Paddle Vacuum Dryer – Planex System®

Planex System® is a brand new patented technology developed in order to overcome the peculiar limits of the traditional paddle vacuum dryers equipped with concentric agitator.

Planex System is based on an innovative philosophy of working, which is especially suitable for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). 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 systems.

Friction free system

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. This enables even more delicate and thermo-sensitive products to be treated, as it preserves their purity.

Mechanical stress on the product is about three times less than the one obtained with traditional dryers. Consequently the overheating of the product, deriving from mechanical action, and power consumption are considerably lower (Analysys of "Politecnico di Torino" University – Material Science and Chemical Engineering Department).

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. From the obtained results it comes out that after discharge the Planex System® has a minimum product residual: on average less than 1%.

Easiness of cleaning

The ease of the inner cleaning is granted by an efficient CIP system, that allows a complete washing of all the parts in contact with the product, while the big front port makes the inspection simple and practical. Also the SWAB TEST execution is facilitated thanks to the profile of the misaligned agitator and the easy dismantling of its inner parts, unlike in the traditional systems where the paddles can not be disassembled.

The exterior of Planex System® can also be easily cleaned as the interior. In fact the sealed external cladding (particle-free configuration cGMP) covers the insulation material, the electric wiring and the hydraulic piping. Besides there is no support frame in the sterile room, but only the drying chamber flanged to the wall. In this way the external cleaning becomes very easy and effective, avoiding accumulation of the product in recessed areas. These features, combined with the partitioning solution, allow clean room installation, achieving the pressurisation and separation of the sterile room from the machine room.

PLANEX System® presents a high loading flexibility. The loading capacity is function of the treated product and it can vary from 15% to 80% of the vessel volume. Both small and big batches can be treated, covering all the requirements of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

For more info: www.planexsystem.it