Sterilizer

Abstract

A sterilizer which has two transfer chains moving through sterilizing and cooling tanks; open-backed transfer containers with holes in their walls and locking members at both ends, which are supported between the chains; and inner vessels containing the materials being treated, which have holes in the walls thereof and locking means, which are engageable with the locking members, at both ends thereof, and which are adapted to be removably inserted into the containers. Projections extend inward from the circumferential edges of the holes in the walls of the containers and/or inner vessels, serving to support the materials and define liquid passages between the materials and the inner surfaces of the containers and/or inner vessels. Two front intermittent driving wheels and two rear intermittent driving wheels are provided in an inner vessel insertion and discharge section, the chains are wrapped around these wheels so that the parts of the chains which are in front of the front wheels, behind the rear wheels, and between the front and rear wheels hang loosely, an insertion means provided at one side of the front wheels fits the inner vessel from a material feed means into a container supported on the front wheels, a discharge means provided at one side of the rear wheels forces the inner vessel out of the container supported on the rear wheels onto a treated material removal means, and inner vessel guide members for guiding the inner vessels into the transfer containers are provided between the feed means and the front wheels, and between the removal means and the rear wheels, and which are adapted to move pivotally to horizontal positions only when a inner vessel is being inserted into or discharged from a container.