VWR VAPOUR-Line eco 50 User manual

VWR Automatic vertical autoclaves
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
European Catalogue Number:
VAPOUR-Line eco 50 481-0665
Version: 1.5
Issued: 2nd August 2016

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Legal address of manufacturer
Europe
VWR International S.r.l.
Via San Giusto 85
20153 Milano (MI)
Italy
Tel.: [phone]-487791
http://it.vwr.com
Country of origin Italy

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Table of contents
Use of the manual 4
Safety information 4
Precautions during installation 4
Unit description 5
Working principles 6
External component description 7
Control panel description 8
Operation 8
Sterilisation parameter settings 10
Configuration parameter settings 11
Sterilisation cycle 14
Validation 15
Maintenance and cleaning 16
Temperature/pressure chart 16
Troubleshooting 17
Electrical diagram 18
Printer 19
Accessories 20
Safety precautions 20
Warranty 21
Disposal 22
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Use of the manual
Using this manual will help you to keep your instrument efficient. This manual should be kept in a place nearby
the instrument for easy reference.
Safety information
The device must be correctly installed according to these instructions before starting any operation.
Never disconnect the device by pulling the electric cable from the socket.
Immediately replace the electric cable when it becomes damaged or worn.
When removing this item when connected to an electrical system pay particular attention to the connection
cable.
Always disconnect from an electrical system when:
A. Repairing or maintenance; these operations must be carried out by qualified staff only
B. Cleaning the unit
Use original spare parts and accessories for any replacement.
Do not use this device in the presence of explosive gases.
Precautions during installation
When the electrical system socket is not compatible with device socket, replace it paying attention
to the following coded cable colours:
Grey/Black/Brown: Live - Blue: Neutral - Yellow/green: Earth
Please ensure that the voltage and frequency of the electrical system is compatible with device.
The device must be connected to a ground wire. For any question please contact an electrician.
Before starting up the device ensure that the ventilation grids are free of any obstruction.
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Unit description
General description
The VAPOUR-Line eco 50 autoclave operates by heating element and is classified as a “self-contained steam
generator”.
Operating/project conditions
Working pressure 2,1 bar
Design pressure 2,2 bar
Hydraulic test pressure 3,3 bar
Hydraulic test temperature 20 °C
Overall dimensions
Height: 1005 mm Height with open lid: 1300 mm
Width: 470 mm Width with taps 550 mm
Depth: 550 mm Depth with cable 570 mm
Weight: 60 kg
Sterilisation vessel
Total nominal volume 50 l
Water required 4 l
Sterilisation vessel description
Vertical cylindrical chamber, manufactured in AISI 316L S/S electro polished.
AISI 316L lid, covered with insulating ABS to prevent burns, equipped with a handle for a friendly open/close
operation.
Silicon cover gasket specially fitted for high temperatures.
Structure description
AISI 316L S/S square-shaped outer body.
Safety devices
The autoclave is equipped with the following safety devices:
1. Thermostatic over-heating cut-off
2. Microprocessor electronic safety; prevents total chamber overheating when temperature reaches 138 °C
3. Lid sensor
4. Electrically activated mechanical lock - prevents the lid opening if the temperature measured by the flexible
or the vessel thermoprobe is higher than 80 °C. DO NOT FORCE THE DOOR OPEN. The door can be
opened again only when both vessel and product temperature are below 80 °C
5. Shut-off safety valve when pressure gets over 2,2 bar
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Hydraulic system
• Safety valve
• Wastewater pipe
• Pressure gauge
• Electrical heating element
• Draining tap for vessel water
• Hose connection for condensate discharge
• External port (rear panel) to allow the introduction of a certified thermoprobe
• Electro valve
Electrical system
Complies with CEI EN 61010-1, silicon fireproof cables.
• Heating element power: 3700 W
• Power: Triphase 380 V / 50 Hz
• Provided with tri-phase electric cable
Electric connections
Connections must be carefully followed:
Grey/Black/Brown - live
Blue - neutral
Yellow/green - ground wire
as per the enclosed wiring diagram
Installation requirements:
• Ground wired socket
• An industrial socket with a max. current up to 20 A with a residual current circuit breaker (RCCB) of 30 mA
Working principle
The sterilisation cycle consists of raising the chamber temperature to a desired value and keeping it for an
established period of time.
It is possible to set the temperature value, bearing in mind that there is a correlation between temperature and
pressure. Note that the autoclave is equipped with a pressure gauge which shows pressure measured in bar
units.
The correlation between temperature and pressure in this autoclave is as follows:
121 °C - 1,03 bar
134 ° C - 2,0 bar
Heating operation produce steam which helps air evacuation. The autoclave is equipped with an electro valve
that automatically closes when the air contained in the vessel has been discharged.
When the total sterilisation cycle is completed an acoustic alarm will advise the operator; once the alarm rings
the chamber starts its cool down operation.
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External components description
Pos. 1 - Main switch
Pos. 2 - Vessel pressure gauge
Pos. 3 - Printer (standard)
Pos. 4 - Lid locking ring
Pos. 5 - Command panel
Pos. 6 - Lid opening handle
Pos. 7 - Steam drain hose nipple
Pos. 8 - Vessel water drain tap
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Control panel description
The autoclave is equipped with specially designed microprocessor that controls the entire instrument and the
sterilisation cycles.
Pos. 1 - Display Multipurpose, it shows all the system messages and sterilisation
cycle parameters such as temperature and time
Pos. 2 - Start button Starts the sterilisation cycle shown on the display
Pos. 3 - Stop button Stops the sterilisation cycle and resets all the alarms
WARNING! STOP button is an emergency button. Pushing it will
abort the cycle and will open the valves. We don’t recommend
you push it unless a problem occurs during the cycle.
The same thing will happen if the instrument is turned off by the
main switch.
Pos. 4 - Menu button Enters the instrument setting menu
Pos. 5 - button Scrolls up or increases the displayed value
Pos. 6 - button Scrolls down or decreases the displayed value
Pos. 7 - Enter button Confirms and stores the displayed value
Pos. 8 - LED Reports the status of the autoclave
PRINTER ON: Lit when the printer is enabled
END CYCLE: Lit at the end of a sterilisation cycle
ALARM: lit when an alarm occurs
Operation
1. The autoclave should be placed in a room accessible by the operator only
2. Check that the heating element inside the vessel is fully covered by water
3. Check that the water tap (Pos. 8 page 7) is closed
4. Connect a suitable container to the hose connection of the condensate discharge port (Pos. 8 page 7)
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5. Insert the basket with the items to be sterilised
6. Pull the safety ring placed on the left side of the cover to freely move the cover
7. Close the cover by using the handle
8. Turn on the autoclave by the main switch
9. The display will show the main menu:
10. Select the desired sterilisation cycle. If you want to modify the sterilisation parameter please follow the
procedure described in the following chapters
11. Press START to start the cycle
Flexible thermo probe
The autoclave is equipped with a flexible thermo probe that allows temperature measurement in any point of
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the chamber. The temperature measured by this probe is the PRODUCT TEMPERATURE. We suggest
putting it in the coldest point in order to be sure that the sterilisation temperature has been reached. The probe
can be put inside a small bottle containing liquid that has been sterilised. In such cases, please be aware that
we recommend not to exceed 500 ml
The instrument has also a fixed thermoprobe that controls the temperature of the vessel. The temperature
measured by this probe is the VESSEL TEMPERATURE.
You can stop the sterilisation cycle at any time by pressing the STOP button.
Stops the sterilisation cycle and resets all the alarms
WARNING! STOP button is an emergency button. Pushing it will abort the cycle and will open the
valves. We don’t recommend you push it unless a problem occurs during the cycle.
The same thing will happen if the instrument is turned off by the main switch.
Sterilisation parameter settings
1. Turn on the autoclave by the main switch (Pos. 1 page 7).
2. After the initial presentation the display will show Program 1 (P1)
P 1 1 2 1 C
10m
3. To modify this programme press the ENTER button, or press the or buttons until the programme to be
modified is displayed and then press ENTER.
P1 ►1 2 1 C
10m
4. An arrow will be displayed next to the sterilisation temperature, press the or buttons until the desired
sterilisation temperature is displayed and then press ENTER.
P 1 1 2 1 C
►1 0 m
5. An arrow will be displayed next to the sterilisation time, press the or buttons until the desired
sterilisation time is displayed and then press ENTER.
6. The modified data is automatically stored in the memory.
7. Press the START button to start the sterilisation cycle.
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NOTES:
Program 5 has a double cycle making it possible to set two independent temperatures at the same time.
Program 6 can be used to run a cycle with the additional information of the F0 parameter. The
calculation of this parameter is based on the setting selected in sub menu F0 in the option menu.
Program 7 can be used to run a cycle at the selected temperature until the selected value of the F0 parameter
is reached. The calculation of this parameter is based on the setting selected in sub menu F0 in the option
menu.
Configuration parameter settings
Press the MENU button to modify the instrument configuration parameter settings.
There are eight sub menus:
• “Printer” - modifies the printer settings
• “F0" - sets the value for F0 calculation on programmes 6 and 7
• “Delay” - sets a delayed start of the sterilisation cycle
• “Print last cycle” - prints the last sterilisation cycle completed
• “Password” - sets a password to prevent unauthorised modification of the sterilisation and instrument
settings
• “Date and time” - modifies the autoclave date and time
• “LCD contrast” - modifies the adjustment of the display contrast
• “Service” - This menu is for maintenance authorised personnel only. The parameters stored in this menu can
only be displayed but not modified...with the exception of the language.
Sub menu “Printer”
▲P R I N T E R
▼
From this menu it is possible to enable or disable the printer plus set two different printing intervals for the
sterilisation and heating/cooling phases. Press the ENTER button from the “PRINTER” menu; the workflow is
as follows:
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If the printer is enabled the “PRINTER ON” LED on the control panel will be lit.
Printing intervals can be set from a minimum of 1 minute up to a maximum of 30 minutes with a 1 minute step.
Sub menu “F0”
F0 parameter settings can be modified in this sub menu. The mathematical expression used for the F0
calculation (in minutes) is as follows:
where T is the vessel temperature, z is a microrganism-related parameter ranging from 4,0 to 15,0
(default 10), ∆t is the time interval between measurements. The calculation of F0 starts after a threshold
temperature Ts, ranging from 100 to 120 °C (default 100 °C), is reached.
From the F0 menu, press ENTER.
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Values of z for some bacteria:
Microrganism Mean value of Z parameter
Clostridium botulinum 110
Bacillus stearothermophilus 6
Bacillus subtilis 10
Bacillus megaterium 7
Bacillus cereus 10
Clostridium sporogenes 13
Clostridium histolyticum 10
Sub menu “Delay”
▲D E L A Y
▼0 0 : 0 0
From this menu it is possible to set a delayed start for the sterilisation cycle. From the “DELAY” screen press
the ENTER button:
Once the delay has been set, after pressing the START button, the display will show the delay and the
remaining time before the cycle begins. The delay is stored in the memory, set 00:00 as delay to reset the
delay. The maximum settable delay is 23:59
Sub menu “Print last cycle”
▲P R I N T L A S T
▼C Y C L E
From this menu it is possible to print the last completed cycle by pressing the ENTER button.
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Sub menu “Password”
▲P A S S W O R D
▼
From this menu it is possible to set a password to prevent unauthorised modification of the sterilisation and
instrument settings. The password can be set by pressing the ENTER button from “PASSWORD”.
From the main menu the password will be requested every time the ENTER or MENU buttons are pressed. A
password will not be requested if the password value has been set to 0000 (default value).
Sub menu “Date and time”
▲D A T E A N D T I M E
▼
From this menu it is possible to adjust the date and time. Press the ENTER button from the “DATE AND TIME”
menu.
Sub menu “LCD contrast”
▲L C D C O N T R A S T
▼5 5 [ % ]
From this menu it is possible to adjust the display contrast. Press the ENTER button from the menu “LCD
CONTRAST”.
The contrast default value is set to 55%.
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Sub menu “Service”
▲SERVICE
▼
This menu is for maintenance authorised personnel only. The parameters stored in this menu can only be
displayed but not modified... with the exception of the language.
Sterilisation cycle
1. To start a cycle, select the desired sterilisation programme
2. Press the START button
3. The display will show on the upper row the selected cycle (temperature and time), while on the lower row
will show the actual product temperature and the remaining sterilisation time. In order to see the vessel
temperature, press MENU and use the arrows in order to see both Vessel and Product temperature.
P 1 1 2 1 C - 1 0 m
1 0 3 . 4 C - 1 0 m
4. Once the sterilisation temperature has been reached, the sterilisation time count will begin. At the end of the
sterilisation time a buzzer is activated
5. In the cooling process, when the vessel temperature goes below 100 °C the LED END CYCLE will light up
6. Once the cooling process is completed, open the lid with the handle
7. Switch off the autoclave via the main switch (Pos. 1 page 7)
NOTE:
Press the STOP button to end a running cycle.
WARNING! STOP button is an emergency button. Pushing it will abort the cycle and will open the
valves. We don’t recommend you push it unless a problem occurs during the cycle.
The same thing will happen if the instrument is turned off by the main switch.
The set values are stored in the memory will not be lost after switching the instrument off.
Validation
The autoclave should be checked each time with chemical indicator and validated monthly with biological
indicators.
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Maintenance and cleaning
The autoclave should be inspected annually according to “Good Laboratory Practice”.
Daily cleaning of the autoclave will prevent most future faults.
Clean the autoclave with a mild detergent using a wet soft cloth. Replace the vessel water daily with new, fresh
water. Long-term use of dirty water can cause premature failure of the heating element.
WARNING
Do not use any cleaning product containing halogens or other aggressive substances to clean the
autoclave as this can cause rust.
Temperature/pressure chart
Temperature (°C) 100 102 105 109 112 115 119 120 128 134
Pressure (bar) 0 0,1 0,2 0,4 0,5 0,7 0,9 1,0 1,5 2,0
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Troubleshooting
A malfunction or an alarm condition can happen during normal working procedures.
In the following table the most common fault conditions are described as well as their possible corrective
actions.
BEFORE OPENING THE DOOR, PLEASE CHECK THE PRESSURE GAUGE THAT THERE IS NO
PRESSURE INSIDE THE VESSEL. IN SUCH A CASE LET THE CHAMBER COOL DOWN IN ORDER TO
RELEASE THE EXCESS PRESSURE. DO NOT FORCE THE LID OPEN!!!
EFFECT CAUSE ACTION
Main switch and display are off No power to the autoclave - Check mains voltage
- Check power connections
- Check fuses
Display is off and the main switch
LED is on
No power to the main board Contact technical services, possible
faulty main board or low voltage
power supply
Lid does not Open Product temperature is higher
than 80 °C
Wait until product temperature is
below 80 °C. DO NOT FORCE THE
LID OPEN
Lid does not Open and the product
temperature on the display is below
80 °C
Vessel temperature is higher
than 80 °C. Press MENU and
arrow to check it.
Wait until vessel temperature is below
80 °C. DO NOT FORCE THE LID
OPEN
Heating element is not working - Faulty heating element
- Vessel overheating, the safety
thermostat is cutting off the
heater
Switch off the autoclave, wait for ten
minutes and then turn on it back on; if
the problem persists contact technical
services
The autoclave is not reaching the
programmed temperature
Faulty electro valve If the problem persists contact
technical services
The autoclave only reaches
100/110 °C, but not over this
temperature
Faulty electro valve Contact technical services
The vessel temperature is more
than 135 °C
Faulty solid state relay Contact technical services
ALARM LED is lit and the display
shows: ALARM DOOR OPEN
Door sensor is not activated Fully move the closing handle to its
closed position; if the problem persists
contact technical services
ALARM LED lit and the display
shows: ALARM
OVERTEMPERATURE
Vessel overheating Contact technical services
Display shows "alarm CRC" No water inside the chamber Add water
Display shows "alarm CRC", but
there's water inside the chamber
In order to work properly the
water sensor, as it's based on
conductivity, must be in contact
with water with a minimum
amount of salt
Add a small spoon of salt or a glass of
tap water to the autoclave
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Electrical diagram
Pos. 1 Line fuses
Pos. 2 Main switch
Pos. 3 Noise filter
Pos. 4 24 V power supply
Pos. 5 Thermo probe
Pos. 6 Electronic board
Pos. 7 Lid micro switch
Pos. 8 Electro valve
Pos. 9 Printer
Pos. 10 Safety thermostat
Pos. 11 Solid state relay
Pos. 12 Heating element
Pos. 13 Safety relay
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Printer
The autoclave is equipped with a connection to a printer.
The stored information is as follows:
a) Autoclave model and serial number
b) Date and time of the sterilisation cycle beginning
c) Sterilisation parameters set (temperature and time)
c) Vessel temperatures recorded with the set interval time
It is also possible to write down the batch number and operator sign.
Pos. 1 Opening button
Pos. 2 Paper roll container
Pos. 3 Printing head
Pos. 4 Status LED
Pos. 5 Paper feed button
How to insert a new paper roll
To open the printer, press the
central green button.
Place a new paper roll according
to the procedure described in the
following pictures.
If the paper has been correctly
placed, the LED in the central
green button will remain steady.
A flashing LED means an error.
See paragraph 8.1 of this manual
for the directions to modify the
printing interval.
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Accessories
Description Pk Cat. No.
ECObox-50- basket 320x285 2 481-0672
ECObox-50 mini basket 310x190 3 481-0668
Safety precautions
Opening and closing
The autoclave has a safety block when the lid is open. This block will prevent the lid falling on the hands of the
operator. ALWAYS make sure that the block is working properly and that there’s sufficient space between the
instrument and the wall behind, in order to allow the lid to open completely and block to be activated.
After a cycle, the instrument should only be opened when temperature is below 80 °C and the inner pressure
is at 0. Autoclaves have safety devices in order to avoid accidental opening. In this case DO NOT FORCE the
instrument open.
Opening the autoclave when power is off is NOT recommended.
Personal Safety Systems (PSS)
All the safety devices on this autoclave will prevent accidental opening. However, sterilised loads can undergo
thermal shock during a cycle that can cause breakages during opening, although in very rare circumstances.
The following PSS workwear should be near the instrument and always worn by personnel:
Heat resistant gloves
Heat resistant face mask (e.g. made of polycarbonate)
Protective glasses
Labcoat
Sterilisation of liquids
Please note that liquids in a load have a thermal capacity bigger than the steam in the chamber. For this
reason they’re always a “step behind” the temperature measured in the chamber. The more viscous or bulky
the liquid is, the more this phenomenon may occur.
So, when the chamber is less than 100 °C, liquid inside the load can be at a temperature higher than this.
Consequently if the autoclave is opened, liquid inside (that is at a much higher temperature) may come out in
a turbulent manner and dirty the internal chamber or, (worst case) splash the operator. If the container is
closed it can explode.
If you’re sterilising liquids, always consider at least a 20 °C difference between chamber and temperature and
load temperature. The instrument should therefore be opened at 50 - 60 °C.
We strongly recommend NOT to sterilise liquids in containers bigger than 2 litres. Containers should be no
more than ¾ full.
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