The autoclave (10) has a pressurised working chamber within which an endless conveyor passes the objects to be treated through a hot water bath. A wall (14) divides the working chamber into a treatment zone (15) and a heat exchange zone (16). Arranged in the latter zone above the water level (11) there are an inlet port (12) and an outlet port (13) which interact with locks (23 and 59, respectively). The objects to be treated are accommodated in perforated conveying containers (18). The conveying containers (18) are supplied and removed by an external conveyor (17). Heat transfer takes place, in the heat exchange zone (16), between the conveying containers passed back through the working chamber from the circulation and those which have just been introduced. As a result, the heat losses are reduced. IMAGE
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