Water filtration for ampoul- and bottle-washing machines

Home Industry solutions Pharmaceutical industry Water filtration for ampoul- and bottle-washing machines

Features of the production of water for pharmaceutical production:

• Water for injection can be obtained using two-stage reverse osmosis, distillation or steam condensation;
• water should be stored and supplied to the place of use only hot, at a temperature not lower than 80°C in order to avoid the growth of microflora;
• The water used both for the preparation of drugs and at the final stages of washing and rinsing should be filtered through a filter with a pore size of at least 5   µm.

Requirements for filtration equipment:

• heat resistance of filtration equipment;
• no impurities in the filtrate;
• ensuring a given degree of cleaning.

Filter elements for filtering water:

1. The most appropriate is the use of depth filter elements of fluoroplast-4 mark ECOPLAST-F:
   • Operating temperature up to 160°C;
   • Filtration rating from 0.5 to 10   μm;
   • Reliability, durability and high capacity for regeneration;
   • Filtration efficiency of 99%.
2. To filter desalinated water, new filter elements are used – corrugated brand elements  ECOPLEN-F   based on a low-selective fluoroplast-4 membrane :
   • filtration rating from 0.5 to 5   μm;
   • a large filtration area, characteristic of the membrane element, is combined with high strength and ability to regenerate, inherent in the depth element;
   • Filtration efficiency is close to the values typical for membrane elements – 99.9%;
   • operating temperature up to 130°C;
   • sterilization of live steam in a line at temperatures up to 134°C without limitations on the number of sterilization cycles;
   • long service life while ensuring high performance.

The hydrophobicity of PTFE-4 is not an obstacle when using elements for filtering liquids, including water and aqueous solutions. When creating pressure in the filter holder over 1 atm with the outlet valve closed and complete removal of air from the volume of the filter holder, all filter element pores are filled with water and its initial resistance does not exceed 0.1   atm.

Increasing the temperature of the filtered medium, as well as even a small amount of lyophilizing agents (alcohols, etc.), reduces the hydrostatic resistance of the filter element several times.

Hydraulic characteristic of an element EFP-F4G-1-250

• Red Curve   – without hydrophilization at t = 20°С  
• Green line   – without hydrophilization at t = 80°С  
• Blue line   – after hydrophilization in isopropanol.

• The high chemical and thermal resistance of the filtering elements and the inertness and neutrality of the elements caused by these properties in almost any medium are indisputable advantages of these elements;
• The economic benefits of operation due to the long service life while ensuring high performance.

Recycled water filtration

To filter recycled water, we recommend using   deep filter elements made of polyethylene of the ECOPLAST-PE:

• Filtration rating of 1-50 microns;
• Particle retention efficiency – 98-99%;
• Operating temperature – from -30 to 100°C;
• Subject to chemical regeneration and backwash at a pressure drop of up to 6   atm;
• High work resource.

Water filtration is carried out in one and two steps:

Two-stage scheme (high mud load)	First Step – elements made of polyethylene brand ECOPLAST-PE with a filtration rating of 10-20   μm
	Second Stage – elements of polyethylene brand ECOPLAST-PE with a filtration rating of 1-5   μm
Single Stage	Elements from polyethylene of the brand ECOPLAST-PE with a filtration rating of 5 microns

Considering the possibility of multiple regenerations of polyethylene filter elements with alkaline or acidic solutions for dissolving pollutants, as well as the possibility of washing them in the direction opposite to the filtration direction, in the hammer mode, the use of these filter elements is in many cases optimal from an economic point of view.

Obninsk Filters Group of Experts has developed a regeneration unit , which allows washing the filter elements with acid or alkaline solutions in the shortest possible time with the highest regenerating effect.

Filter housings:

Obninsk Filters offers filter housings made of stainless steel AISI   316L, providing performance from 100 l/h to 10   m³/h.

• Filter housings are made in the medical version, with electro-polishing;
• Due to the one-piece construction of the base of the filter holder, the number of welds is minimized, all surfaces of the filter holder can be easily processed and polished.