Failing Insulation Could Lead To Catastrophic Failure In A Cleanroom Environment

By Mike Rust, Global Development Manager, T-FIT®

Because the pharmaceutical cold chain effectively starts in the cleanroom, choosing the right insulation is a crucial first step in maintaining quality. As is clear from the checklist of features just described, the cleanroom environment is a challenging one for insulation, and the challenges are especially apparent in the pipework and ducting that provide the essential underpinning of the cleanroom’s functions.

An effective pipework insulation solution must perform a number of functions, starting with preventing condensation, a common cause of contamination. Condensation will form on chilled process pipework if the temperature at the pipe’s surface falls below the dew point of its environment. Uncontrolled, condensation can lead to corrosion of the pipework. To prevent this happening, it is necessary to raise the surface temperature of the pipework above the dew point, so that droplets do not form on the surface of the insulation.

At the same time, the chosen solution must deliver peak performance on pipes that are subject to wide temperature variation — chilled one moment, then subject to high-temperature steam cleaning the next. A wide operating temperature range is therefore essential.

Continue reading to learn how a Chinese biological products developer and manufacturer Shenzhen Kangtai faced all these issues when the company expanded and upgraded the cleanroom manufacturing facilities and the solution that worked for them.