Pharmaceutical environment must be under controlled conditions, especially to influence the production of product quality and control variables such as temperature and relative humidity.In vaporizing hydrogen peroxide biological purification applications, the influence of humidity is also very important, in these applications, the higher the relative humidity can reduce the occurrence of condensation into the area before H₂O₂Steam, such asThis blogDescribed below.

Are we about the vH₂O₂Biological purification ideal solution of articles, we often recommend dehumidification, in order to ensure the vH₂O₂The largest concentration of before condensation can be achieved.Please refer to the white paper:Think about the hydrogen peroxide vapor condensation: biological purification effect".

But how the desiccant?Pharmaceutical companies dehumidification methods vary.Usually used in hvac systems, these systems are very useful, but the typical life science environment need to be more strict control, so need ideal dehumidifying technology.In this article, we introduce Munters dehumidification solution used in the life science applications.

We spoke to Munters for Europe, the Middle East and Africa business development manager Martin Ginty.

Martin Ginty:

I work in Munters for more than eight years.During this period, I served as a number of different positions, including the global pharmaceutical industry managers.For this post, I can see in all the production process of continuous adjustment and the importance of monitoring the humidity of the air.In medicinal active ingredient (API), for example, the entire process of development and production, regardless of the weather or season stable environmental conditions, is used to control the relative humidity of the dehumidifier can fine-tune multiple process ideal relative humidity.

For life science applications, we can provide custom design air dehumidification solution, for example, in a silo, production facilities, storage or transportation, air humidity should be precisely controlled and consistent.When the humidity is under control, production capacity and health situation will be improved.

For example, in the evaporation in the biological purification of hydrogen peroxide is one of the advantages of desiccant can dry environment before operation, so that you can guarantee to purification of any area of the fully saturated vapor concentration.After, you don't need to introduce the region's high temperature and large traffic flow can quickly dry the area, which will help to control operating costs.Imagine the heating glove box or chamber, you can select the strategy of 50 ° C air dry for 5 minutes.Any type but it will also heating equipment of all surfaces and within all things.Often, you want to keep the normal operating conditions, avoid big deviation.For example, if there is a silicone or rubber seals around the doors and Windows, extreme heating/cooling cycle could be harmful.As time goes on, the service life of the sealant can shorten, effectiveness is reduced.

Munters dehumidification machine how to work?

The Image

Part of the dehumidifier has silicone rotor.The rotor size range, from 400 mm to 4.5 meters in diameter, depth is usually between 200 to 400 mm.Air will pass through the rotor.Process flow or "wet" air into the rotor, dry air from the other side.Of course, the word "dry" is relative.Drying depends on the process need, so we adjust the output according to several factors: how much is the input humidity, and air is from indoor or outdoor, in which month and at what time of day.Rotor usually turn around six to eight times per hour, depending on how we set up the equipment in order to achieve the output set point.At some point, concentration of water vapor in the rotor will be saturated, or because of an excess of water vapor molecules and the efficiency is not high, the water vapor will be adsorbed to the large surface area of porous silicon carbide.

At this point, it has entered into the phase of reactivation.The hot air blow out along the opposite direction to drive away the moisture on the rotor.Reactivation of desiccant then get back in the air.From the point of view of thermodynamics, the rotor is in several different state, from the bottom part of the surrounding (bias) very dry state, before the regeneration relatively saturated state.It is a movement of the system.The rotor internal environment to meet the needs of life science environment for cleanliness.Swedish food and biotechnology research institute recently independent proved that the rotor has the property of sterilization and mildew.

We can see the number of devices in the field of time more than 20 years, and still in use.We installed the slightly beyond the specifications of the equipment, provided the space of improving efficiency.After a few years, unless the facility is equipped with good filtering device, such as HEPA filter, or particle may pile up.With the passage of time, the particles adhesion can reduce rotor efficiency.Mechanical integrity will be degraded after many years, but because the particles adhesion on the rotor, equipment degradation depends on the specific circumstances;This means that as time goes on process conditions affect efficiency and service life of the rotor.

Key parameters: the humidity and temperature

In some of the installation, the sole source of air dehumidification devices may be the application.In these cases, the output terminal of the device, we are very close to the location of the exhaust air, install visa with temperature and humidity sensor.The placement of sensors, however, depends on the need to process.After rotor dehumidifying air, for example, may need to be cooling.With water dropped from the air, the air temperature rises.The results, in contrast to the evaporation, evaporation, heat will return to the air.If into the rotor inlet side of the air temperature is 20 ° C, and then leave the rotor temperature may reach about 40 ° C.Usually need the air to cooling, but also has some manufacturing process need the extra calories, such as dry after cleaning.In the end, the important is air mixture into the process temperature.

Temperature sensor placement depends on the use of equipment.Imagine a piping system, returning from leave dehumidification equipment to the actual process of the 30 metres.To measure the position of the temperature and humidity is close to the location of the actual process, which is close to the real application of the location of the area itself.

Designed for specific purposes

Dehumidifier working according to customer specifications, they define the required conditions, and we set the device to create these conditions.We will cooperate with customers in debugging and testing phase.We can adjust the dehumidifier in the environment works, and according to the data collected by modifying dehumidification.Munters has a variety of device can meet the needs of a variety of applications.Beauty of, in a variety of the size of the device, apply the same principle.Remove the moisture in the air, control the temperature, and maintain the correct operating mode.

Some dehumidifying device is very simple, they more or less to blow out of the air, the sensor measurement only conditions for export.Other device ideal, along the air more equipped with sensors to monitor the supply chain.Customer may want to near the dehumidifier monitoring, to ensure its continued operation.If placed in the outlet of the monitoring sensor show dehumidifier and outlet temperature and humidity between the difference is very big, indicates the problems.For example, if the expected exit temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, but measured temperature is 15 degrees Celsius, began to troubleshoot.To whether open the piping system and/or air?Should not does exist in the system?Sensors can show that system is working as intended, and whether the problems.

When using the vH₂O₂Biological purification area using dehumidification machine, we found that the rotor of the silica material is very durable.Usually, at the molecular level, we deal with water vapor molecules and electrostatic attraction between the rotor material.Molecular hydrogen peroxide of hydrogen bond on end in the same way be attracted to the rotor.Obviously, hydrogen peroxide is more aggressive than water, because water is not with hydrogen peroxide as oxidation.But it does not seem to weaken the rotor material itself.Some of our application has been running for many years, and no degradation of the rotor.

Hydrogen peroxide biological purification of steam

Biological purification vaporizing hydrogen peroxideCommonly used in many fields, such as aseptic manufacturing, animal studies, equipment in the laboratory area, level 3 biosafety laboratory (BSL - 3), biological safety cabinet, incubator, glove box and the hospital.During the outbreak of the new champions league, when in short supply, the vH₂O₂Used as the N95 respirator detergents, but need proper aeration to ensure the safety of the user.

As mentioned before, people always worry about the vH₂O₂Impact on equipment.But the vaporization of hydrogen peroxide biological purification worrying is another problem of residue after aeration may cause damage.Although the air is always control on the operator safety levels, but there will be a small amount of H2O2 residues in the atmosphere.Theoretically, this might eventually in products, can lead to protein oxidation, which affects product quality and safety.

H used in the purification applications₂O₂Steam each are not identical, temperature, relative humidity, solution of H₂O₂The percentage of material and environment are the vH₂O₂An important factor in purification process.But after aeration, concentration of less than 1 PPM of H₂O₂May remain in packaging and other materials in contact with the product.There have been many scientists wrote the residual vH₂O₂Influence on specific proteins, but still need to further understand the situation.

Before adjustment stage, however, it is well known that the dehumidifying may increase the risk of condensation can be used before H₂O₂Steam.This helps to ensure high killing rate that killed the percentage of the microbes.Usually, the process need to be 6 log kill rate, namely remove environment 99.9999% of microorganisms.Usually, the bacterial spores (vH₂O₂Very tolerance) a 99.9999% reduction in the results can be implemented in 30-90 minutes and the concentration range of 150-400 PPM.

Regardless of the process, but ideally do not produce water condensation in the environment under the condition of implement the killing rate of 99.9999%.You want to inject as much as possible of the steam, but to keep under condensation point.Despite the micro condensation, but this approach is often referred to as "dry".In the process of vaporization hydrogen peroxide biological purification, humidity helps kill microorganisms, but dripping condensed water would not only suck out some hydrogen peroxide vapor from the air, will leave more residue.Because of the influence of residues may have the risk of product quality, there is no condensation of the vH₂O₂Biological purification process is more popular.Will reduce the humidity as the first stage is a good solution.Desiccant as vH₂O₂The first stage is to reduce the vH₂O₂The key of biological purification of residues.

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