Vacuum Pump Application (3) - Pharmaceutical Industry

As an important industrial equipment, vacuum pump has very wide applications. For example plastic & rubber machinery, medical & pharmaceutical industry, food & beverage industry, packaging industry, printing industry, textile industry, woodworking industry, chemical & petrochemical industry, electric power plant, metallurgy, mining, environmental protection industry, etc.

This article mainly tells how vacuum pump is used for pharmaceutical industry.

Application

Drying (tray, spin, flip, cone and freeze dryer)

Reproduction/Reactor Drying

Distillation

Degassing

Crystallization/vaporization

Filling and / or material transfer

Capsule filling machine

Drying 

Drying is a low-cost, relatively low-temperature process that evaporates liquids from solids by reducing vacuum, without the biological components or active ingredients being damaged/degraded/oxidized. Dry medical/biological products to remove solvents and water. After drying, the remainder is a granular preparation that is pressed into tablets. The remaining moisture level is low, allowing the product to be stored for a longer period of time.

Reproduction/Reactor Drying

The fine chemicals, medical and aromatics industries use reactors. Vacuum devices are used to reduce/control reaction temperatures, remove reactants, reduce costs and control/improve product quality, and capture products.

Pump technology is used in many chemical reactions and drying applications, including medical semi-finished products, neutralization and adsorption chemical reactions, desorption/cracking of hydrocarbons and other chemical products and synthesis of compounds.

Distillation

Distillation is the separation of two or more levels or parts with different temperatures, pressures, compositions and phases. As the distillation column approaches equilibrium, each fraction has a different concentration and can be separated. Distillation columns separate different air pressure by changing the vacuum degree and temperature.

The vacuum system removes non-condensables, water and light hydrocarbons from the system, allowing the feedstock to be processed through the distillation column for separation. The gas discharged from the top of the distillation tower is condensed, and the liquid is returned to the distillation tower for further separation. It is typically used in fatty acids, single-component glycerol hydrochloride, vitamins (A, E), oils, greases, paraffin, pesticides and plasticizer , etc.

Degassing

Degassing is the removal of gases that dissolved/trapped in a liquid or product. Vacuum pump can remove gases from liquids, improve their physical properties, improve product quality for further processing, and avoid cross-contamination or corrosion.

Here is a simple list of uses:

Degas oil to improve purity (hydrocarbon oil, insulating oil, turbine oil, brake fluid and hydraulic brake oil, etc.).

Degassing glues, pastes and paints to remove excess gases that may harden or degrade product quality.

Degassing the polymer in the extruder machine to achieve higher product quality or obtain bubble-free parts.

Degassing water in pharmaceuticals, food and boilers.

Crystallization/Vaporization

Crystallization is the evaporation and cooling of supersaturated liquids to form crystals. These crystals are easy to carry, store and sell. For this application, a vacuum pump can be used to control the evaporation/cooling speed over all pressure ranges, reducing production costs by lowering the boiling point of the liquid.

These applications include:

Concentration: distillation, emissions, radioactive waste, black liquor, sugar, beets.

Restoration of gold plating raw materials and photographic solutions.

Production of ammonium nitrate and sodium hydroxide, etc.

Crystal sugar, salt, hygienic balls, aniline, urea, calcium sulfate, potassium carbonate, amino acids, penicillin and antibiotics.

Filling and/or Material Transfer

When milky and paste-like objects are injected into pipes, etc., the air inside needs to be exhausted. This can be done with a small liquid ring pump on the filling machine. A vacuum pump is used to add the liquid into the box, and then the liquid is discharged through the compressor, thus realizing the transfer of the liquid.