NEWSLETTER
ISSUE
Jul to Sep, 2020 Volume 13
LATEST INNOVATIONS
Advanced Automatic Loading & Unloading System for Terminal Sterilizers
Today, the Pharmaceutical industry is growing leaps & bounds, and so is the API-BD (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient – Bulk Drug) Industry. As a result, the manufacturing volumes are increasing significantly. With the rise in the production volume, the operational challenges have become critical for timely delivery of the products. To overcome the difficulties, a completely different approach toward manufacturing process is essential. Today, the manufacturing facility needs to be more efficient than ever before.The manufacturing process of API-BD involves various steps starting from the Reaction, Crystallisation, Filtration, Drying, Milling and so on. Based on each process step, a suitable equipment is employed. These operations are typically carried out in a batch mode and they are highly dependent on the manpower at various stages.
Now, with the increasing demand, the manufacturing capacities are expanding by adding an equivalent resource such as Machinery, Manpower, Space, Utilities etc. These additional resources call for substantial amount of capital investment and operating cost, which adds to the overall production cost. The higher production cost may eventually increase the business challenges in today’s competitive market. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on improving production efficiency and reducing the production cost. To improve production efficiency, the process steps that contribute to higher resource utilisation and bottlenecks need to be analysed. There are several such steps, and one of them is filtration. Currently, in API-BD industry, the separation of solids from a liquid is done using different filtration technologies. Conventional equipment such as Centrifuges, Nutsche filter, Plate & Frame Filters, Agitated Nutsche filter etc. is commonly used for filtration. These technologies offer one or the other limitations which may affect the efficiency in high-volume production.
The analysis of conventional filtration system for high volume processing indicates limitations such as
- Inconsistent results due to batch wise filtration
- Higher filtration time
- Laborious operation
- Large space requirement
- High reactor occupancy time
- Power consumption
Today, several pharmaceutical companies are considering a switch from batch operation to continuous mode as one of the solutions to handle high-volume processing.
Analysing the limitations and market demand, our research team have come up with a better alternative for high volume processing. The solution is an advanced Rotary Vacuum Drum Filter (RVDF).
The equipment offers higher flexibility in terms of operation compared to conventional filtration systems. It offers higher efficiency with the following advantages.
- 1.The RVDF can be operated in batch as well as continuous mode, thereby giving flexibility of operation as per production demand.
- 2.Various advancements such as automatic trough level maintenance, automated filtrate transfer system and automatic cake slicing advancement system eliminates manpower involvement.
- 3.Technology offers continuous filtration, continuous cake washing, and constant discharge with every revolution of the Drum rotation.
- 4.The variable drum speed offers flexibility in achieving desired results for LOD/moisture content and washing quality.
- 5.RVDF offers a unique advantage of controlling the cake thickness, thereby giving consistent higher filtration rate in comparison to other conventional filters.
- 6.The close system minimises foreign particle contamination.
- 7.Provision of a jacket on trough and vacuum tank makes the operation feasible under controlled temperature.
- 8.In addition to direct filter med<
- 9.Handling of solid (after discharge) can be made easy with the provision of conveying systems such as belt conveyor or screw conveyor.
- 10.The system is SKID mounted with an in-built vacuum pump, transfer pump and other accessories.
To understand more about the system advantages, we conducted two different case studies and identified the following observations.
To know more about case studies and Rotary Vacuum Drum Filter, please do let us know on pharmalab@pharmalab.com; mkt@pharmalab.com or 022 66229900.
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Phone: +91 22 6622 9900
Email: mkt@pharmalab.com