In step S170, in order to inject the hydrogen peroxide vapor of the hydrogen peroxide solution of the fourth concentration located in the collector 140 to the sterilization chamber 110, the vaporization valve 131 is open, the collection valve corresponds to the open or close state. .

That is, the hydrogen peroxide vapor from the collector 140 to the sterilization chamber 110 may move through the first connection pipe 142 and the second connection pipe 133.

At this time, as described above, in the present invention, the first connection pipe 142 connecting the collector 140 and the vaporization valve 131 and the second connection pipe connecting the vaporization valve 131 and the sterilization chamber 110 ( 133 may have a larger inner diameter than other connection pipes, that is, the third connection pipe 143 to the fifth connection pipe 132, for example, the third connection pipe 143 to the fifth connection pipe 132. In the case of the 1/4 inch pipe, the first connection pipe 142 and the second connection pipe 133 may be a 1 inch pipe.

This means that the hydrogen peroxide vapor flows into the sterilization chamber 110 from the collector 140 through the first connection pipe 142 and the second connection pipe 133, and the hydrogen peroxide vapor flows into the fifth connection pipe 132. To prevent, hydrogen peroxide vapor may be introduced into the first connection pipe 142 having a relatively large inner diameter, and hydrogen peroxide vapor may not be introduced into the fifth connection pipe 132 having a relatively small inner diameter.

In the present invention, the hydrogen peroxide vapor is added to the sterilization chamber, the sterilization treatment target, it is preferable that the hydrogen peroxide vapor is added in a state where the temperature of the hydrogen peroxide vapor is not high.

If the sterilization chamber enters the sterilization chamber at a temperature higher than the temperature of the sterilization chamber before the hydrogen peroxide vapor is sufficiently saturated in the sterilization chamber, the density of the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the entry path becomes excessive and easily condensed. The gas phase reduces the absolute amount of diffusion into the sterilization chamber and can adversely affect the diffusion effect for sterilization.

At this time, in the present invention, the pipe of the path between the collector 140 and the sterilization chamber 110 may have an inner diameter larger than that of other paths, and the large inner diameter of the pipe means that a large amount of gas is moved. If the inner diameter is large, the gaseous driving force increases by the degree of vacuum as the amount of gas moving increases, thereby preventing the temperature rise of the gaseous hydrogen peroxide vapor.

That is, when the amount of gas movement is small, the time for which hydrogen peroxide vapor stays in the collector increases accordingly, and the decomposition reaction rate of the hydrogen peroxide vapor increases in the collector which needs to rise in temperature for vaporization and movement of hydrogen peroxide. The concentration of water vapor and oxygen gas is increased. This can lead to a loss of sterilization performance as the purpose of the previous step to minimize the amount of water vapor which is a barrier to the diffusion of hydrogen peroxide is lost in the vaporization step.

Therefore, in the present invention, the pipe of the path between the collector 140 and the sterilization chamber 110 has a larger inner diameter than the pipe of the other path, so that the temperature of the hydrogen peroxide vapor can be added to the sterilization chamber in accordance with the temperature, Since the decomposition reaction is minimized and the hydrogen peroxide vapor easily accesses the sterilized product through sufficient diffusion into the gas phase, a good sterilization effect can be obtained.

On the other hand, in the hydrogen peroxide vapor of the fourth concentration of hydrogen peroxide into the sterilization chamber, hydrogen peroxide is evaporated and diffused into the sterilization chamber, the vaporization of the hydrogen peroxide before the temperature of the collector 140 reaches the temperature of the sterilization chamber The temperature increase rate of the collector 140 may be controlled to be completed.

That is, in order to promote the vaporization of hydrogen peroxide, the collector 140 may be heated by a temperature control means, wherein heating the collector is such that vaporization of hydrogen peroxide before the temperature of the collector reaches the temperature of the sterilization chamber The temperature increase rate can be controlled to complete more than 80%.

At this time, the pressure of the sterilization chamber 110 may be 0.5 to 15 mb, the temperature may be 45 to 55 ℃.

In addition, the pressure of the collector 140 is 0.5 to 15 mb, the temperature may be 30 to 70 ℃, the pressure of the vaporizer 130 may be 0.5 to 15 mb, the temperature may be 60 to 70 ℃ or more.

To summarize the pressure and temperature conditions in each step is shown in Table 2 below.

TABLE 2

In addition, the state of the vacuum pump and the valve in each step is summarized in Table 3 below.

TABLE 3

As described above, in order to improve sterilization performance, it is preferable to use more concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution, but using a more concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution, the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution in handling the hydrogen peroxide solution is 60% by weight or less. There is a difficulty in using a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide as a sterilizing agent.

However, in the present invention, through each step of the concentration process, more than 95% by weight of hydrogen peroxide water can be used as a sterilizing agent, thus, the sterilization effect can be greatly improved while reducing the diffusion barrier caused by water vapor.

In addition, after removing the water from the aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide at the first concentration supplied in step S130 described above to prepare a second solution of hydrogen peroxide solution, the water is brought into contact with the collector by proceeding with steps S140 and S150 described above. Can reduce the likelihood of doing so.

In addition, when the hydrogen peroxide water is introduced into the collector, the saturated steam pressure of the water according to the collector pressure of the hydrogen peroxide collector and the temperature of the collector, that is, the vaporization / condensation boundary pressure is lowered, so that even if the water contacts the collector, it cannot condense. This can be done.

In the present invention, the above sterilization apparatus and the sterilization method using the same, it is possible to sterilize the object, the above sterilization apparatus and the sterilization method using the same is just one example, in the present invention the configuration of the basic sterilization apparatus and the same It does not limit the sterilization method used.

Hereinafter, a sterilization apparatus capable of measuring the hydrogen peroxide concentration according to the present invention and a method of measuring the hydrogen peroxide concentration of the sterilization apparatus will be described.

As described above, in order to improve sterilization performance, it is preferable to use more concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution, but using a more concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution, the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution in handling the hydrogen peroxide solution is 60% by weight or less. There is a difficulty in using a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide as a sterilizing agent.

For this reason, it is common to use an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide with a concentration of up to 60% by weight in each step, for example, to concentrate at a concentration of 95% by weight or more with high concentration of hydrogen peroxide and use it as a sterilizing agent. In concentrating with hydrogen peroxide solution to use as a sterilizing agent, it is not easy to measure the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the sterilization chamber of the sterilization apparatus.

Therefore, in the present invention, to avoid the enlargement or complexity of the sterilization apparatus, and to provide a sterilization apparatus capable of accurately detecting the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the hydrogen peroxide solution and a method for measuring the hydrogen peroxide concentration of the sterilization apparatus by a simple method, which As follows.

As described above, referring to Figures 1 and 2, the sterilization apparatus according to the present invention is a sterilization chamber; A vacuum pump connected to one side of the sterilization chamber; A vaporizer connected to the other side of the sterilization chamber; And one side is connected to the carburetor, the other side comprises a collector connected to the sterilization chamber.

At this time, the sterilization apparatus according to the present invention is the first humidity sensor 111 and the second humidity sensor 112 located adjacent to the first humidity sensor 111 located in a predetermined region of the sterilization chamber 110. It includes.

That is, in the present invention, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the sterilization chamber 110 is measured through the first humidity sensor 111 and the second humidity sensor 112.

On the other hand, the sterilization chamber corresponds to the target space for measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, the target space may be a sterilization chamber as described above, alternatively, may be an operating room or a sterile room requiring aseptic breeding. have.

That is, the object space may be a chamber or an operating room or a sterile room, but the type of the object space is not limited in the present invention.

At this time, in the present invention, the first humidity sensor 111 is a sensor in which the relative humidity is determined by the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide, and the second humidity sensor 112 is determined only by the amount of water vapor. Corresponds to the sensor.

In addition, in the present invention, the relative humidity is determined only by the amount of water vapor in the second humidity sensor 112, or the second humidity sensor directly measures the relative humidity with respect to the amount of water vapor, or the second humidity. This includes the case where the sensor measures absolute humidity with respect to the amount of water vapor and converts the absolute humidity into relative humidity.

Since the conversion from the absolute humidity to the relative humidity of the water vapor is obvious in the art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted below.

More specifically, the first humidity sensor may be a humidity sensor of a moisture adsorption method, a humidity sensor of a saturation method, or a humidity sensor of an absorption method. More specifically, the moisture sensor of the moisture adsorption method is a capacitance type. Humidity sensor, resistance change type humidity sensor, hair hygrometer, carbon film hygrometer, electric hygrometer, color hygrometer, the humidity sensor according to the saturation method may be dew point hygrometer, lithium chloride dew point hygrometer, and also by absorption method The humidity sensor may be a volumetric hygrometer, an electrolytic hygrometer, a weight hygrometer.

On the other hand, as described above, in the present invention, the first humidity sensor 111 is a sensor in which the relative humidity is determined by the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide.

At this time, the principle of measuring the hydrogen peroxide concentration using a sensor for measuring the relative humidity of water, such as the first humidity sensor described above, the VHP (highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide vapor) vapor pressure is measured on the measuring sensor as the principle of measuring the relative humidity of water It is measured by the degree of humidity reduction.

In particular, the use of a capacitive humidity sensor corresponds to a very important principle that the relative dielectric constant of water and hydrogen peroxide can be directly substituted and used.

That is, since the method of measuring the relative humidity of the water and the method of measuring the relative saturation of the VHP is the same, the first humidity sensor, such as a capacitive humidity sensor, the relative humidity can be determined by the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide will be.

In addition, the second humidity sensor 112 is a humidity sensor according to a spectroscopic method, the humidity sensor according to the spectroscopic method may be a non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) hygrometer or a near infrared hygrometer.

As described above, in the case of the first humidity sensor, the relative humidity may be determined by the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide.

However, the spectroscopic second humidity sensor corresponds to a sensor whose relative humidity is determined only by the amount of water vapor.

For example, the non-dispersive infrared hygrometer is a method of calculating the absorbance of the selective IR of 6.1um, which is an absorption spectrum region of water in the IR region, so that hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) having absorption bands of different regions ( 2.93um) corresponds to a hygrometer with a very high selectivity.

On the other hand, in general, the humidity sensor is a sensor for detecting the humidity in the object, the concept of the humidity is well known relative humidity and absolute humidity.

More specifically, absolute humidity is the mass of the actual water vapor contained in 1 liter of air, and relative humidity is the percentage of the actual water vapor contained in the air divided by the maximum amount of water the air can contain at a given temperature and pressure. to be.

For example, 1 liter of air at 37 ° C at 1 atmosphere can contain as much as 44 grams of steam. If an air with the same pressure and temperature now has 11 grams of steam, the relative humidity is 25% (11 grams / minute). 44 g × 100).

That is, such a humidity sensor is well known as a sensor for detecting the amount of water vapor contained in the air.

At this time, the representative types of humidity sensors include a capacitive humidity sensor and a resistance-type humidity sensor.

First, the resistance change type humidity sensor uses a characteristic in which the resistance changes according to the moisture content in the moisture sensitive film in response to the humidity change, and obtains a change signal by applying an alternating current to the polymer type and the ceramic type according to the material of the moisture sensitive material. Can be classified.

For example, in the case of a polymer type in which the moisture sensitive material is a polymer, moisture and polymer are combined to form ions in air, and electrical conductivity is generated. In the case of a ceramic type in which the moisture sensitive material is ceramic, moisture adsorbed on the porous surface of the moisture sensitive material is used. The pores are separated to form ions, which cause electrical conductivity.

That is, the concentration of ions is changed according to the change of relative humidity, which is measured by the change of impedance of the sensor element to detect the relative humidity, and the conversion circuit for obtaining the electrical signal from the sensor is simple, which has the advantages of miniaturization and cost. .

Since the resistance-type humidity sensor is generally well known humidity sensor, the following detailed description will be omitted, for example, Korean Utility Model Application No. 20-1998-0026410 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2010-0000557 And the like.

For example, the resistance change type humidity sensor may be formed by sputtering and depositing a platinum (Pt) thin film on the upper surface of the sintered alumina substrate to form a pattern in the shape of an electrode, and applying a moisture-sensitive polymer on the upper surface of the platinum thin film pattern.

Next, the capacitive humidity sensor has a lower electrode on a substrate, the upper electrode having a property to uniformly apply a polymer dampener to the upper portion of the lower electrode, the humidity can be injected into the upper portion of the damper. It is composed.

In general, Au electrodes and moisture resistant materials are used for glass or ceramic substrates, and the moisture-sensitive material applied to the sensor may be a cellulose ester compound such as cellulose acetone, or a polymer material such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyacryl, or polyvinyl pyride. Used.

The principle of detecting humidity in the capacitive humidity sensor is as follows.

That is, the relative dielectric constant of the polymer material is about 3 in a dry state, while the relative dielectric constant is changed while absorbing water molecules (relative dielectric constant 80) in the air, and through the change of the relative dielectric constant, the amount of water vapor in the air is changed. Can be detected.

Since the capacitive humidity sensor is a well-known humidity sensor in general, the following detailed description will be omitted, for example, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0135890 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0027010 See.

For example, the capacitive humidity sensor may include a lower electrode formed on a substrate; A moisture sensitive layer applied on the lower electrode to absorb and desorb moisture; And a plurality of upper electrodes formed on the moisture sensitive layer.

As described above, the humidity sensor, that is, the capacitance type humidity sensor and the resistance change type humidity sensor are well known as a sensor for detecting the amount of water vapor contained in the air.

However, the Applicant has confirmed that the value detected by the amount of water vapor, as well as the amount of hydrogen peroxide, in the case of the capacitive humidity sensor is changed, and in view of this, the first humidity sensor 111 and the second Through the humidity sensor 112, a method of measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the interior of the sterilization chamber 110 was developed.

In the case of the capacitive humidity sensor, the detected value is changed not only by the amount of water vapor but also by the amount of hydrogen peroxide.

Figure 4 is a graph showing the response of the capacitive humidity sensor in the sterilization apparatus.

That is, in the present invention, through the capacitive humidity sensor, in order to confirm that the concentration of hydrogen peroxide can be measured, the reaction of the capacitive humidity sensor in the process of sterilization in the sterilization apparatus is measured.

Referring to FIG. 4, a process of concentrating hydrogen peroxide water while evaporating the hydrogen peroxide water through the concentration module while evacuating the chamber was performed. (50 sec to 300 sec)

Thereafter, the hydrogen peroxide concentrated in a high concentration is diffused into the sterilization chamber, the pressure in the sterilization chamber is increasing, and it can be seen that the relative humidity of the capacitive humidity sensor is measured around 100% in proportion thereto. (300 sec to 450 sec)

At this time, when the temperature of the vacuum sterilization chamber is 50 ℃, in order to achieve a relative humidity of 100%, the pressure of the steam alone must exceed 120mb, but the pressure of the sterilization chamber injected only with hydrogen peroxide vapor (VHP) is 12 It corresponded to ~ 15mb.

That is, for example, in order for the relative humidity of the capacitive humidity sensor to be 100%, when the temperature of the sterilization chamber is 50 ° C, the value of the pressure inside the sterilization chamber must exceed 120 mb even by the pressure of steam alone. However, in reality, only 12 ~ 15mb of the sterilization chamber.

As a result, when the relative humidity of the capacitive humidity sensor is 100%, it can be confirmed that the relative humidity is not determined by the amount of water vapor, but other factors, that is, the amount of hydrogen peroxide, influenced the determination of the relative humidity. Therefore, the capacitance-type humidity sensor can be seen that the relative humidity is determined not only by the amount of water vapor but also by the amount of hydrogen peroxide.

Therefore, it can be seen that the relative humidity detected by the capacitive humidity sensor is determined by the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide.

In this case, unlike the capacitive humidity sensor, the humidity sensor based on the spectroscopic method determines relative humidity only according to the amount of water vapor.

That is, in the case of the capacitive humidity sensor which is the first humidity sensor, the relative humidity is determined by the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide, but in the case of the humidity sensor according to the spectroscopic method that is the second humidity sensor, only the water vapor The relative humidity is determined by the amount.

Therefore, if the difference between the relative humidity detected by the first humidity sensor and the relative humidity detected by the second humidity sensor is calculated, the ratio of the relative humidity determined by the amount of hydrogen peroxide can be calculated.

On the other hand, as described above, in the present invention, the relative humidity is determined only by the amount of water vapor in the second humidity sensor 112, or the second humidity sensor directly measures the relative humidity relative to the amount of water vapor In this case, the second humidity sensor measures an absolute humidity with respect to the amount of water vapor and converts the absolute humidity into a relative humidity.

That is, the absolute humidity of the target space may be measured through the second humidity sensor, and the absolute humidity may be converted into a relative humidity to detect the second relative humidity of the target space through the second humidity sensor.

Method for measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide according to the present invention is as follows.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the method for measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration according to the present invention includes detecting a first relative humidity by a first humidity sensor (S210).

In this case, the first humidity sensor may typically be a capacitive humidity sensor. As described above, the capacitive humidity sensor may determine relative humidity according to the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide. 1 Relative humidity corresponds to relative humidity depending on the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide.

Next, the hydrogen peroxide concentration measuring method according to the present invention includes the step of detecting the second relative humidity by the second humidity sensor (S220).

In this case, the second humidity sensor may typically be a non-dispersion infrared humidity sensor, as described above, the non-dispersion infrared humidity sensor is determined relative humidity only by the amount of water vapor, and thus, the second relative humidity is Corresponds to relative humidity depending on the amount of water vapor.

Next, the method for measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration according to the present invention includes deriving a difference value between the first relative humidity and the second relative humidity (S230).

In the case of the first humidity sensor, the relative humidity is determined by the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide, but in the case of the second humidity sensor, the relative humidity is determined only by the amount of water vapor.

Therefore, by calculating the difference between the first relative humidity detected by the first humidity sensor and the second relative humidity detected by the second humidity sensor, the ratio of the relative humidity determined by the amount of hydrogen peroxide can be calculated.

Next, the hydrogen peroxide concentration measuring method according to the present invention includes the step of calculating the concentration of hydrogen peroxide through the difference value (S240).

On the other hand, as described above, measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide vapor in the present invention corresponds to the principle of measuring the ratio of the saturated steam pressure, therefore, when the supersaturated hydrogen peroxide vapor is introduced into the chamber of the sterilization apparatus, etc. When the temperature of the humidity sensor is present at a temperature lower than the measurement target space, the supersaturated hydrogen peroxide vapor may be condensed on the humidity sensor and measured to be lower than the concentration actually present.

Therefore, in the present invention, the temperature of the first humidity sensor and the second humidity sensor is preferably controlled higher than the measurement target space, that is, a chamber, an operating room or a clean room.

Hereinafter, a method of measuring hydrogen peroxide concentration by the first humidity sensor and the second humidity sensor will be described.

However, the following method is only one example, it does not limit the following measurement method in the present invention.

Table 4 shows the saturated steam pressure with temperature.

Table 4

That is, Table 4 shows examples of saturated steam pressure and hydrogen peroxide saturated steam pressure according to respective temperatures.

First, it is assumed that the first relative humidity detected by the first humidity sensor is 80%, and the second relative humidity detected by the second humidity sensor is 30%.

In this case, as described above, it is assumed that the second relative humidity detected by the second humidity sensor is 30%, when the second humidity sensor directly measures the relative humidity with respect to the amount of water vapor, 2 includes a case in which the humidity sensor measures absolute humidity with respect to the amount of water vapor and converts the absolute humidity into relative humidity.

Therefore, the assumption that the second relative humidity is 30% may be a case where it is converted from the absolute humidity measured by the second humidity sensor.

In addition, it is assumed that the temperature in the sterilization chamber is 45 ℃, the air pressure is 1000mb, the volume of the sterilization chamber is 1000L.

At this time, the difference between the first relative humidity and the second relative humidity is 50%, and thus, 50%, the difference between the first relative humidity and the second relative humidity, corresponds to the ratio of relative humidity determined by the amount of hydrogen peroxide. do.

That is, the relative humidity reacted by the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the air in the sterilization chamber corresponds to 50%.

At this time, since the temperature in the sterilization chamber is 45 ℃, referring to Table 4, the saturated steam pressure of hydrogen peroxide at a temperature of 45 ℃ corresponds to 9.8mb.

On the other hand, since the relative humidity (%) = (current steam pressure / saturated steam pressure) × 100 generally corresponds to, the hydrogen peroxide vapor pressure x in the sterilization chamber corresponds to 50% = (x mb / 9.8mb) × 100%, hydrogen peroxide Corresponds to vapor pressure x = 4.9 mb.

At this time, since the air pressure in the sterilization chamber is 1000mb, the gas concentration of the hydrogen peroxide vapor corresponds to (4.9mb / 1000mb) × 100% = 0.49%.

In terms of weight per volume, the ideal gas volume at 45 ° C. corresponds to (22.4 L / mol (at 273 k) × (273 + 45)) / 273 = 26.09 L / mol.

Thus, dividing the gas concentration 0.49% of the hydrogen peroxide vapor by the ideal gas volume at that temperature, ie 0.49% / 26.09 (L / mol) = 0.0188 mol%, thus the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the 1000L volume of the sterilization chamber Present at 0.000188 mol / L.

In this case, since the molecular weight of hydrogen peroxide is 34g / mol, it may be represented by a concentration of 6.4mg / L.

By the above method, the hydrogen peroxide concentration can be measured by the first humidity sensor and the second humidity sensor.

As described above, in concentrating hydrogen peroxide water to a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide water and using it as a sterilizing agent, it is not easy to measure the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the sterilization chamber of the sterilization apparatus.

In the present invention, however, the first humidity sensor and the second humidity sensor are included in a target space such as a sterilization chamber, and the relative humidity is detected by each of these sensors, and the concentration of hydrogen peroxide is determined by the difference in these relative humidity. Can be measured easily.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may implement the present invention in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features thereof. You will understand that. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive.

Claims (8)

In the sterilization apparatus including a sterilization chamber, The sterilization chamber includes a first humidity sensor positioned in an internal predetermined region and a second humidity sensor positioned adjacent to the first humidity sensor. The first humidity sensor detects the first relative humidity by the amount of hydrogen peroxide and the amount of water vapor, and the second humidity sensor detects the second relative humidity by the amount of water vapor. The method of claim 1, The first humidity sensor is a humidity sensor of the moisture adsorption method, a humidity sensor of the saturation method or a humidity sensor of the absorption method, The second humidity sensor is a sterilization device, characterized in that the humidity sensor by a spectroscopic method. The method of claim 2, A sterilization apparatus for calculating the concentration of hydrogen peroxide by calculating a difference between the first relative humidity detected by the first humidity sensor and the second relative humidity detected by the second humidity sensor. Detecting a first relative humidity by a first humidity sensor; Detecting a second relative humidity by a second humidity sensor; Deriving a difference value between the first relative humidity and the second relative humidity; And Hydrogen peroxide concentration measurement method comprising the step of calculating the concentration of hydrogen peroxide through the difference value. The method of claim 4, wherein The first humidity sensor is a relative humidity determined by the amount of water vapor and the amount of hydrogen peroxide, the second humidity sensor is a method of measuring the hydrogen peroxide concentration relative humidity is determined according to the amount of water vapor. The method of claim 4, wherein The first humidity sensor is a humidity sensor of the moisture adsorption method, a humidity sensor of the saturation method or a humidity sensor of the absorption method, The second humidity sensor is a hydrogen peroxide concentration measuring method, characterized in that the humidity sensor by a spectroscopic method. In the target space for measuring the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, The target space includes a first humidity sensor positioned in an internal predetermined region and a second humidity sensor positioned adjacent to the first humidity sensor. The first humidity sensor detects the first relative humidity by the amount of hydrogen peroxide and the amount of water vapor, and the second humidity sensor detects the second relative humidity by the amount of water vapor. The method of claim 7, wherein The first humidity sensor is a humidity sensor of the moisture adsorption method, a humidity sensor of the saturation method or a humidity sensor of the absorption method, The second humidity sensor is a target space, characterized in that the humidity sensor by the spectroscopic method.

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