2006 Press Releases-09 - Yokogawa United Kingdom

Runcorn, United Kingdom - 18 November 2006

Independent monitoring of sterilisation systems based on Yokogawa paperless recorders

The Network Solutions Division of Yokogawa UK Ltd. has development an independent monitoring system based on the company’s DAQSTATION DX Advanced range of paperless recorders for the autoclaves used for hospital and pharmaceutical sterilisation.

Autoclaves implement the sterilisation process by exposing the objects to be sterilised to pulses of high-temperature steam at high pressure. Traditionally, these instruments have been run by programmable logic controllers (PLCs) or bespoke microprocessor systems. They typically incorporate a printer to print out information about the temperature and pressure from each sterilisation process, including ‘pass/fail’ information confirming that the unit has reached the required temperature for the specified time.

Paperless or chart recorders are often a requirement to provide independent monitoring of each run from separate sensors to prove that what the steriliser reports actually happened. Currently, many autoclave users have to manually check the independent monitor results, which can be very time-consuming.

Now, however, the Yokogawa system automates this process and produces results which are fully compliant with the various standards including 21CFR11 for the pharmaceutical industry and the European EN554/EN285: Appendix D.

With the Yokogawa system, the PLC or microcontroller in the autoclave sends information on the time, number of pulses, sterilisation temperature and pressure to the recorder via industry-standard communications interfaces. The recorder automatically counts the number of pulses during three sets of pressure pulses according to the pre-programmed micro recipe, and checks that the temperature is within the specification for a given time period. It also checks, via steam tables, that the temperature is within the specification, calculated from the steam pressure.

The autoclave’s controller then interrogates the DAQSTATION to detect ‘pass/fail’ results, and prints out the result of the independent monitoring system. If the result is a ‘pass’, the user does not have to check the file: the results are simply stored.

The independent monitoring system makes maximum use of the mathematics functions incorporated in the DAQSTATION, which are enhanced by the extended length of the mathematics channels and the number of channels. In particular, it detects low-to-high and high-to-low transitions of pressure pulses to count them in each stage of the cycle, as well as counting the time during which the temperature is within the sterilisation band. It also checks that the temperature derived from the steam tables value matches the actual temperature.

In addition to the time saving that results from the automation of a previously time-consuming process, the new system has the major additional benefit of reducing the possibility of human error, ensuring greater accuracy and reliability of results in the long term.

About Yokogawa Electric Corporation
Yokogawa's global network of 18 manufacturing facilities, 83 companies, and over 650 sales and engineering offices spans 28 countries. Since its founding in 1915, the US$4 billion company has been engaged in cutting-edge research and innovation, securing more than 7,000 patents and registrations, including the world's first digital sensors for flow and pressure measurement. Industrial automation and control, test and measurement, information systems and industry support are the core businesses of Yokogawa. For more information about Yokogawa, please visit our web site at www.yokogawa.com

About Yokogawa Europe B.V.
The European headquarters were founded in Amersfoort, the Netherlands in 1982. Throughout Europe Yokogawa has its own sales, service and engineering operations. This dedicated network has been extended to Central and East Europe and Southern Africa to further enhance the coverage and support associated with serving the process control and automation market place. We develop and produce flowmeters at Rota Yokogawa in Germany, liquid analysers and industrial safety systems in the Netherlands. In addition to this dedicated network of Yokogawa subsidiaries a select organisation of Test & Measurement (T&M) subsidiaries and distributors is established in certain areas to support the specific customer needs of this continuously developing and specific market of T&M instrumentation. For more information about Yokogawa Europe go to www.yokogawa.com/eu

About Yokogawa UK Ltd
Yokogawa UK Ltd., part of the global Yokogawa Corporation, is a supplier of enterprise technology solutions to the process, manufacturing and utility sectors. The company is a technology and market leader in instrumentation and control, and holds many key patents and national and international approvals. Yokogawa UK's offices are in Runcorn, Cheshire and High Wycombe.

For more information contact:
Michelle Crowder
Yokogawa UK Limited
Stuart Road
Manor Park
Runcorn
CHESHIRE
WA7 1TR

Tel: +44 (0) 1928 597100
Fax: +44 (0) 1928 597101
E-mail: info@yokogawa.co.uk
www.yokogawa.com/eu