LTE's Touchclave-R and Touchclave-Lab F ranges use as little as 4 litres water per cycle due to its in-chamber heating, fan cooling system and air-cooled condensate units, making it more efficient.
According to LTE, 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 it is claimed LTE's water conservation system will use up to 35 per cent less water on average.
The integral steam generators used on LTE Touchclave-Lab autoclaves are configured in two 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.
According to LTE, this is an efficient heating method for autoclaves that are only going to be used occasionally over the working day or week.
Alternatively, a constant standby generator can be provided that 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.
