High-pressure thermal sterilizer having liquid recirculating means

Claim 2

In a high-pressure sterilizer which has a high-pressure tank having an inlet and an outlet for objects to be sterilized and having formed therein a heating chamber which is to contain a heated liquid at a given level therein and a cooling chamber which is to contain a cooling liquid at a given level therein, and transfer means for transferring the objects to be sterilized from the inlet to the outlet of the tank through the heating chamber and cooling chamber thereby continuously to sterilize these objects by heating, the improvement comprising a space chamber between and separating said heating chamber from said cooling chamber, said space chamber being defined by a pair of spaced apart partition walls between said heating chamber and said cooling chamber, each of said partition walls having a pair of respective passage holes therein positioned below said given levels; and wherein said transfer means comprises an endless conveyor having upper and lower travelling portions passing linearly through said heating chamber, said cooling chamber and said space chamber, said upper and lower travelling portions being disposed in alignment with said passage holes formed in said pair of partition walls in opposed relation below the liquid levels in said heating and cooling chambers; at least two reservoir tanks provided within the space chamber to receive and segregate respectively heating liquid and cooling liquid as effluent liquids overflowing through said passage holes; and circulating means for recirculating the effluent liquids from said respective reservoir tanks back into said heating chamber and said cooling chamber, respectively.

Claim 3

In a high-pressure sterilizer which has a high-presure tank having an inlet and an outlet for objects to be sterilized and having formed therein a heating chamber which is to contain a heated liquid at a given level therein and a cooling chamber which is to contain a cooling liquid at a given level therein, and transfer means for continuously transferring the objects to be sterilized through the inlet and the outlet of the tank and through the heating and cooling chambers thereby continuously to sterilize these objects by heating, the improvement comprising a space chamber between and separating said heating chamber from said cooling chamber, said space chamber being defined by a pair of spaced apart partition walls between said heating chamber and said cooling chamber, each of said partition walls having a respective passage hole therein positioned below said given levels, and wherein said inlet and said outlet for the objects to be sterilized in said high-prsessure tank comprise passages having respective inner surfaces positioned below said liquid levels, and wherein said transfer means passes linearly through these passages, said passage holes and said heating, cooling and space chambers and includes an endless conveyor which is provided with a plurality of object holding chambers spaced apart with an interval distance therebetween such that said holding chambers occupy each of said simultaneously, said holding chambers and said passages being arranged and constructed to provide a narrow space between each of said holding chambers and said inner surfaces of said passages, at least two reservoir tanks provided within said space chamber to receive and segregate respectively heating and cooling liquid as effluent liquids overflowing through said passage holes; and circulating means for recirculating the effluent liquids from said respective reservoir tanks back into said heating chamber and said cooling chamber, respectively.

Claim 4

In a high-pressure sterilizer which has a high-presure tank having an inlet and an outlet for objects to be sterilized and having formed therein a heating chamber which is to contain a heated liquid at a given level therein and a cooling chamber which is to contain a cooling liquid at a given level therein, and transfer means for continuously transferring the objects to be sterilized through the inlet and the outlet of the tank and through the heating and cooling chambers thereby continuously to sterilize these objects by heating, the improvement comprising a space chamber between and separating said heating chamber from said cooling chamber, said space chamber being defined by a pair of spaced apart partition walls between said heating chamber and said cooling chamber, each of said partition walls having a respective passage hole therein positioned below said given levels, and wherein said inlet and said outlet for the objects to be sterilized in said high-prsessure tank comprise passages having respective inner surfaces positioned below said liquid levels, and wherein said transfer means passes linearly through these passages, said passage holes and said heating, cooling and space chambers and includes an endless conveyor which is provided with a plurality of object holding chambers spaced apart with an interval distance therebetween such that said holding chambers occupy each of said simultaneously, said holding chambers and said passages being arranged and constructed to provide a narrow space between each of said holding chambers and said inner surfaces of said passages, at least two reservoir tanks provided within said space chamber to receive and segregate respectively heating and cooling liquid as effluent liquids overflowing through said passage holes; and circulating means for recirculating the effluent liquids from said respective reservoir tanks back into said heating chamber and said cooling chamber, respectively.

Claim 5

A high-pressure sterilizer according to claim 2, wherein one of said passages is provided in each end of said high-pressure tank, said heating chamber being provided at an input side of said high-pressure tank while said cooling chamber is provided at an output side of said high-pressure tank, and wherein an upper travelling portion alone of said endless conveyor is disposed within said high-pressure tank so as to introduce the objects to be sterilized into the tank from said input side thereof and to discharge sterilized objects from said output side of the tank.

Claim 6

In a high-pressure sterilizer which has a high-pressure tank having an inlet and an outlet for objects to be sterilized and having formed therein a heating chamber which is to contain a heating liquid at a given level therein and a cooling chamber which is to contain a cooling liquid at a given level therein, and transfer means for transferring the objects to be sterilized through the inlet and the outlet of the tank and through liquids in the heating chamber and the cooling chamber thereby continuously to sterilize the objects by heating, the improvement comprising a space chamber between and separating said heating chamber from said cooling chamber, said space chamber being defined by a pair of spaced apart partition walls each of said partition walls having passage holes therein positioned below said given levels; and wherein said transfer means comprises an endless conveyor having upper and lower travelling portions passing linearly through said heating chamber and said space chamber, said upper and lower travelling portions being disposed in alignment with said passage holes formed in said pair of partition walls at levels below said given levels, said inlet an said outlet of said tank being defined by passages having inner surfaces and being in alignment with corresponding ones of said passage holes, said endless conveyor being provided with a plurality of holding chambers with an interval distance therebetween such that a plurality of said holding chambers occupy each of said passages simultaneously said holding chambers and said passages being arranged and constructed to provide a narrow space between each of said holding chambers and said inner surfaces of said passages, and wherein said high-pressure tank further includes respective reservoir means for receiving and segregating respective overflow heating and cooling liquids from said passage holes and said passages, and circulation means coupled with said reservoir means for recirculating the overflow heating and cooling liquids from said passage holes and said passages respectively back into said heating chamber and said cooling chamber.

Claim 7

In a high-pressure sterilizer which has a high-pressure tank having an inlet and an outlet for objects to be sterilized and having formed therein a heating chamber which is to contain a heating liquid at a given level therein and a cooling chamber which is to contain a cooling liquid at a given level therein, and transfer means for transferring the objects to be sterilized through the inlet and the outlet of the tank and through liquids in the heating chamber and the cooling chamber thereby continuously to sterilize the objects by heating, the improvement comprising a space chamber between and separating said heating chamber from said cooling chamber, said space chamber being defined by a pair of spaced apart partition walls each of said partition walls having passage holes therein positioned below said given levels; and wherein said transfer means comprises an endless conveyor having upper and lower travelling portions passing linearly through said heating chamber and said space chamber, said upper and lower travelling portions being disposed in alignment with said passage holes formed in said pair of partition walls at levels below said given levels, said inlet an said outlet of said tank being defined by passages having inner surfaces and being in alignment with corresponding ones of said passage holes, said endless conveyor being provided with a plurality of holding chambers with an interval distance therebetween such that a plurality of said holding chambers occupy each of said passages simultaneously said holding chambers and said passages being arranged and constructed to provide a narrow space between each of said holding chambers and said inner surfaces of said passages, and wherein said high-pressure tank further includes respective reservoir means for receiving and segregating respective overflow heating and cooling liquids from said passage holes and said passages, and circulation means coupled with said reservoir means for recirculating the overflow heating and cooling liquids from said passage holes and said passages respectively back into said heating chamber and said cooling chamber.

Claim 8

A high-pressure sterilizer according to claim 4, wherein said passages comprise a pair of passages provided at different vertical levels in one end of the high-pressure tank and wherein the upper and lower travelling portions of said endless conveyor are disposed to pass through said passages so as to introduce the objects to be sterilized into the tank from the upper passage and to discharge the sterilized objects from the lower passage, and wherein the cooling chamber is formed on one side of said tank and said heating chamber is formed on an opposite side of said tank.

Claim 9

A high-pressure sterilizer according to claim 4, wherein each of said holding chamber is provided with a retainer for containing the objects to be sterilized therein, said retainer being openable and closable and formed with a plurality of pores therein.

Claim 10

A high-pressure sterilizer according to claim 4, wherein said partition walls are respectively provided with a sleeve to define said passage holes.