Solar Energy Focusing Technology Applied in Dual-Function Autoclave for Sterilizing Medical Instruments

The study presents theoretical and experimental work on a solar system consisting of an autoclave and parabolic dish that produces steam to sterilize medical tools and distilled water. Thermal performance was examined for summer and winter seasons in Hills, Ooty. Different designs of solar autoclaves or distills were compared based on factors such as sun irradiation, ambient temperature, wind speed, and absorption wall temperature. A copper helical conical coil was used for dual performance. The system satisfied sterilization conditions (121C and 2.05 bar) within 10.6 min and 13.4 min in summer and winter, respectively, when the average direct solar irradiance was (1199,700) W/m<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup>. The daily production reached 8.12 L/day and 10.034 L/day on summer and winter seasons, respectively, from 9:00 a.m. to 16:00 p.m. When various solar distills kinds are compared with similar work durations, the results show exceptional performance. Additionally, this system can be deemed acceptable since it satisfies the needs of hospitals and clinics, in rural locations, from steam and freshwater in the event of an electrical blackout and from using inexpensive, readily available materials from local markets.