Transient Overheating In Empty Autoclave Chambers

By Vittorio Mascherpa

The transient overheat in empty autoclave chambers is a phenomenon that frequently occurs during validation studies. This article by Italian sterilization practitioner Vittorio Mascherpa investigates the main causes of it and suggests some methods to prevent it or to cope with it. The article also includes a useful table of superheating effects due to adiabatic isenthalpic expansion of saturated steam (i.e. in ideal conditions).