AUTOCLAVE (STAINLESS STEEL)

AUTOCLAVE (STAINLESS STEEL) – Stainless steel is a versatile material utilised in a variety of industries, including semiconductors, manufacturing equipment, medical devices, and food preparation. The most often used metal in the manufacturing of medical and laboratory equipment is “type 316L” stainless steel. Due to this material’s durability, stability, and simplicity of maintenance, it has become so widely used.

Although stainless steel is the material of choice for construction, nickel-clad should be taken into account in many situations. Stainless steel, as its name suggests, is “less” susceptible to staining (and corrosion) than normal steel, but it does regrettably not stain “proof.” Let’s continue to investigate this issue.

Corrosion Factors
Corrosion of stainless steel autoclave chambers can be caused by a variety of factors, including chemical contamination and poor water or steam quality. Here are a few typical offenders:

The corrosion of stainless steel by chlorides, sulphates, chlorine, hypochlorites, bleach, and acids can seriously harm the autoclave chamber and plumbing.
Because they are so caustic, hypochlorites, acids, and bleaches should never be used to sterilise or clean an autoclave. Remember that autoclaves need both heat and moisture to conduct effective sterilising. So the corrosion within the autoclave is accelerated when high-temperature steam and particular chemicals are coupled.
Seawater and other high-salt solutions contain a lot of chlorides and shouldn’t be sterilised in stainless steel.

autoclaves.
It is not advisable to utilise tap water to produce steam for a stainless steel autoclave if it contains significant quantities of chlorine or chlorides.
Stainless steel autoclave chambers
It is advised to buy a steriliser with a nickel-clad chamber rather than a stainless steel one if high-concentration salt solutions (see above) will be sterilised in the autoclave or if the feed-water or tap-water for a steam generation has a high chloride content. Even though stainless steel has numerous advantages, it performs better in environments with high chloride concentrations than nickel-clad.

The phrase “nickel-clad” refers to the Cladding technique. To increase the strength and durability of carbon steel in the case of an autoclave chamber, nickel is bonded to the material. The usage of cladded steel plates in corrosive conditions is common.