Checking Out Autoclaves
Sunday, March 13th, 2011An autoclave is a pressurized tube that applies pressure and heat to a workload placed on the inside. There are automatic and manual steam autoclaves or dry heat autoclaves. Autoclave manufacturers design the units to climb to temperatures higher than boiling water. At these high temperatures they can kill bacteria and also resistant bacteria spores. For this reason, autoclave manufacturers design autoclaves to sterilize a variety of equipment. The autoclaves use saturated steam concentrated under high pressure to adequately sterilize materials.
Heat and pressure, when applied correctly, can yield a number of benefits besides sterilizing equipment. Autoclave systems are used for many technical industries. Autoclaves have been designed specifically for glass laminating, composites curing, production, laboratory use, and many other uses.
ASC Process Systems is a leading manufacturer of specialized process equipment and is the proud manufacturer of one of the world’s largest autoclaves. The 30 ft. in diameter x 76 ft. long autoclave was designed for Vought Aircraft in Charleston, South Carolina. This massive autoclave entered production in July 2006 for fabrication of fuselage sections 47 and 48 of the new Boeing 787 airliner. It reaches a max temperature of 450F and a max pressure of 150 psig and weighs over 1,000,000 lbs.
There are so many things Industrial Autoclaves can be used for so they are designed to meet each individual customer’s application. However, processing by Industrial Autoclaves costs a lot more than oven heating.An externally fired heater can bring fluid to temperatures of 600 F (316 C) to 800 F (427 C) in some cases. This drives the price up. Over the full service life of the autoclave, the most cost-effective heating options will be either a gas-firing autoclave using an internal or external heat exchanger or a high-pressure steam boiler. The system known as the Compression Reduction System provides compression energy savings of up to 40% per load. The Compression Reduction System can save about $30,000 per year per autoclave and reduces compressor maintenance.
The Econoclave is a smaller scale production unit, also made by ASC Process Systems. The Econoclave is used for food processing, cement manufacturing, composite bonding, waste treatment, vulcanizing, composite curing, glass, and laminating. This design includes many features that improve air-flow to the parts, reduce autoclave size, reduce energy cost, reduce equipment cost, and reduce cost of operation.
Autoclaves are manufactured in different sizes and offer a variety of functions. This means the cost to run each autoclave will vary as well as the price of each autoclave itself. If you are looking to purchase an autoclave from an autoclave manufacturer the best thing to do is research. The price of an autoclave won’t depend on its length but will mostly be determined by its diameter. If you are having a hard time determining what your particular autoclave needs are sometimes it is best to just contact the autoclave manufacturer directly for a free consultation.
Looking to find more information about autoclaves? Then visit http://www.aschome.com to find what you need! Plus check out the World’s Largest Autoclave!!