World News – UA – Addressing the fourth utility of pharmaceutical facilities

For a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant, compressed air is one of the top priority utilities

Compressed air is often called the « fourth utility », which determines its paramount importance in pharmaceutical installations Many industries require compressed air, but in the pharmaceutical industry, if the highest standards do not are not followed, it can lead to reduced performance, deterioration of product and damaged production equipment, resulting in additional costs and unexpected downtime for site owners and operators. Reliable, high quality compressed air is needed to power pharmaceutical manufacturing processes

Traditionally, compressed air had several shortcomings, affecting the manufacture and handling of medicines, such as high maintenance costs, high risk of contamination and the presence of moisture The quality of compressed air in a Pharmaceutical manufacturing process has a direct relationship with the quality and cost of the end product The luxury previously offered by pharmaceutical companies was that this quality was worth paying the extra price Nowadays pharmaceutical companies have to balance rising energy costs and plant carbon dioxide emissions while maintaining product quality and process efficiency This has led pharmaceutical manufacturers to question existing standards and seek innovative solutions for their quality compressed air needs.

In addition, reducing emissions and energy consumption from operations is also receiving increased attention from policy makers Energy efficiency and the broader goal of reducing carbon emissions are increasing the pressures on Manufacturing Industries Regardless of the current pandemic and projected global slowdown, successful and economically viable businesses know they must make investment decisions now to protect their medium-term viability

For a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant, compressed air is one of the top priority utilities Lack of compressed air will shut down an installation, as will lack of power However, lack of good air quality, which does not meet the overall compliance requirements of ISO 8573, 1: 2010 and ISO 8573-7, can lead to a high risk of contamination and moisture This could lead to drug recalls and export bans, damaging the reputation of the company in question.

Through these processes factories must maintain zero tolerance for impurities Oil-free screw compressors are the preferred choice as they compress the air inside an oil-free compression chamber which is well sealed to prevent the lubricating oil from contaminating the compressed air

Until a few years ago, companies used oil-injected compressors with filtration to meet «  class 1  » oil quality standards, which means that the air should not be No more than 001 mg / m3 of oil residue To ensure that no residual oil, airborne particles or vapor could enter the system, they used downstream air dryers and dual line filters to further purify the air

Today, quality sensitive drug manufacturing companies use oil-free air compressors to ensure 100% contaminant-free air production for various applications in their manufacturing and packaging processes However, until recently, these compressors were expensive and were mainly used by large companies and those exporting drugs to markets with strict standards. Thanks to the advanced oil-free technology of compressors certified as «  Class 0  », every company pharmaceutical manufacturing is assured not only of oil-free air meeting the highest standards, but also of much higher energy and uptime savings

Compliance and quality standards clearly define the pharmaceutical industry, prompting compressor manufacturers to evolve and demonstrate their commitment to compressed air purity to the highest standards For several years, the pharmaceutical industry considers water-injected oil-free compressors as a highly efficient alternative to traditional two-stage oil-free dry screw compressors It delivers the same ‘Class 0’ compressed air in a much simpler, single stage design in which cleaned and cooled water is injected into the air end rather than oil, which cools it down and seal the system Therefore, the compressor and air end can run much cooler and at a much slower speed than a dry screw compressor, which results in increased reliability, less wear of parts, less ‘maintenance and better energy efficiency

For pharmaceutical manufacturing where breakdowns equate to large losses, and where reducing power and maintenance costs are critical, the benefits are obvious Most oil-free water injection compressors come with add-ons such as sensitive reverse osmosis (RO) purifiers in the water inlet line, special rotor materials and complex bearing systems These systems have proven to be expensive and prone to failure, but very few companies have successfully eliminated them in their water injection compressors.

The total cost of ownership of a water injection compressor is considerably lower (8% or more) compared to traditional two-stage oil-free screw compressors thanks to the reduced energy consumption and simplicity design as well as ease of maintenance Compared to oil injection solutions, these systems are all the more interesting when the downstream filtration is less strained Simplicity, efficiency and lower maintenance requirements, the language of Advanced design of the latest oil-less closed-loop water-injection compressors can help companies unlock new quality avenues in their compressed air needs while improving peak equipment uptime

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Compressor, Atlas Copco, Industry, Forecast