1, safe
Physical structural integrity *: Under long-term high temperature and high pressure environment, metal parts may gradually age due to fatigue, corrosion or oxidation, reducing the bearing capacity and increasing the explosion risk.
Sealing and pressure relief mechanism: key components such as sealing rings and valves may wear or fail, resulting in sealing failure or abnormal pressure relief, which may lead to safety accidents.
Electrical components: the electrical control system of old equipment may be aging and invalid, which is prone to safety hazards such as short circuit and leakage.
2. Performance effectiveness
Sterilization effect: With the aging of the equipment, the expected sterilization effect may not be achieved, especially for microbial spores with strong heat resistance, there may be incomplete sterilization.
Temperature and pressure control: It may be difficult for aging equipment to accurately control temperature and pressure, which leads to unstable sterilization time and conditions and affects experimental results and biological safety.
3. Maintenance cost and feasibility
Spare parts supply: Equipment exceeding the design life may no longer produce original spare parts, or it may be difficult to purchase, and the cost of frequent maintenance and replacement of spare parts may increase substantially.
Technical support and certification: Old models of equipment may no longer meet the latest industry standards or safety specifications, and manufacturers may no longer provide support services.
4. Compliance with regulations
Inspection and certification: Even if the equipment has passed the appraisal of the quality supervision department, the legal requirements may change after a certain number of years, making the old equipment not meet the new certification standards.
To sum up, if the autoclave in the laboratory has exceeded the design life of 30 years, it is strongly recommended not to continue to use it from the perspective of safety and effectiveness. Consideration should be given to updating the equipment to ensure the safety of experimental operation and the reliability and accuracy of experimental data. Before deciding whether to continue to use it, a comprehensive risk assessment should be conducted, professional technicians or equipment manufacturers should be consulted, and relevant local laws and regulations and laboratory safety management regulations should be observed.