Materials Selection Issues For Heat Exchangers In The Pharmaceutical Industry

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This paper summarizes the selection of material for heat exchangers for a recently constructed pharmaceutical plant used for synthesizing the active organic chemicals in the development of pharmaceutical products. Materials issues and consideration of the life-limiting processes formed a key part of this analysis and decision-making process. Lifecycle costing was used to help choose between tantalum shell and resin-impregnated graphite block heat exchangers.

Introduction
The manufacturing of pharmaceuticals is carried out in three parts: the manufacture of the bulk chemical (the active ingredient), followed by the purification process, and then formulation.

Relatively small amounts of very expensive active ingredients (e.g. £1000 per kilogram) are manufactured in the Pharmaceutical industry, and so process vessel volumes are generally less than 10 cubic meters. Heat exchangers are used in four main ways:

• Process vessel condensers.
• Heat-cool-chill packages, supplying indirect heat transfer to reaction masses. These are small plate or shell and tube heat exchangers, made, for example, from 316L stainless steel.
• Small (e.g. "Helicoil"-type) heat exchangers are used to heat nitrogen to dry isolated product on pressure filters.
• Active ingredient formulation into products. The type of heat exchanger used depends on the formulation process.

This paper covers their application as process vessel condensers, which are used for solvent containment during processing or clean-outs, and less frequently for distillation. They are in intimate contact with reactants and products, and have, in the past, been made from resin-impregnated carbon (graphite) block.

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•White Paper: Materials Selection Issues For Heat Exchangers In The Pharmaceutical Industry