STEAM QM-3: Steam Qualification to EN285

Until now, the quality control of pure steam or clean steam has largely been carried out by a manual procedure, introducing risks of inaccuracy, offering no inherent safety and, moreover, being highly time-consuming. The STEAM QM-3 (patent pending) offers an intelligent solution for all those who wish, or are required, to control their saturated steam production and distribution process in line with international and regulatory recommendations. The STEAM QM-3 contributes easily and effectively to qualifying the quality of the pure steam or clean steam used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries, and in the research, healthcare and hospital sectors.

The STEAM QM-3 is an automatic instrument that verifies steam quality through continuous testing of parameters such as steam dryness (the liquid water fraction in the steam), non-condensable gas (NCG) concentration and superheat quantification, following principles comparable to the standardised methods detailed in EN 285.

EN285 is a European standard dedicated to large steam sterilisers processing medical devices in healthcare establishments. Like HTM 2010, it describes in particular the traditional method for the 3 tests mentioned above. It requires acceptance thresholds of: ≥ 0.95 for dryness, ≤ 3.5% (gas/liquid) for NCG and < 25°C for superheat, based on the operating procedure proposed.

The STEAM QM-3 therefore not only allows conformity with the recommended targets to be verified, but also opens up new avenues for investigating the complex “wetting/drying” phenomena associated with pure steam or clean steam, with the possibility of very fine trend analysis, thereby ensuring better control of overall “steam consumption” and a very worthwhile return on investment.