Gas dynamics of ethylene oxide during sterilization

This article reports a case study of the dynamics of ethylene oxide gas dur ing sterilization using a microwave spectrometer. A diffusion equation is u sed to describe the processes of gas penetration, gas sorption, and chemica l reactions. The three processes, although mathematically related, may be s olved separately under simplified assumptions. This permits the prediction of gas penetration and sorption as well as the effect of chemical reactions upon the gas concentration for loads of differing dimensions and densities . (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(99)04707-3].