HVAC equipment for pharmaceutical manufacturing plants, like other industrial process applications, need to be chosen carefully. These applications clearly require outstanding efficiency and reliability, because those are aspects have an impact on the business of a company. But they also require the ability to guarantee perfect temperature and humidity controls, because those are aspects that impact the quality of the products manufactured.
The importance of temperature and humidity control
The environment in which pharmaceutical products are manufactured plays an important role in determining the quality of products such as medicines, supplements and cosmetics.
The fact that all of these products are meant to keep use healthy or cure us from possible diseases gives us the measure of how important is that those products are of the highest quality.
HVAC systems contribute to overall manufacturing process quality ensuring that temperature and humidity in the manufacturing facilities are constantly controlled, to avoid contamination during the manufacturing process.
So, perfect temperature and humidity control in pharmaceutical facilities is necessary for the following reasons. One of the most important is that manufacturing processes for drugs, for instance, usually require different levels of temperature for chemical processes and blend ingredients. This can lead to the generation of heat in excess, which needs to be removed to ensure the safety of the employees and avoid equipment damage. Certain drugs, then, might require cold storage to maintain their properties. That is the case of vaccines, for instance, which need to be stored at low temperatures to preserve their effectiveness. The same vaccines, although requiring cold storage, might need to be stored at a very precise temperature, though.
All this gives us the measure of how important storage is in this kind of application. So much that companies in this sector must comply with regulatory bodies’ guideline. One of them is the World Health organization’s guideline for the storage of pharmaceutical products, which, states pharmaceuticals need to be stored in ventilated and dry environments with temperatures in the range of 15 to 25 C°.
But temperature and humidity control are also important to avoid contaminations, as we know pathogens thrive in warm and humid conditions. Humidity, for instance might also increase the level of moisture in drugs, which might lead to a deterioration of the drug itself.
Efficiency and Reliability
It is not all about temperature and humidity control, though. Efficiency and reliability also play an important role in the investment companies do choosing equipment for their HVAC system.
Pharmaceutical companies, like any other company, need to make sure costs are contained. Since HVAC systems can have an important impact on energy expenditures, it is important to choose energy- efficient units.
The Single Screw Inverter technology makes the difference, ensuring high efficiency levels both at full and partial loads. Inverter technology is particularly suitable for applications where precise temperature control is needed. In fact, inverter is a key technology when it comes to adapting chiller’s performance to the cooling demand, ensuring the maximum efficiency of the cooling plant.
Take a look here to find out how Daikin Inverter Technology is used to provide value in a pharmaceutical production plant in Italy: https://bit.ly/3gXSX89
Maintenance and controls
And then there is reliability, as downtime can be costly and can lead to production loss.
To prevent breakdowns and maintenance issues Daikin can provide customers with a remote monitoring system such as Daikin on Site.
Daikin on Site is the unique solution for remote monitoring and smart maintenance, successfully used worldwide to support customers during the entire product lifecycle. It ensures a complete remote operation of any unit, is fully compatible with all Daikin Applied Europe products and it can integrate third-party products like IoT devices (i.e. IAQ sensors).
The use of Daikin on Site is normally included in maintenance packages for the customer’s peace of mind. It is a great tool for predictive maintenance, which is key for the pharmaceutical sector as downtimes or issues with the storage cooling systems can negatively impact the business.
And on top of that, Daikin on Site allows to create periodical reports of the system performance or energy audits, which help keeping the system as efficient as possible.
Read about how Daikin on Site is providing value to customers even in this pandemic period: https://bit.ly/3aj38CZ
Conclusion
Investing on a comprehensive HVAC system is essential for pharmaceutical companies, which need guaranteed quality and standards. Temperature and humidity control are definitely an important aspect, but efficiency and reliability are equally important.
Other than having a properly designed HVAC system meeting the needs of the facilities and the operations carried out, it is also important to ensure that the whole system is well maintained for smooth and efficient operations.
Are you working on a HVAC project for a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant and want to know more about Daikin solutions for this kind o0f application? Then, get in touch using the form below.