In the pharmaceutical industry, we stumble upon handling acids and sticky materials that are placed in batch reactors. In fact, most bulk drugs are produced in batch wise operations. Acid reactions and crystallization operations are also performed stage wise repeatedly from raw materials treatment to the final purification of product. Active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is the main compound of the drug that has been designed to take care of health issues. Regulatory bodies like FDA (Food and Drug Administration) are always on point when it comes to checking the cleaning of the reactors that used for processing API.
Drugs like Nizatidine, Sertraline HCl and Fluconazole stick to the surface of stainless steel reactors even after they are cleaned thoroughly with water and methanol. Sometimes, traces of it are found when conducting a swab test. The pharma glass lined reactors prevent contamination. These use of a Agitated Nutsche Filter dryer.
A basic reactor model possesses the blue-coloured glass lining inside its surface. The dome is fitted into the cylindrical vessel with the help of “C” type clamps that place food grade basket between them, with the vessel having an opening at the bottom. The hemispherical dome has the space to accommodate a thermocouple, agitator, baffles and dip rod. The dome, and all other parts exposed to the API is lined with pharma glass. Heat transfer to the reactants is provided through the circulation of the heating media like steam through the circular tubes that have been fitted outside the vessel. In most cases, a half pipe jacket is used. PTFE lined accessories are also used to prevent stress when the nozzles for dip tubes and spargers are assembled. A sleeve with PTFE lined is used to mount accessories on the doom. Therefore, pharma glass lined reactors are in high demand as well as Agitated Nutsche Filter dryer.
