SOLAR AUTOCLAVE FOR RURAL CLINICS

Solar autoclaves can have great contribution by facilitating minor surgery in the developing world by sterilizing surgical instruments and combating infections. Solar autoclave that utilizes solar energy to generate steam and sterilise surgical instruments using a parabolic dish concentrator and a pressure cooker is designed, manufactured and tested. The total thermal power required to complete the sterilization process of an assumed load of medical instruments put in a pressure cooker is calculated to size the parabolic dish reflector area.The temperature and pressure parameters of the steam necessary for sterilization have been tested. In the first three tests made a steam with a temperature and pressure values of 1210C and 2 bars, which are the designed values the pressure cooker could give during operation, were obtained continuously for 30 minutes. But, due to failure occurred on the relief valve, steam was escaping from the pressure cooker before the pressure reaching 2 bar. To prevent this problem, a small metal strip load was kept on the relief valve. As a result, the temperature and pressure were able to reach to a maximum value of 128oC and 2.6bar. Since the steam temperature and pressure values obtained tofulfil the requirement for sterilization, the manufacturing of solar autoclaves (or solarclaves) replaces the work of electrical autoclaves in areas where electricity is not available in a reliable and sustainable manner.