Clean room dehumidification ensures reliable test results

In order to maintain a very low level of humidity in the clean room, a desiccant dehumidifier is required. An air quality of 5000m3/h must be maintained with the required condition of no more than 20% RH at 21°C, which corresponds to a water content of just 3 grams per kilogram of air. Munters' solution is an MX5000 dehumidification system with pre and post cooling. During the summer period, water content of 3g/kg is required. Before the air is blown into the clean room, it is cooled down to 20°C. In the winter, the process air is mixed with the extract air at +8°C, after which the air is again led through the dehumidifier and onto a post heater, which heats the air to 20°C before it is then directed into the clean room. In order to meet particle level requirements, the process air is passed through an F9-filter in the dehumidifier. Before being blown into the clean room, further filtration is carried out through a HEPA14 filter. The installation is controlled by Munters DryTonic control system which, as well as controlling the dehumidifier, also regulates the cooling, the heating and the humidity level. Dehumidification today ensures that the climate in the clean room is always uniform with constant low humidity. Irrespective of outdoor variations in air humidity and temperatures, production in the clean room is stable all the year round, which ensures that product quality is high. Pharmaceutical products are often sensitive to moisture: powders, tablets, capsules and lab sticks often lose quality and shelf life when they come into contact with moisture in the air. They stick together, become mouldy or break apart. Machines and pipes become clogged, and production, transport and storage are impeded. This is a costly and time-intensive situation that can be avoided. The key is the continuous regulation of air humidity during all production processes, from raw materials to end product, maintaining optimum conditions all year round. Munters energy-saving systems create the correct atmospheric condition so R&D are able to predict precise large scale production performance. Munters systems can also save on first costs as our built-in energy recovery system can reduce the size of the desiccant rotor, without diminishing dehumidification capacity. Our patented PowerPurge technology and EnergyPurge reduce significantly the energy needed for rotor reactivation. As the discharge temperature of the process air is reduced, this results in lower energy costs for post cooling. Munters is the global leader in desiccant dehumidification systems, supplying energy-efficient low dewpoint climates. With offices in over 30 countries, why not look on www.munters.com/pharma for more information and details of local language websites.

SMB manufactures the "Quick-Vet" – a system that can establish the blood's capacity to coagulate (clot) in animals, which is important information for a veterinary surgeon, necessary before carrying out surgery. In a 200m2 clean room, SMB manufactures injection-moulded strips that contain the microstructures and reagents that can establish coagulation capacity. The reagents are extremely sensitive to moisture in the air and during the manufacturing process, in which the strips are welded and packed, climatic conditions must be under total control. If humidity is not maintained at a sufficiently low level, the reagents will begin to absorb moisture from the air, which will change the substance's ability to react with blood in the required manner. Test results on the finished strips would therefore be unreliable. However, if the strips are manufactured under the required conditions, a two-year lifespan is guaranteed.