A PROPOSAL FOR

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF AN AUTOCLAVE (STERILIZER)

PREPARED BY

PROJECT GROUP 1

SUBMITTED TO

PROTOTYPE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT

INSTITUTE (PEDI), ILESA

SEPTEMBER 2011

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A commercial project proposal for the design and
construction of an autoclave sterilizer is presented.
The equipment is used for sterilizing non-ferrous
utensils in hospitals, laboratories, homes, etc.
Methodology for production will entail CAD design,
out-sourcing of electrical components, fabrication
of structural parts and circuit diagramming. All
equipment and professionals required are available
in PEDI, Ilesa. With adequate materials on ground,
ten complete set can be produced within five (5)
working days. The proposed equipment is
estimated to cost N 111, 950 per unit

BACKGROUND
Project Description
Autoclaves are pressure vessels used to process parts
and materials which require exposure to elevated
pressure and temperature. It is essentially used for
sterilization, also for performing scientific experiments,
or carrying out industrial processes. Typically the
chambers in autoclaves are cylindrical, because
cylinders are better able to withstand pressures than
boxes, whose edges become points of weakness that
can break. The high pressure makes them self-sealing
(the word auto and clave mean automatic
locking), though for safety reasons most are also sealed
manually from outside.

1.2 Principle of Operation

Once the chamber is sealed, all the air is removed from it either by
a simple vacuum pump (in a design called pre-vacuum) or by
pumping in steam to force the air out of the way (an alternative
design called gravity displacement). Next, steam is pumped
through the chamber at a high pressure than normal atmospheric
pressure so it reaches a temperature of about 121 140 0C. Once
the required temperature is reached, a thermostat kicks in and
starts a timer. The steam pumping continues for a minimum of 3
minutes and a maximum of about 15 20minutes (higher
temperatures means shorter times) generally long enough to kill
most micro organisms. The exact sterilizing time depends on a
variety of factors, including the likely contamination level of the
items being autoclaved (dirty items known to be contaminated will
take longer time to sterilize because they contain more microbes)
and how the autoclave is loaded up (if steam can circulate more
freely, autoclaving will be quicker and more effective).

Objective and Scope

The main objective is to undertake

the
project
as
a
PEDI-based
developmental research. The scope
of
the
design
is
limited
to
extermination of microbes that
cannot thrive above 121-140 oC.

MATERIALS AND METHOD

Material Planning
S|N

Parts/ components

Material

Description/Specification

StainlessSteel

2mmthick,4X8ft

No

1.

InnerDrum

2.

OuterDrum

3.

Cover

4.

InsulatingDrum

Fibre

5.

Heater

6.

Electrodes

HeatingElement Industrialgrade(1.8kW)
Stainless
Electrode
EI308

7.

Boltsandnuts

Metallic

DependsonHandle

8.

Safetyvalve

Metallic

Springloaded

9.

ManualExhaustValve

Metallic

Manual

10.

Pressure/Temperature
gauge

1packet

11.

Gasket

Silicon

12.

TemperatureController

13.

MCB

10Amps

14.

Buzzer

AC

15.

Handle

Polymeric
Material

16.

ConnectingWires

Several

17.

PowerChord

15Amps

Tooling Planning

S/n
1
2

Unit
Process
Operation
CAD Drawing
Materials/components
purchase

Availability / location
/Tools / Equipment /facilityof
equipment /
required
manpower
AutoCAD (Autodesk)

PEDI, Ilesa

Cash and conveying vehicle,

Machining
(cutting,
boring, drilling, milling,VMC, CNC/ENC lathes,PEDI, Ilesa;
facing etc.)
Laser cutting m/c
Akure

Joining (welding, bolting,Arc & laser welding m/c,PEDI, Ilesa;

riveting, bracing, etc.)
electrodes
Akure

Coupling of parts

Electrical/mechanical kits

PEDI, Ilesa

Electrical wiring

Electrical kit

PEDI, Ilesa

10

Test running

PEDI, Ilesa

EMDI,
EMDI,

11

Prototype development All professionals

PEDI, Ilesa

12

Advertisement
and
showcasing/exhibition Exhibition team

Trade fairs, exhibition

centres,
internet,
newspapers, journal
publication,
conference centres

13

Ceding to SMEs and

general marketing
Marketing team

PEDI, Ilesa

14

Training
and
maintenance operations Maintenance team

PEDI, Ilesa

2.3 Method Planning

This section highlights the basic steps involved in the design

and construction. At this stage, the planning is less meticulous
about micro-sequencing of fabrication activities.
CAD design
Purchase of materials/components
Machining (cutting, boring, drilling, milling, facing etc.)
Sub-assembling of parts (welding, bolting)
Electrical wiring
Final coupling of parts
Prototype development
Advertisement and showcasing/exhibition

Ceding to SMEs and general marketing

Training and Maintenance operations

DESIGN DETAILS
Part Design
Drawings

Cover

Outer Drum

Insulating Fibre

Inner Drum

Handle

Sub Assembly Drawing

Final Assembly Drawing

Heating Element
Pressure Gauge

Safety Valve

3.4

Electrical Diagram
Theelectricdiagramforthetemperaturecontrollercircuitisshownbelow.

A.C
Supply

Thermocouple

L N + -

N
C

NO
888

MCB

SET

TemperatureController

Switch

Buzzer

Heating Element

TECHNICAL INFORMATION ON PROJECT

Business Plan
Number of personnel: The project will be carried out
by five (5) personnel
Unit cost: The price of an autoclave will vary
enormously as a function of what has been designed
and built into it. It is sensitive to some factors and
insensitive to others. The price will depend largely
upon its diameter and to a much lesser extent upon
its length. Some of the features of an autoclave allow
a wide range of options, and some of these can
affect price dramatically. In considering acquisition of
an autoclave, it is prudent to take nothing for
granted; look at all possible options and variations.

Thetablebelowshowsthepriceofthecomponentsandtheadditiongivestheunit
costoftheautoclave:

S/N

Parts/ components

Quantity needed

1.

InnerDrum

2.

OuterDrum

2 sheets of 1200x2400mm (2mm

50,000
thickness)

3.

LaggingDrum(Fibre)

1bag

3,500.00

4.

Heater

10,000.00

5.

StainlessElectrodes(EI308L)

1Packet

1,500.00

6.

Boltsandnuts

400.00

7.

Safetyvalve

2,000.00

8.

ManualExhaustValve

1,800.00

9.

Pressure/Temperaturegauge

5,000.00

10.

SiliconGasket

1,000.00

11.

TemperatureController

15,000.00

12.

MiniatureCircuitBreaker(MCB)

3,500.00

13.

Buzzer

3,000.00

14.

Handle

3,000.00

15.

ConnectingWires

Numerous

500.00

16.

15ampsPowerChord

1,000.00

5,000.00
106,200

17.
Thermocouple(k-type)
TOTAL COST PRICE

Estimated Cost (In Naira)

Time Estimation:

Costofmanufacturing1unit=N106,200

Costofmanufacturing480units=N106,200X480Units

=N50,976,000perannum
GeneralExpenses(GE)=N230,000permonth
=N2,760,000perannum

No of Days
5

No of Autoclave Produced
10

20

40

240

480

General expenses include amount procured on maintenance

and repairs, communications, research and development,
advertising e.t.c.
Total cost of production of 480 units per annum = N 53,736,
000
Therefore total cost of production for 1 unit = N 53, 736,
000/480Units
= N 111, 950

Unit price: The selling price/unit will be N 150, 000

Break-Even Point:
This is the number of unit to be sold to give the total
production cost
Break-Even Point = Total Production Cost / Unit Price
= N 53, 736, 000 / N 150, 000
= 359 units

Pay-Back Period:
The payback period for this project is the number of days for
the production cost to be realized.
Payback Period = (Total no of Days X Break-Even Point) / No
of units produced
Payback Period = (240days X 359Units) / 480Units
= 180 days
Total Income (Profit) = Total expected sales Total product cost
(Total Expenditure)
Total expected sales = No of units produced X Selling price
= 480units X N 150, 000
= N 72, 000, 000
Total Income = N 72, 000, 000 N53, 736, 000
Total Income = Profit = N 18, 264, 000

Potential customers:
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech industries.
Food research & quality assurance
laboratories.
Agriculture research & quality assurance
laboratories.
Health care & diagnostic laboratories.
Veterinary diagnostic laboratories.
Universities, and all centers requiring
assured sterilization.

4.2 Manufacturing Layout

Effective floor space: In order to
guard
against
production
floor
hazards and at the same time adding
an extra margin of safety to the
whole process of production, a
minimum of 16ft X 16ft floor space
will be employed.

Manufacturing sequence
S/N PROCESS

1.

MACHINE TO BE MAN POWER

USED

2.

Marking out/cutting of Meterrule,Steelrule, 2

stainlesssteelsheets
Plasma
cutting
machine
Folding/Bending
BendingMachine
3

3.

Welding

WeldingMachine

4.

Grinding

GrindingMachine

5.

Boring

CNCLathe

6.

Final
Welding/Grinding

Welding/Grinding
Machine

7.

Fixing of Electrical Electricaltoolbox

Parts

4.3 Design Limitations and Constraints

Technical limitations: They include:
Folding of the stainless sheet to a uniform cylinder.
The polymeric handle will have to be purchased locally
from scraped materials due to huge cost of producing
new ones.
Manpower limitations: Experts needed to handle
some technical aspects (e.g. bending of the stainless
sheet into a uniform cylinder) are not readily available.
Financial limitations: These led to
Inability to visit existing sites where autoclaves are
used
Improper market survey for components price fixing

Conclusion

This project proposal is a prototype of an existing

conventional autoclave machine which is yet to be produced
in Nigeria. It has the capability of satisfying its users in the
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech industries, Food research &
quality assurance laboratories, Agriculture research & quality
assurance
laboratories,
Health
care
&
diagnostic
laboratories; Veterinary diagnostic laboratories; Universities,
and all centers requiring assured sterilization. This provides a
ready market for our product. Since the conventional
autoclave sells for N250, 000 or more, and ours would go for
N 150,000 the price will favourably compete with the
conventional ones and of good standard to meet the
specifications of ASME/SON.

Recommendation
Further improvement can be made on the
autoclave by incorporating a solenoid valve for
purging instead of the manual exhaust valve, a
water level sensor can also be incorporated to
protect the heating element, and a timer to
indicate end of sterilization cycle.
Research is still ongoing by the group in
achieving this.
In view of the above, we recommend that the
institute embark on this project for mass
production.