View of Biocontainment Autoclave in Level 3 Area

Microbiology International now offers a line of double-door, pass-through biosafety autoclave units designed specifically for use in Biological Safety Level III labs (BSL-3). These double-door biosafety autoclave units are engineered for an air-tight fitting to separating walls, creating a sterilization pass-through from your BSL 3 facility; protecting the external environment. The serviceable side of the biocontainment autoclave is located on the wall outside the critical lab area; allowing for maintenance and calibration to be completed without disrupting the BSL3 hazardous side. Operation of the biocontainment autoclave can be carried out from both sides, the position (open or closed) of the opposite door being indicated on the display.

Our BSL 3 biosafety autoclave units are equipped standard with pre-pulsed vacuum, exhaust filtration, quick-cooling for liquid sterilization and ADS software with PC connectivity for total GLP traceability. When working with pathogens, agents or toxins, there is no room for error when autoclaving waste materials. The pre-pulsed vacuum feature insures a 100% steam environment by removing trapped air from waste bags, tubing, porous materials, hollow items and textiles. The round chamber design eliminates the possibility of air being trapped in corners as with a square or rectangular chamber. Exhaust air is filtered via an autoclavable sterile filter. Aerosols and microorganisms cannot escape before the sterilization process is complete. The filter cartridge is equipped with a PTFE membrane, pore size 0.2 um and is steam sterilized during each cycle. Quick-cooling is performed with air support pressure; preventing boil over of hazardous liquids. Quick-cooling also reduces cycle times so there is less waiting to access and use the pass-through. ADS software allows users to track, record and store the entire sterilization process. All cycle information can be downloaded and stored for adherence to GLP guidelines.

Features

Every BSL-3 biocontainment autoclave has a steam generator built into the housing of the autoclave, providing substantial benefits:

• No heating elements or reservoir for dirty water in the chamber; this facilitates faster cooling as there is no reservoir of hot water that needs to be cooled
• Fast heat up times, as steam is always readily available
• No need to rely on an in-house steam line
• Improved removal of air from the empty chamber via pulsed heating
• Accuracy better than ± 0.5 C with empty sterilizer chamber
• After cooling, steam is immediately available for the next sterilization run

Sterilizing liquids is a precise process, especially in your BSL3 laboratory. Our biosafety autoclave units come complete with a PT100 temperature probe, to insure correct sterilization and quick-cooling options for fast cycle times and to prevent boil over inside the BSL3 autoclave.

- Relying only on sterilizer chamber temperature does not take into account the temperature of the liquids, and will result in inaccurate sterilization. The PT100 temperature probe is placed inside a reference vessel to directly measure temperature of the liquid. Sterilization time does not start until the liquids reach the user defined sterilization temperature.

BSL-3 autoclaves are equipped with three levels of quick-cooling for liquid sterilization cycles.

-Cooling coils with support pressure provide a coil wrapped around the outside of the sterilization vessel. During the cooling phase, cool water circulates through the coils, reducing cool down time. Support pressure prevents liquids from boiling over during the cooling process, eliminating evaporative loss of sterilized liquids.

-Radial ventilator for air circulation and accelerated heat removal from the sterilizer chamber. Combined with cooling coils and support pressure, the radial ventilator creates a more rapid exchange of heat from the chamber by utilizing an internal fan to circulate air.

-UltraCool is an additional heat exchanger behind the radial ventilator. This special ridged coil provides a substantial increase in surface area for fast and efficient removal of heat during the cooling process. UltraCool can reduce cooling time by 90% compared to exhaust cooling and 50% compared to cooling coils with just the radial ventilator alone.

Cycle Times with Traditional Exhaust Cooling

Cycle Times with BSL-3 Quick Cooling

BSL-3 biocontainment autoclave units are controlled via a microprocessor and can connect to a PC for recording cycle parameters.

-The microprocessor is specially developed for BSL3 laboratory autoclave units and controls all relevant functions such as steam pressure, temperature, sterilization time, rapid cooling and pre/post vacuum.

-Biosafety autoclave cycles are completely programmable; all settings can be saved for easy use.

-Start by clock feature allows users to set a timer for programming starting time

-Total traceability! ADS software allows users to download and save all cycle information to a PC. It can also be used for service and diagnosis of instrument electronics.

Special considerations for exhaust steam and exhaust air have been made for BSL3 labs.

-Condensation instead of steam removal! Exhaust steam is condensed automatically via a PT100 regulated cooling system. This prevents odors and protects waste water piping.

-Exhaust air is filtered via an autoclavable sterile filter. Neither aerosols nor microorganisms can escape before the sterilization process is complete.

-Filter cartridge for exhaust air filtration has a PTFE membrane, pore size 0.2um

Exhaust Filtration

Triple safety aspects and special door locking for our BSL-3 autoclaves.

-Only one door can be opened at a time. If one door is open, the other is automatically locked. (Images with both doors open are for demonstration and display purposes only).

-If the biocontainment autoclave is switched off or if no electricity is available (power failure) both doors remain locked.

-If the door at the non-sterile side is opened, a sterilization program has to be run before the door at the sterile side can be opened.

-The locking system can be adapted to a customer’s preferences. Doors and control panel are made of heat-insulating plastic. The housing is stainless steel and the edges are chamfered for smooth junctions with walls.

-When the lid is closed, the lid is automatically locked by a circumferential ring system. A special lip seal made of heat resistant silicone provides reliable sealing. As steam pressure builds, the seal becomes tighter.

-The lid also opens easily - either at the push of a button or automatically at the end of a sterilization cycle.

-The door-locking system is temperature dependent and adheres to national and international safety standards. The door remains locked as long as there is excess pressure in the sterilizer chamber.

Proper waste sterilization is critical for BSL-3 labs. Our biocontainment autoclave units come equipped with a pre-pulsed vacuum system designed specifically for removing any trapped air pockets. These air pockets can be found in waste bags, tubing, pipette tips, etc…and can compromise the 100% steam atmosphere necessary for proper sterilization.

Only the highest quality materials are used in manufacturing Systec BSL 3 autoclave units.

The pressure vessel is made of corrosion-resistant electro-polished stainless steel with titanium 1.4571 (V4A) AISI 316 Ti and therefore very easy to clean. The pressure vessel is certified by American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME); all U.S. installations of pressure vessels require ASME certification. The BSL3 autoclave framework and housing are also made of stainless steel. The highly efficient, high-quality Hanno-Tect insulation material releases no particles making it ideal for use in clean room environments and BSL3 Laboratories.

Microbiology International offers calibration and validation!

- On-site NIST calibration ensures temperature and pressure parameters are validated to traceable standards.

- Full IQ/OQ/PQ documentation and performance is available for Systec autoclave units. Please contact us for validation options and pricing.

All Systec autoclave units can be custom built to meet your application specifications. If you are looking for unique biocontainment autoclave cycle capabilities, please contact us to discuss solutions for your needs.

Printer for documentation

Print program type, batch number, date, time, temperature, pressure and sterilization phase for total traceability

SuperDry

For the complete drying of solids, hollow devices and porous items such as filters, tubes and textiles. At the end of the cycle, the chamber is heated in combination with a strong vacuum.

Magnetic Stirrer

For stirring of liquids in large vessels during the sterilization process.

Transport and Loading Carriages

For easy loading and unloading of items. Large biosafety autoclave units can be easily and securely filled using a special loading trolley and sliding platform.

Stainless Steel closed basket for waste sterilization

Used for waste sterilization

Stainless Steel Wire Mesh Basket

Used for sterilizing liquids, open containers, non-waste materials

Extension of temperature and pressure range up to 150 C and 5 bar
For special sterilization applications where increased temperature are required i.e. thermoresistant spores, prions