Share thisWhen double door autoclaves are placed into a BSL-3 or BSL-4 laboratory, several decisions should be reviewed by the lab planner and/or architect
All the elements that go into designing a sterilization system must be determined while keeping containment in mind.
When double door autoclaves are placed into a BSL-3 or BSL-4 laboratory, several decisions should be reviewed by the lab planner and/or architect. The penultimate result of the decision process should always be in favor of public and operator safety. The type of science being performed in the laboratory dictates the design and space requirements for the facility as well as the equipment necessary to operate the facility safely and efficiently.
The size of the autoclave is determined by reviewing the daily sterilization load requirements. Once this is done, the placement of the equipment becomes paramount to the laboratory layout. It is at this point that the sterilization cycle requirements have to be reviewed because the piping and associated equipment package will affect the footprint of the autoclave.
The complexity of the control and piping schematic is a function of the required cycles necessary to inactivate the elements handled in the laboratory. In some instances, specific cycles have to be developed and tested to assure that the equipment can handle the pressures and temperature ensures to assure inactivation of the material. (e.g. CJD and the inactivation of prions).