High-pressure thermal sterilizer having liquid recirculating means

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.

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.