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Vacuum dryer in multipurpose operation

September 4, 2024

BHS-Sonthofen manufactures a vertical vacuum dryer in a fully welded design made of the special material Hastelloy for an international customer in the field of research, development and production of active pharmaceutical ingredients. The machine is designed in accordance with cGMP (good manufacturing practice) to ensure that the high product requirements of drugs and active ingredients are met.

The pharmaceutical industry is constantly researching and developing new, effective active ingredients to improve the health of humans and animals. The production of these modern active ingredients requires increasingly complex manufacturing processes. The products, which are usually moist with solvents, are dried to a fine powder after a mechanical solid-liquid separation, e.g. on a belt filter, rotary pressure filter or a centrifuge, so that they can be processed further.

Our long-standing customer relies on the HVW-T 2000 vacuum dryer in a fully welded design. The dished bottom cover is welded and ground to the conical-cylindrical lower part of the vertical dryer. The aim is to be able to clean the product area fully automatically using a CIP (cleaning in place) system. This prevents cross-contamination with other products in multipurpose operation (in campaigns lasting an average of 1 - 2 weeks).

The temperature and shear-sensitive crystals are guided through the heated BHS helical agitator over a precisely tempered heating jacket. The solvent evaporates in a vacuum even at very low temperatures. The mechanical and thermal influences on the product are thus minimized.

The dried products are dosed into a downstream conical sieve mill via a segmented ball valve. An endless liner system packages the fine powders airtight and dust-free.