Patent ID: 7666369

Claim:
A system for recovery of sterilant gas mixture from a sterilizer chamber comprising: a sterilizer chamber configured to receive a sterilant gas mixture having a concentration of a sterilant gas for sterilization at about atmospheric pressure; a storage tank in gaseous communication with the sterilizer chamber via a gas recovery assembly, wherein after sterilization the gas recovery assembly evacuates the sterilant gas mixture to the storage tank such that the pressure of the sterilant gas mixture is lowered; and a purge gas supply adapted to supply a purge gas to the sterilizer chamber after the sterilant gas mixture is evacuated to the storage tank, wherein the gas recovery assembly includes a vacuum pump and a circulation blower adapted to evacuate the purge gas from the sterilizer chamber to the storage tank to further enrich the mixture of the sterilant gas mixture in the storage tank, such that the mixture of the purge gas mixture and the sterilant gas mixture within the storage tank is at about atmospheric pressure, and wherein the vacuum pump and the circulation blower are further adapted to pressurize the sterilizer chamber at the atmospheric pressure after the purge gas is withdrawn from the sterilizer chamber to the storage tank.