Dry heat sterilization
Dry heat sterilization of an object is one of the earliest forms of sterilization practiced. It uses hot air that is either free from water vapor or has very little of it, where this moisture plays a minimal or no role in the process of sterilization. Process. The dry heat sterilization process is accomplished by conduction; that is where heat is absorbed by the exterior surface of an item and then passed inward to the next layer. Eventually, the entire item reaches the proper temperature needed to achieve sterilization. The proper time and temperature for dry heat  sterilization is 160 °C (320 °F) for 2 hours or 170 °C (340 °F) for 1 hour or in the case of High Velocity Hot Air sterilisers 190°C (375°F) for 6 to 12 minutes. Items should be dry before sterilization since water will interfere with the process. Dry heat destroys microorganisms by causing denaturation of proteins. The presence of moisture, such as in steam sterilization, significantly speeds up heat penetration. There are two types of hot air convection (Convection refers to the circulation of heated air within the chamber of the oven ) sterilizers: Mechanical convection process. A mechanical convection oven contains a blower that actively forces heated air throughout all areas of the chamber. The flow created by the blower ensures uniform temperatures and the equal transfer of heat throughout the load. For this reason, the mechanical convection oven is the more efficient of the two processes. High Velocity Hot Air. An even more efficient system than convection uses deturbulized hot air forced through a jet curtain at 3000ft/minute. Instruments used for dry heat sterilization. Instruments used for dry heat sterilization include hot air oven, incineration or burning, flaming, radiation, microwave , bunsen burner, and glass bead sterilizer. Effect on microorganisms. Dry heat lyses the proteins in any organism, causes oxidative free radical damage, causes drying of cells, and can even burn them to ashes, as in incineration. References. ISO 20857