Pharmaceutical-Grade Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers

Pharmaceutical processing facilities achieve uniform product blending largely due to consistent and accurate product temperature throughout blending operations.

Enerquip shell and tube exchangers offer efficient heat transfer with both large and small batch products, providing consistency in pharmaceutical product heating and cooling. Shell and tube heat exchangers have several advantages over other types of heat exchangers for product heating and cooling in the pharmaceutical industry.

They are designed with stainless steel surfaces that are polished to low Ra finishes, which makes the surfaces resistant to product build-up and easier to clean.

Shell and tube exchangers can process viscous products better than many other types of exchangers. Through a sight glass or with the use of a borescope, shell and tube also allows for easier visual verification of cleaned surfaces than that of a spiral or plate and frame exchanger.

Shell and tube exchangers can be operated safely at much higher (and lower) temperatures than other designs and can be designed to work under vacuum or high-pressure conditions.

Shell and tube heat exchangers can be designed in a variety of configurations, such as single pass or multi-pass straight tube units, or multi-pass U-tube units. They can be designed to operate horizontally, inclined, or vertically depending on the space available for installation. There are also many options available for surface finishes, mounting supports, insulation jackets and process and utility connection types.

To meet the necessary sanitation requirements, pharmaceutical companies will often employ Clean-in-Place (CIP) systems in their plant. A CIP system is designed to remove product residues and microorganisms from inside tanks, pipes, vessels, and process equipment without requiring disassembly.

Why a CIP system in pharmaceuticals?

In pharma-grade industries, cleaning and sanitation must be performed at appropriate intervals to prevent fouling, reactions, and cross contamination of different elements.

CIP systems rely on steam or hot water as a heating media for their solutions. Enerquip shell and tube heat exchangers use the heating medium on the shell side of the exchanger to heat this solution as it circulates through the tubes, typically to approximately 185F. The stainless steel CIP heaters are normally designed to the same sanitary standard and with the same surface finish as the equipment that is being cleaned.

A typical CIP system includes multiple cleaning steps. First, an initial rinse releases a controlled amount of water to push the product. Then, CIP solution is circulated and heated to the set temperature. Then the CIP solution is recirculated at the proper temperature, and for the proper amount of time to perform the primary cleaning of the system. The CIP solution is then rinsed once, returned to dispose of initial deposits, and then rinsed again. This critical final rinse ensures that the equipment is perfectly rinsed to pharma-grade standards.

Benefits of a CIP system in pharmaceuticals

There are many benefits to installing a CIP system. CIP systems ensure optimal cleaning results with the lowest consumption of water. In many cases, the solution from the final rinse can be used again for the next cycle’s pre-rinse.

CIP systems also allow for the processing plant to maintain operation during cleaning. While one part of the plant is cleaned, other areas can continue to produce product.

CIP systems minimize manual labor involved in cleaning and enhances safety at the processing plant.

Uncompromised Water for Injection (WFI) heating and cooling is vital to maintaining the quality and purity of pharmaceutical products. Our experts can ensure your company has the right shell and tube exchangers for this critical element of the safe and effective operation of the manufacturing plant.

In the pharmaceutical industry, water for injection is a sterile, non-pyrogenic distilled water used for the preparation of products typically to be used intravenously or by injection and for the cleaning of those product-contact components.

Once processed, water for injection must meet all of the chemical requirements for purified water as well as bacterial endotoxin specifications.

Because water is prone to endotoxins and microorganisms, equipment and procedures used to create and store water for injection must be designed and fabricated to minimize contamination. The most common preparation techniques of water for injection is distillation and reverse osmosis.

In the distillation process, water goes to a still where it is heated until it is a vapor, stripping it of its heavier ions, particles, and endotoxins. That vapor is then passed through a series of tubes and recondensed back into its liquid form, becoming water for injection.

In the reverse osmosis process, pretreated water is forced through a semi-permeable membrane. The pores in the membrane filter dissolved ions, salts, and organic compounds. Because the membranes can foul easily, it is important to ensure proper pressure and flow rates across membranes.

Once water for injection is made, it is important that it is either used immediately or stored properly. Proper storing of WFI includes keeping it in motion and at high temperatures of around 90F. Our shell and tube heat exchangers play a crucial role in maintaining even temperature of WFI for storing and keeping it in motion. They are also used for heating the WFI up to 185F during recirculation to prevent any contaminants like micro-organisms from forming, and then to cool the WFI back down to the optimum temperature for storage.

Our highly polished, stainless steel exchangers help to ensure there is no contamination in the system, preventing build up and cross-contamination, and allowing for proper draining.

Choosing the right equipment to deliver WFI ensures the desired flow and temperature at the point of use.

In the pharmaceutical industry, point-of-use water coolers are used to deliver chilled water for various applications such as cooling equipment, cooling products, and maintaining the temperature of sensitive materials.

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Vapor condensers in the pharmaceutical industry are often used with their reactors to capture moisture that could be unsafe for the atmosphere.

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We offer both sanitary and industrial steam generation solutions.

For sanitary and high-purity applications, steam is generated on the tube side of the exchanger, ensuring a hygienic process that is easier to clean and control compared to the shell side. The pure steam produced is ideal for various sanitary processes, including equipment cleaning. In this setup, pure water enters the bottom of the exchanger, where it is heated as it rises through the tubes, while hot oil, plant steam, or waste exhaust streams flow on the shell side.