thyssenkrupp’s Udhe High Pressure Technologies won a contract to deliver a pharma-grade supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) plant.
The scope of the supply includes the skid-mounted plant as well as on-site installation and commissioning support. The plant will be used to extract solids for the manufacturing of products for the health care sector.
The plant includes extractors for solids extraction, a column for liquids extraction, separators, a buffer tank, heat exchangers, a carbon dioxide pump, a co-solvent pump and a feed pump.
Fabrication of key components as well as the pre-assembly of the plant will take place in Hagen, Germany. The installation and commissioning of the plant will be done at site using a modular, skid-mounted solution to quick start the commissioning after delivery.
Supercritical carbon dioxide is used as a solvent, which is non-toxic and free of solvent residues. This makes it ideal for applications with high demands concerning product purity, such as the food and pharmaceutical industries.
While standard supercritical extraction equipment is suitable for food and chemical products, the pharmaceutical industry has even higher requirements concerning materials, surfaces, prevention of dead legs, cleanability, process controls, qualification, and documentation.
Uhde High Pressure Technologies has developed technologies to fit these needs, including hygienic high pressure pipe fittings and valves, specially modified equipment like the clamp closure system for high pressure vessels, and fabrication procedures like orbital welding of pipes.
The design, fabrication and documentation of the equipment is carried out according to current good manufacturing practice so it can be used for a wide range of processes in the pharmaceutical sector, such as particle processes, extractions and purifications in pressure ranges from 300 to 1000 bar.
“Adapted to individual user requirements, this plant will serve two uses: for production, which primarily involves solids extraction, but also for pilot testing involving also liquids extraction,” SFE plants product manager Volkmar Steinhagen said.
“We are happy to bring our decades of experience in building pharmaceutical-grade plants to meet our customer’s requirements.”