How to select vessel for your pharma applications（part Ⅱ）

Some guidance related to vessel selection

Some factors for selecting a vessel for pharmaceutical applications can include the following.

Vessel Capacity

The vessel's capacity is the accrual volume of a liter that can be contained or held in it, and it is the function of physical dimensions, i.e., Length, Width, and height.  Generally, it is expressed in liters, for example, 500 and 1000 liters. Pharmaceutical manufacturers look for vessels that suit their batch sizes. If a lower volume vessel has been selected, it will ruin the pharma product manufacturer's efforts to keep pace with the market demands. Similarly, if oversized vessel is selected, it will increase the pharma manufacturers' cost during the production process, maintenance and energy utilization

When planning to procure a vessel for your application, it is necessary to determine the operational capacity of your production needs, which must be communicated to the manufacturer.

Surface Finish 

The surface finish requirement for every pharma equipment must be within acceptable limits, and the same goes for the vessels in the pharmaceutical industry. So, it is necessary to verify the relevant surface finish requirements, which include the following:

• Product Contact parts or vessels inside the structure should be constructed of SS316 to prevent corrosion and product contamination.

• Non-contract parts, such as the vessel's outside body, must comprise SS304. It also includes the vessel frame, if required.

• There should be no dead points that accumulate liquid or chemicals, making cleaning difficult.

• Surface roughness must be less than 0.8

Vessel Types

As mentioned earlier, depending on the application, different types of vessels are used in the pharma industry. A vessel designed for a particular application cannot be used for other applications, including Storage, Manufacturing, and Pressure vessels.

When purchasing a vessel, 

• If you plan to use the vessel in manufacturing, the vessel contains features such as heating, a mixer, and relevant pneumatic components.

• If you plan to purchase a vessel for storing fluids, it would not require dedicated features, such as a mixer, instrumentation, and heating.

• If you plan to purchase a vessel for pressure applications, it should contain features such as pressure monitoring, safety devices, and pneumatic ports for applying pressure inside.

• A glass-lined vessel is specialized in which glass lining is applied inside the vessel's wall. These vessels are used to manufacture sensitive products such as parenteral.

Top Ports 

Ports are connection points for different piping and fittings to the vessels. The port selection depends on the physical variable required during the process.

Some factors to consider when selecting a port include the following: 

• Connection type - quick connect, NT type, vent ot tri-clamp

• Connection size - connection size in diameter

• Number of ports

• Application of ports, such as pneumatic

Bottom

It is the specification of the bottom of the vessel and typically includes a valve to discharge the liquid from the vessel. and can be 

• Butterfly

• Ball valve

• Any other as per the product requirement

Physical Variables

As mentioned earlier, some vessels require physical variables such as temperature and pressure for their process execution. For this, it is necessary to design the vessel for a specific variable range. Failure to comply with physical variables,

Temperature 

Some products require heat for process execution, commonly supplied by steam. For a vessel, its internal material must bear high temperatures. Otherwise, the material can degrade and damage the vessel's main structure. The outer surface of the vessel must be jacketed to nullify the effects of high temperature inside the vessel

Pressure

Pressure is applied as a part of different process requirements. The pressure-related vessels are specially designed and manufactured to sustain internal pressure and are made of leak-proof material to prevent leakage.

The process's operating pressure must match the vessel's design requirement, and if a vessel is not designed for high-pressure activities, it must not be used for high-pressure activities. the vessel must also contain safety devices to prevent damage related to abnormal pressure

When purchasing a vessel, carefully review your requirements; if your application requires pressure or temperatures, it must be specified at the time of purchasing to avoid confusion later.

Instrumentation

Instrumentation monitors different physical values inside the vessel, which mainly consist of the following:

Temperature

The temperature sensor is used to monitor the temperature inside the vessel. They are used if the vessel is designed to operate at high temperatures.

Pressure

The pressure indicator indicates the pressure inside the vessel and is used in vessel designed to operate at higher pressures.

Level

The level sensor measures the level inside a vessel for monitoring and preventing tank overfill. Commonly, there are two techniques for measuring level -proximity sensor and load cell.

When selecting a vessel for your application, it is necessary to assess which process variable requires monitoring, and is selected based on the variable involved in the process.