Active Background Contamination Control™ and SafeCell™ Ultra-Violet System
A Comparative Analysis of Ultraviolet Light vs. High Heat Sterilization in the Cell Culture CO2 Incubator
The concept of Active Background Contamination Control™ in the SANYO MCO-20AIC cell culture CO2 incubator (optional in the MCO-18AIC, MCO-18M, and MCO-5AC) is a combination of unique design features that yield a significant benefit in reducing chamber contamination without downtime.
These features include:
- copper-enriched stainless steel interior construction
- patented SafeCell™ narrow-bandwidth ultra-violet light, and
- patented Direct Heat, Air™ (DHA) chamber heating
Contamination control in the MCO-20AIC is managed by a combination of three basic performance techniques:
- A programmable ultraviolet lamp sterilizes air and humidity pan water without affecting cell cultures
- Polished copper-enriched stainless steel interior walls and plenum components resist contamination
- A gentle, blower-assisted air circulation system automatically ceases when the inner door is opened
Plenum Design, UV Exposure and Air Circulation
The patented SafeCell™ UV air flow plenum promotes temperature uniformity through the chamber shaped by natural and mechanical convection through and around the perforated shelves with gentle circulation through the plenum for UV sterilization and warm water humidification. Air motion stops when the door is opened.
The SafeCell™ UV system gently circulates incubator air through a plenum for decontamination and humidification. At the base of the plenum an isolated beam of high intensity ozone-free ultraviolet light destroys contaminants in the air and in the water reservoir, away from cell cultures, not simply collected in a HEPA filter.
- Contaminants contained within the distilled water in the humidity pan are destroyed by UV
- Sterile, humidified air is released from the lower plenum for vertical convection through and around the perforated shelves
- Interior air motion stops when the door is opened, minimizing movement of room air into the chamber
- Plenum components isolate UV light to protect cell cultures, wihile the UV process continues in the background as programmed without downtime
- Following door openings, trace contaminants which attached to walls, shelves and plenum components are destroyed by the germicidal properties of the inCusaFe™ copper-enriched stainless steel surfaces, and airborne contaminants are eliminated by an automatic 5 minute UV cycle (programmable 0-30 minutes)
- Other design factors that help mitigate contamination include condensation control, inner door gasket design and triple 0.3um filters for vent air and CO2 sensor sampling
The patented SafeCell™ UV air flow plenum promotes temperature uniformity through the chamber shaped by natural and mechanical convection through and around the perforated shelves with gentle circulation through the plenum for UV sterilization and warm water humidification. Air motion stops when the door is opened.
Unlike typical germicidal lamps, the long-life SafeCell™ UV lamp is designed to deliver straight-line performance at approximately 253.7 nm for maximum germicidal efficiency.
UV Lamp Program Options
|
Mode
|
Function
|
| After door opening |
UV lamp automatically ON for five minutes after door is closed. Time is factory set, user programmable from 0-30 minutes. |
| Off |
If UV protection is not desired. |
| Continuous ON (24 hour process) |
Useful for overnight decontamination prior to first use or following total chamber wipe-out after maintenance or service. |
| Continuous ON (repeated 24 hour process) |
Useful for extended decontamination for small percentage of organisms that require greater UV dose (incident energy) beyond standard 24-hour cycle. See Chart 3.
|
Although the contamination control system is factory set for normal use, operation of the UV lamp can be programmed as desired. Program parameters are input through the microprocessor control panel.