Italvacuum - Vacuum Drying Specialist for Fine Chemical, Intermediates and API Applications

Italvacuum is a well-known Italian manufacturer of vacuum dryers and vacuum pumps for the chemical, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Italvacuum has more than 70 years of experience and manufactures a wide range of original and patented products that comply with the main European regulations (CE, ATEX and PED) and with the increasingly severe FDA rules and cGMP norms.

Paddle vacuum dryers for APIs

Planex System® is a new patented technology designed to overcome the peculiar limits of the traditional paddle vacuum dryers. Planex System is based on an innovative philosophy of working, especially suitable for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API).

Planex System consists of a fixed cylindrical chamber with an eccentric agitator inside with two independent movements, able to rotate on its own axis and tangentially to the cylindrical chamber as well. The double combined rotation allows an optimal mixing of the product, continuously renewing the surface of the mass exposed to evaporation, covering all the volume of the vessel. In this way solvents release is facilitated and drying times are significantly reduced compared with conventional paddle systems.

The peculiar configuration of the agitator, with a diameter much smaller than the one of the drying chamber, and the double rotation not only allow the continuous revolution of the product but also limit the mechanical stress, preventing local overheating due to friction (friction free system). This enables even more delicate and thermo-sensitive products to be treated, as it preserves their purity.

Mechanical stress on the product is significantly lower than the one observed in traditional paddle dryers equipped with concentric agitator, with consequent reduction of the electricity consumption¹. Furthermore, the reduced gap between the agitator profile and the wall of the drying chamber avoids deposition of the product and makes the unloading operation extremely easy and effective, being also foreseen a specific program automatically managed. The obtained results demonstrate that after discharge the Planex System has a minimum product residual: on average less than 1%.

Vacuum tray dryers

MULTISPRAY® dryers consist of a cabinet and a series of shelves heated through the circulation of fluid. The drying chamber is also heated in order to avoid condensation. Internal shelves may be extractable or fixed, both allowing delicate and valuable products to be processed. For the first type a hydraulic trolley in inox is adequate to receive the shelves' frame, ensuring a fast removal (no tracks inside the cabinet). The inner walls and the shelves are perfectly polished. MULTISPRAY dryers also have special closures and particle-free trays for the complete recovery of powders.

Two types of executions, which are suitable for every type of application, are available:

• Vacuum tray dryer with fixed plates
• Vacuum dryer dryer with extractable plates

Both the executions may be provided with the new patented CIP MULTISPRAY Fast Washing System that allows washing and cleaning operations of the drying chamber and of the inner shelves to be carried out in a few minutes, eliminating any risk of contamination for the operator.

Recently Italvacuum introduced a new range of vacuum tray dryers for laboratory scale. These dryers, manufactured with separated cells and auxiliary fittings mounted on skid, are designed for assembly in the glove box.

Multi-product rotary vacuum dryers

CRIOX System, an international patent with more than 400 units operating in more than 30 countries, is a multi-product dryer capable of total extraction of all types of solvents from the wet powders coming from filtering or centrifuge.

The central body is made of a double cone, characterised by soft lines. During the system rotation, this structure helps the continuous revolution of the mass and allows a homogenous and delicate mixing.

Within the drying chamber there are two electric lump-breakers that not only break the eventual pre-existing agglomerates in the wet powders thus preventing the forming of lumps, moreover they also allow for grinding and powdering during the last drying phase, limiting and in some cases avoiding the use of the mill. This helps having bulk products ready for bagging or powders with checked final particle size distribution, where the next operation is often limited to a sifting phase.

The mechanical action of the chamber and the lump-breakers allow the surface of the product exposed to evaporation to be increased and therefore the vacuum drying is carried out in a very short time and with a temperature much lower than in any other dryer. Specific solutions have been developed for automatic loading and unloading and also in order to wash and inspect the plant before changing the type of batch.

Rotary cylindrical vacuum dryers

The TUMBLE Dryer range of rotary cylindrical vacuum dryers is designed for drying, mixing and condensing operations in the manufacture of granulated plastic materials: chips, beads, slices, pellets, scraps, etc.

Vacuum pumps for chemical processes

Thanks to their design, together with innovative technical solutions (such as the new LubriZero® system, which reduced the oil consumption nearly to zero, allowing the use of synthetic FDA-approved oils), SAURUS939 vacuum pumps ensure incomparable performance for the main pharmaceutical and chemical processes, such as drying, distillation, reaction and crystallisation:

• Nominal flow rate from 80m³/hr to 3,800m³/hr
• Vacuum from 7mbar to 0.03mbar
• Extreme operating simplicity 24hr/day
• Absolute reliability over time even under severe operative conditions
• Very limited operative costs, simple and cheap maintenance

A recent analysis issued by the 'Politecnico di Torino'² also dispels any doubt about the purity of the final product, demonstrating that there is no oil contamination.

Semi-industrial and industrial models of the above mentioned products are available at the Italvacuum factory for pilot trials.

Notes

1. Analysys of 'Politecnico di Torino' University - Material Science and Chemical Engineering Department
2. Material Science and Chemical Engineering Department