PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent, at the time of the commencement of a cooling process following a sterilizing process, an abrupt pressure loss within a treatment tank as a result of the feeding of cooling water into the treatment tank and then of an abrupt condensation of steam within the treatment tank.SOLUTION: A provided sterilizer 1 executes, following a sterilizing process of heating a heating target 2 housed within a treatment tank 3 by jetting hot water onto the heating target 2, a cooling process of cooling the heating target 2 by introducing cooling water into the treatment tank 3. An attempt is made in the cooling process to lower the temperature of the cooling water by gradually replacing water within the treatment tank 3 via a water supply means 4 and a water discharge means 5. On this occasion, the flow rate of the supplied water since the commencement of the cooling process till the passage of a set time is lesser than that after the passage of the set time.COPYRIGHT: (C)2014,JPO&INPIT【課題】殺菌工程後の冷却工程の開始時に、処理槽内に冷却水を供給することで、処理槽内の蒸気が急激に凝縮して、処理槽内の圧力が急低下するのを防止する。【解決手段】処理槽3内に収容した被処理物2へ向けて熱水を噴出して被処理物2を加熱する殺菌工程後、処理槽3内に冷却水を導入して被処理物2を冷却する冷却工程を行う殺菌装置1である。冷却工程では、給水手段4と排水手段5とにより、処理槽3内の水を徐々に入れ替えて、冷却水の水温の低下を図る。その際、冷却工程開始後、設定時間経過前は、設定時間経過後よりも、給水流量を少なくする。【選択図】図1
