PSL Completes Advanced Process Installations for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing in Singapore

Powder Systems Limited (PSL), a manufacturer of filtration, drying, and high-containment isolators for the bio/pharmaceutical industries, announced that it has installed several advanced contained filtration and drying facilities as part of an expansion of a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Singapore.

The first project consisted of a pilot-scale pressure agitated nutsche filter dryer (ANFD) and a discharging isolator achieving a design occupational exposure limit (DOEL) of less than 1 microgram per meter cube 8 hours time weighted average. The discharging isolator allows a full recovery of the dried product from a 0.125-m² filtration area vessel, sampling without process disruption, powder dispensing, and packing off within a safe and contained environment for the protection of both operator and product.

The offloading glovebox of the ANFD was designed for the end user with specific requirements linked to the production room where the installation was planned. The entire system consisting of the filter dryer and its discharging isolator needed to be lowered and mobile to fit in to the room. PSL provided a unique system of raising and lowering the complete installation with the isolator still fitted to the filter dryer. To do so, the lower chamber used during packing off of the final product can be disconnected as well as the filter dryer plate, both fitted with castors to be wheeled easily. The installation can then be lowered automatically via a hydraulic system from a 3.28-m height during operation to 2.15 m during transport.

As part of a new batch extension hall at the same manufacturer, PSL also installed a 0.6-m² filter dryer and discharging isolator with the same features as the pilot plant ANFD. For this installation, instead of a mobile lowering mechanism, this large-scale facility was fixed but supplied with a platform. This addition allows operators to feed products from the top lid nozzle of the vessel with a local control box and have visibility via a sight glass. With the filtration area being much larger, this filter dryer has a bayonet style filter plate, which allows for an automated raising and lowering of the filter plate for maintenance, thanks to a hydraulic system.

PSL has also installed a 1-m² scalping filter in Singapore in 2015. This large-scale filter is used to recover and treat the filtrate of a slurry coming from another vessel. The filtrate is dissolved with purified water and waste liquid can then be recovered for a more manageable waste treatment. One of the unique features is the minimum gap between the agitator and the filter plate. Removal of the agitator for maintenance is easy and compact. The overall height required for access above the vessel has been greatly reduced. The filter plate is a single piece with no screws or bolts for optimum cleanability and its design allows for interchangeability between filtration media materials.

PSL has been exporting to Singapore since 1990 and more installations are planned for 2016 in this market. To support this demand, PSL announced plans to open a new office in Singapore for a faster response time to local user requirements.

Source: PSL