Thermocompression Distiller

STMC distillers produce distilled water of the highest quality for pharmaceutical applications such as intravenous solutions, injectables, washing systems and special applications where quality factors such as the sterility, elimination of the pyrogens and of the chlorine solvents with low molecular weight and economical factors such as low production costs, are critical to the success of the pharmaceutical process.

Our STMC distillers operate:

• with electrical heating
• with steam heating (3 bar)
• both with electrical and steam heating systems (the latter heating system is usually adopted by 24 hours operation, where steam production may be reduced or non-existent for example, during the night).

Important:

• STMC Thermocompression Distillers always operate with an internal pressure higher than atmospheric, avoiding any possibility of outside air entering the plant.
• In every distillation phase, the distillate is always at a pressure higher than the infeed water thereby ensuring that in the likelihood of leakage the feed water will never enter the distillate circuit.
• The distillate leaves the plant at a pressure of 1.5 bar.
• Nanotech technology obviates the use of plate exchangers/coolers in the STMC distillers.

As a result of this heat exchange, the pure steam condenses into distillate, while the feed water reaches boiling temperature without any additional supply of energy.

Software

Some important characteristics of the STMC Thermocompression Distiller

• The STMC Thermocompression Distiller has been studied and designed to produce a very high quality pharmaceutical distillate for intravenous fluids and injectables (WFI). The equipment has been manufactured strictly according to cGMP and FDA rules.
• A complete documentation of the whole plant is provided with the STMC Distillers to ensure streamlined certification by the relevant authorities.
• The STMC equipment produces distillate at exactly the time set or scheduled on the computer.
• The STMC Distillers work both with electrical and/or steam heating systems. In case of industrial steam heating, the maximum pressure required is 3 bar.
• The feed water and the output distillate do not require pressurisation systems or pumps. The distillate leaves the equipment at a pressure of 1.5 bar.
• The distillation column has been designed to facilitate cleaning without dismounting any components of the distiller. The steam serpentine has been installed in the lower part of the distiller. Since it can be extracted, it allows quick and easy access into the heating chamber without the need to remove any other component of the distiller.
• The compressors mechanical seals have been designed for a minimum duration of 9000/10000 hours of work. Since they have been standardised, changing these seals is as simple as changing those used in the pumps commonly used in pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.

Distillate quality

The STMC Distiller produces sterile, pyrogen-free water for pharmaceutical use, according to cGMP and FDA rules. The resultant distillate is free from oxygen, carbon dioxide, chlorine solvents, salts, heavy metals and other external substances with low molecular weight, which are eliminated by the two special degassing systems. For example, starting from a feed water with a conductivity no higher than 1 Siemens, the STMC Distiller can produce distillate at 25/30ËšC with a conductivity of 0,08 S and pH 6,9/7.0.

Construction characteristics of the still series STMC

• The Still is manufactured in AISI 316L stainless steel.
• All internal parts in contact with the feed water, the pure steam and the distillate, are passivated and mirror polished.
• The shell and tube exchangers are electro-polished.
• All hydraulic connections are sanitary tri-clamp or come with sanitary flanges.
• The feed water and distillate valves are pneumatic valves with Teflon membrane, all internally electro-polished.
• All gaskets are produced in pure, soft Teflon, avoiding any contamination risk during the maintenance procedures and ensuring a high MTBF (Medium Term Between Failure).
• All internal welds, both of the column and of the piping are TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) and, after welding, are passivated and mirror polished.
• The distillate pressurisation pump is approved by the American Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and manufactured in AISI 316L stainless steel, with all internal parts mirror polished.

• A regulator to reduce steam heating pressure (where the industrial steam supply is higher than 3 bar).
• Automatic sanitising of the hydraulic distillate lines (to perform an automatic sanitising of the still equipment by means of the programmable computer). The duration of this process can be programmed on the operators PC. Where the distiller has been stopped for more than two hours, the STMC Distiller starts automatically only:
  • after automatic discharge of the any distillate remaining inside the plant
  • after having started a new sanitising phase.
• A distillate purity meter with automatic discharge of any sub-standard quality distillate.
• A nominal capacity reducer (to regulate the hourly capacity of the plant from zero to the maximum output).
• A still temperature regulator (to produce distillate at any temperature between 25ËšC and 95ËšC).
• A system for producing distilled water at a temperature of 25/30ËšC.
• A special computer board.
• A feed water temperature controller (to maintain a constant temperature of 85 ËšC of the feed water during any shutdown).
• Support frame and cable ducts, completely in AISI 304 stainless steel, stain finished.
• Glass inspection port.
• Tele-assistance (to send all technical and maintenance parameters to an integrated CIM network of the factory).
• Documentation for FDA validation.

The STMC Distillers are available in a range of 11 different models, according to each hourly capacity, from 100 up to 6000 lph.