Complete Separation Units in Hygienic Design for Pharmaceutical and...

Complete Separation Units in Hygienic Design for Pharmaceutical and Bio-tech Applications from Westfalia Separator

Westfalia Separator Ltd offer a range of customised separator units that have been specifically designed for use when it’s imperative that mechanical separation processes are carried out under hygienic or aseptic conditions for the safety of employees and the production of contamination free end products.

Westfalia Separator’s hygienic design, self-cleaning disc stack separators come complete with controls and ancillary equipment as a single packaged unit, assembled on a frame for easy installation and operation.

With a double mechanical seal separating product environment from drive chamber, the Westfalia separators permit closed product handling without the risk of contamination from external foreign bodies or the risk of escape by materials which may pose a threat to humans.

Using the patented Westfalia HydroStop system, which allows precisely adjusted ejection, solids are automatically discharged by opening the bowl of the separator with the ability to pre-set discharge volumes to achieve maximum solid concentrations and minimum discharge times of < 1/10 seconds.

Gentle feeding of the product into the bowl using the Westfalia hydrohermetic feed system means shearing forces, which might damage delicate products such as cells, are avoided, making the system ideal for bio-tech applications. In addition, compared with fully hermetic machines, the Westfalia system does not have any seals that may wear out in the product chamber so it is not possible for worn seals to contaminate the product.

The unique design of the Westfalia disc stack separators and special manufacturing technology mean their are no dead spaces or seams where bacteria can collect and endanger the purity of the product. The special seals and seal groves used in the centrifuge also feature minimum dead spaces and can be thoroughly flushed during cleaning in place.

The superior stainless steels used in construction of the Westfalia separators also mean that surfaces can be polished up to RA <0.6µm

CIP of all product contact areas is completed using spray nozzles which direct cleaning liquid to difficult to reach areas. Total bowl ejection ensures all solids are reliably removed.

Should steam sterilisation be required, Westfalia, uniquely sterilise the whole installation, including the separator. Unlike other installations this reliably prevents the risk of re-contamination. As it is necessary to maintain temperatures of > 121°C throughout the sterilisation process, the separator is designed as a pressure vessel up to 2.5 bar g.

After completion of the sterilisation process, the packaged unit is blanketed with sterile air to avoid the external penetration of bacteria. This way the separator and the installation can easily be kept sterile until the next production process.

For further information, please contact:
John Cook
Westfalia Separator Ltd
Old Wolverton
Milton Keynes
Buckinghamshire
MK12 5PY
Tel: 08708 305500
Fax: 08708 305515
Email: jcook@wsgb.co.uk
Web: www.wsgb.co.uk