Success stories
Electric steam in a clean room: heating of plant extraction reactors without combustion
Project description
A Spanish pharmaceutical company specializing in plant extraction needed to maintain a stable and controlled temperature in the reactors of its GMP plant to ensure an accurate and safe extraction process.
Original situation:
Challenges posed by the client:
The client is a Spanish pharmaceutical company with a plant for plant production and extraction located in the southeast of Spain.
This plant develops, researches and manufactures pharmacological products and medicinal plant extracts with applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and nutraceutical sectors.
The plant has several independent extraction lines, equipped with jacketed reactors in which the solid-liquid extraction process of active ingredients from vegetable raw materials is carried out using different solvents (ethanol, hydroalcoholic mixtures, water, among others).
The customer needed to achieve and maintain a controlled and stable temperature in the reactor jackets during the extraction process, ensuring uniform and accurate heat transfer. The main challenges were as follows:
- Precise temperature control: Active ingredient extraction processes require specific temperatures to be maintained for specific times. Thermal variations can affect the extract yield and the quality of the final product.
- GMP environment compatibility: The plant operates under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification, which requires all equipment to be suitable for cleanroom environments, with corrosion-resistant and easy-to-clean materials.
- No combustion in the process room: the use of organic solvents (ethanol, methanol) in the vicinity of the reactors ruled out any fossil fuel-based solution.
- Reduced space: the generator had to be installed in the same process room, next to the reactors, which required compact equipment and no need for a separate boiler room or exhaust stack.
- Regulatory compliance: the installation had to comply with the Pressure Equipment Regulation (RD 809/2021) and be legalized before the corresponding Industry Registry.
Proposed solution:
Customized steam solution developed by Giconmes.
Proposed solution:
Giconmes designed and implemented an integral electric steam generation solution adapted to the specific needs of the pharmaceutical plant.
Electric Steam Generator NGV6060
An NGV series steam generator with the following technical characteristics was selected:
- Model: NGV6060
- Electrical power: 60 kW
- Steam production capacity: 85 kg/hour
- Steam type: Saturated steam (140° – 180°C)
- Materials: All components in stainless steel AISI 316
- Thermal efficiency: 99%.
- Direct emissions: Zero
The choice of electrical equipment was decisive: as there is no combustion, the risk of ignition in an environment where organic solvents are present is completely eliminated.
In addition, the all stainless steel AISI 316 construction ensures compatibility with the hygiene and cleanliness requirements of a GMP-certified plant.
Steam installation and distribution network
Giconmes executed the complete installation, which included:
- Steam piping network from the generator to the reactor jackets, sized to minimize pressure losses and ensure a stable supply.
- Integral heat insulation of the entire installation and connections, reducing thermal losses and improving the energy efficiency of the system. Thermal insulation ensures that steam reaches the points of consumption with the required temperature and quality.
- System of drains for the correct evacuation of condensate and the maintenance of steam quality throughout the circuit.
- Flexible connections to the reactors, adapted to the existing plant configuration without the need for structural modifications.
Legalization in the Industry Registry
As part of the scope of the project, Giconmes managed the legalization of the installation before the Industry Registry, according to the Pressure Equipment Regulation (Royal Decree 809/2021).
This included the preparation of the installation project, the required technical documentation (EC declaration of conformity, manufacturer’s instructions, installation certificate) and coordination with the authorized inspection body for commissioning.
Technology used:
- NGV6060 electric steam generator of 60 kW (85 kg/h of saturated steam), built in stainless steel AISI 316.
- Complete steam network to reactors with calorifuge, steam trap system and flexible connections integrated in GMP plant.
CHALLENGES
We meet customer requirements
Steam solution for cleaning in a Spanish pharmaceutical company. We achieved the following results:
Precise thermal control in the extraction reactors, with the ability to regulate the temperature by adjusting the steam pressure, which has improved the repeatability and quality of the extracts obtained.
Elimination of the risk of ignition in the process room by replacing any combustion-based heat source with electrical technology, complying with safety requirements in the presence of organic solvents.
Integration in GMP environment without interference, thanks to the stainless steel construction and the absence of gas or particle emissions.
Compact installation next to the point of use, without the need for a boiler room, chimney or additional infrastructure, optimizing the available floor space.
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There are no emissions beyond those produced during the electricity production process. Consequently, emissions can be neutral depending on the electricity mix. Electric steam boilers are the present and the future.
Absolutely. In fact, it is recommended to achieve maximum efficiency. There is no problem with remote control as long as it complies with current regulations.
A steam generator is a pressure vessel that, together with the piping network, is subject to regulatory control and complementary technical instructions, according to the regulations published in Royal Decree 809/2021, of September 21. Maintenance is divided into a part that can be easily fulfilled by the owner:
- Know and apply the manufacturer’s instructions regarding use, safety measures, and maintenance.
- Not to put the installation into service or prevent the operation of pressure equipment if the requirements of the Regulation are not met.
- Having at least the following documentation for the pressure equipment while they are installed: Declaration of conformity, manufacturer’s instructions (if applicable), and, if necessary, installation certificate, along with other supporting documentation (such as installation project, record of the last periodic inspection, certifications of equipment repairs or modifications, and any other documentation required by the relevant technical instruction complementary to this regulation). For detailed contents, refer to Annex IV of the regulation. Making this documentation available to the competent authority of the autonomous community and the companies responsible for maintenance, repair, or periodic inspections.
- Use the pressure equipment within its intended operating limits as specified by the manufacturer and take it out of service if it no longer meets the necessary safety requirements.
- Perform maintenance on the installations, pressure equipment, safety accessories, and control devices in accordance with the operating conditions and manufacturer’s instructions, and examine them at least once a year.
- Arranging for the necessary periodic inspections as required by Article 6 of the regulation.
- Having and maintaining an up-to-date record of pressure equipment categories I to IV, as defined in RD 709/2015, of July 24, or equipment similar to these categories according to Article 3.2 of the regulation, as well as their installations.
It is known that by applying heat to water, it transforms into steam at the boiling point and atmospheric pressure. From there, depending on the required saturation degree of steam for its proper application, we need to increase the pressure to obtain a higher temperature. To change the temperature and saturation degree of steam, we always need to modify the pressure.
It is a unit of pressure equivalent to 1 kg/cm2, 0.98 atmospheres, or 14.50 PSI.
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