Which pump is used in the pharmaceutical industry?

Pharmaceutical pumps

There are several types of pumps that are essential in the pharmaceutical industry due to their specific capabilities and applications:

·       Centrifugal Pumps: These pumps are commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry for transferring liquids, such as solvents, oils, and chemicals.

·       Diaphragm Pumps: Typically used for injecting fluids into extruders, the transfer of proteins and cells, chromatography, and coating operations.

·       Rotary Pumps: Commonly used in pharmaceutical plants to move highly-viscous fluids while conforming to specific sanitary requirements.

·       Rotary Lobe Pumps: These pumps are used for their ability to handle solids without damaging the product. They're often used in processes that require gentle handling.

·       Viking Pumps: Viking is known for its reliable and efficient pump solutions. They offer various types of pumps, including internal and external gear pumps, which are widely used in industries including the pharmaceutical industry.

These pumps play a vital role in the pharmaceutical industry, facilitating the movement of liquids and gases during the production process. They help ensure that the production process is efficient, safe, and cost-effective. In the pharmaceutical industry, it's extremely important to make sure that the machinery, like industrial pumps, is clean, works well, and doesn't introduce any contamination. This is essential for making medicines safely and efficiently.

Pharmaceutical Pumps: The Lifeline of Medicinal Fluid Handling

Pharmaceutical pumps are indeed the lifeline of medicinal fluid handling. Here's why:

·       Versatility: Pharmaceutical pumps are designed to handle a wide range of fluids, from viscous creams to aggressive chemicals. This versatility makes them indispensable in the pharmaceutical industry.

·       Preventing Cross-Contamination: The design of these pumps helps prevent cross-contamination, a critical aspect of pharmaceutical processes.

·       Damage Prevention: They are designed to prevent damage due to shear forces, ensuring the integrity of sensitive fluids like live cells.

·       Hygienic Design: Pharmaceutical pumps are designed with hygiene as a priority. The more hygienically the pump is designed, the shorter the cleaning and sanitation times.

·       Regulatory Compliance: These pumps are subject to a wide range of international laws, regulations, and guidelines. They must guarantee the maximum level of microbiological safety for the entire production process.

·       Efficiency: Pharmaceutical pumps help ensure that the production process is efficient, safe, and cost-effective.

Pharmaceutical pumps play a crucial role in ensuring that medicinal fluids are handled in a safe, efficient, and hygienic manner, making them a lifeline in the industry.

How Do Viking Pumps Play a Vital Role in Pharmaceutical Processing?

Viking Pumps

Viking Pumps play a vital role in pharmaceutical processing in several ways:

·       Gentle Handling: Viking's rotary lobe pump technology is designed to be specifically gentle on proteins and cells in process fluids. This ensures the integrity of sensitive materials during the manufacturing process.

·       Cleanliness: These pumps are inherently clean with clean-in-place (CIP) systems and sterilise-in-place (SIP) capabilities. This helps maintain the stringent hygiene standards required in pharmaceutical processing.

·       Validation: Viking Pumps are simple to validate thanks to their complete range of certifications and documentation packages. This is crucial in an industry where regulatory compliance is considered of utmost importance.

·       Scalability: Viking Pumps offer a direct path to scalability from R&D to mass production environments. This makes them a reliable choice for pharmaceutical companies looking to scale their operations.

·       Versatility: Viking Pumps can be found in nearly all sectors of biologic manufacturing, including upstream, downstream, and fill & finish. They are used in various applications such as Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF), Depth Filtration, Viral / Sterile Filtration, Chromatography, Buffer Mixing & Formulation, Fill & Finish, and Process Transfer.

Viking Pumps are integral to pharmaceutical processing due to their gentle handling of sensitive materials, cleanliness, ease of validation, scalability, and versatility.

The Precision and Efficiency of Rotary Lobe Pumps in Pharmaceutical Applications

Rotary lobe pumps

Rotary Lobe Pumps are known for their precision and efficiency in pharmaceutical applications. Here's how:

·       High-Precision Rotors: The high-precision rotors of rotary lobe pumps make them ideal for handling sensitive process fluids in hygienic, high-purity applications. This precision ensures that the pump can handle the fluid without causing damage or unnecessary shear forces.

·       Low-Shear Operation: Rotary lobe pumps operate with low shear, making them suitable for handling sensitive materials such as proteins and cells. This gentle handling is crucial in pharmaceutical applications where maintaining the integrity of the process fluid is paramount.

·       Efficient Pumping: Rotary lobe pumps are efficient at pumping low, medium, and high-viscosity fluids. This versatility allows them to be used in a wide range of pharmaceutical applications.

·       Reliability: These pumps are designed for easy maintenance and a long service life, ensuring reliable performance and minimal unplanned production stops. This reliability is crucial in the pharmaceutical industry, where any downtime can have significant implications.

·       Compliance with Standards: Rotary lobe pumps comply with hygienic standards for general, food-grade, and pharmaceutical processing requirements. This compliance ensures that they meet the stringent regulatory requirements of the pharmaceutical industry.

The precision and efficiency of rotary lobe pumps make them an excellent choice for pharmaceutical applications, ensuring reliable, hygienic, and gentle handling of process fluids.

The range of IDEX Pumps for application in the pharmaceutical industry

Viking Pump, a unit of IDEX Corporation, is a leading global manufacturer of rotary positive displacement pumps. They have been providing innovative pumping solutions for various applications, including those in the pharmaceutical industry.

Viking Pump has more than four decades of experience in handling processes related to biopharmaceuticals. They develop and manufacture rotary lobe pumps for critical applications in multiple-use biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical applications. Their rotary lobe pump technology is designed to be specifically gentle on proteins and cells in process fluids.

In 2020, Viking Pump expanded its product portfolio to include a line of rotary lobe, circumferential piston, and centrifugal pumps to serve the food & beverage, personal care, and biopharmaceutical industries.

The range of Viking Pumps plays a crucial role in various stages of pharmaceutical processing - from research & development to formulation and bio-pharma applications.

Conclusion

Pumps are indispensable in the pharmaceutical industry, serving as the lifeline for the precise handling of medicinal fluids. Whether it's the versatility of centrifugal pumps, the gentleness of diaphragm pumps, the precision of rotary lobe pumps, or the reliability of Viking pumps, each type plays a vital role in ensuring that pharmaceutical processes are efficient, safe, and compliant with stringent regulatory standards. With pharmaceutical pumps designed to prevent cross-contamination, shear forces, and damage to sensitive materials, they are at the forefront of maintaining the integrity and purity of pharmaceutical products. The commitment to hygiene, ease of validation, and scalability makes these pumps essential components in pharmaceutical processing, contributing to the advancement of healthcare and pharmaceutical innovation.