
This design is ideal for new construction, when space use can be planned. It requires less square footage than other designs, with significantly smaller pit size.
ETC’s vertical rising door (VRD) design consists of a solid 316L S/S inner plate and external carbon steel structural I-beam with outer channels to form the door. The door is positioned behind heavy-duty retaining blocks that guide the door. The VRD design utilizes two direct drive hydraulic cylinders, to raise and lower the door and is provided with built in safety links, flow control valves and a dual-action mechanical pump (for the event of an emergency).
Once the door is lowered into position, compressed air is applied behind the gasket, pushing it against a machined sealing surface on the doorplate, to create the seal. The gasket-retaining groove consists of a solid stainless steel block that has been welded to the end of the autoclave, milled flat, and then a precision-groove machined into it. This ensures that a true retaining groove is provided for the door seal.
For door unsealing, a vacuum is drawn behind the gasket, pulling it back into the groove, and away from the door-sealing surface. The door gasket is a round silicone rubber extrusion. The door is retained on two vertical sides. Two proximity safety strips are mounted on the inner and outer edges of the door bottom to stop the door if an obstruction is encountered.