Carbon footprints seem to be on everyones mind at the moment. Every major organisation and institute is looking for ways of reducing utility consumption. When it comes to autoclaves, the main considerations are electricity usage and water usage. LTE Scientific takes all the necessary steps to ensure that its autoclaves are as efficient as possible without affecting the overall performance of its machines.

Water usage is one of the main factors in choosing an autoclave. LTE's Touchclave-R and Touchclave-Lab ‘F' ranges use as little as 4-litres water per cycle thanks to its in-chamber heating, fan cooling system and air-cooled condensate units. 

Larger autoclaves with integral or stand-alone steam generators and water cooling systems use a lot more water per cycle, but steps can still be taken to minimise water usage. All LTE Touchclave-Lab ‘K' models are fitted with a water conservation system as standard. All cooling water from the jacket, condensate unit and vacuum pump is re-circulated back through a built-in water tank. Only when the water temperature reaches a pre-set level will the system replace hot water with cold. Water usage in such machines depends on the cycle or load type, but LTE's water conservation system will use up to 35% less water on average.

The integral steam generators used on LTE Touchclave-Lab autoclaves are configured in 2 ways. One way is to energise the heaters only when a cycle is initiated, meaning that power is sent to the heaters only when required. This is an ideal and efficient heating method for autoclaves which are only going to be used occasionally over the working day or week. Alternatively a constant standby generator can be provided which maintains the steam generator at pressure when mains power is on. This system is more energy-efficient where the autoclave is to be used for the majority of the working day as it keeps cycle times shorter and supplies steam on demand without the need to prolonged heat-up stages which in turn uses a lot of electricity.

For further information visit www.lte-scientific.co.uk