Ensuring Safety In Reactor And Centrifuge With Oxygen Gas Monitoring System

By Mettler-Toledo AG, Process Analytical, Inc.

Critical reaction and extraction stage in an API production process can be ensured safe with inline gas-phase oxygen sensing technology which eliminates costly and maintanence-intensive systems.

Established in the year 1990, with Research & Development as its prime fundamental, Divis Laboratories focuses on developing new processes for the production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and intermediates. The company in a short matter of time expanded its breadth of operations to provide complete turnkey solutions to the domestic Indian pharmaceutical industry. Divis Laboratories Limited, whose head office is located in Hyderabad, owns two API manufacturing units, one some 60 km from Hyderabad employing approximately 1500 people, the second similar at Vizag in Andhra Pradesh. Both units are involved in the production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Intermediates for generics, custom synthesis of API's and advance intermediates for the giants of the pharmaceutical industry.

There were two processes in particular which have to be carefully monitored and controlled for safety reasons. The first is a batch reaction process in a glass-lined reactor using highly flammable / volatile organic solvents with strong chemically corrosive properties. The second process, solvent recovery by centrifugation, involves flammable vapors which at an oxygen presence of more than 8 % could lead to a dangerous explosion. Therefore, in order to minimize oxygen intrusion, inert nitrogen gas is purged into the reactor and centrifuge. Vapors are collected at the vents at slight vacuum. To ensure safety, effective and reliable monitoring of the oxygen percentage concentration is highly essential in order to be able to control the amount of oxygen that can intrude into the reactor or centrifuge.