Hygienic valves for pharmaceutical steam sterilising

Requirement

A pharmaceutical company needed to sterilise equipment and materials to make sure any unwanted micro organisms were removed. Steam cleaning using the combined effect of steam and pressure was chosen as the preferred method. They were aware that there are specific requirements for valves for steam cleaning processes.

Solution

GEMÜ 550 angle seat globe valves were selected for the steam cleaning application as they are perfectly suited for cleanroom and CIP/SIP utilities process lines with their all stainless-steel actuator, spindle, body and even the switchbox or positioner.

The GEMÜ 550 valve spindle is sealed by a self-adjusting gland packing that provides reliable valve spindle sealing even after a long service life. A wiper ring fitted in front of the gland packing protects the seal against contamination and damage.

When sterilizing solids in a chamber, fractionated pre-vacuum is a tried and tested method and is predominately used in modern sterilizers. In this case, air is vacuumed out of the chamber using a vacuum pump through a GEMÜ 550 angle seat globe valve, before replacing the air with saturated steam.

Once the sterilisation process is completed, the steam is vacuumed and discharged via the vacuum lead and the GEMÜ 550 angle seat globe valves. Pulsated drying, during which the air is fed into the system in phases, has proven itself to be a tried and tested method. Before discharging, the chamber is cooled and pressurized with cooling water.

Products used

GEMÜ valves used for this application:

• GEMÜ 550 angle seat globe valves were installed in the condensate line, airline and in the refrigerant circuit.
• For control functions, the GEMÜ 550, 554 and 555 angle seat globe valves together with the GEMÜ 762 and 751 ball valves for other processes.
• GEMÜ 560 check valves, GEMÜ 740 ball valve, and GEMÜ 488 butterfly valves are also used in this application.