SubscribeLAPPEENRANTA, FINLAND - June 9, 2005 - The Pannevis GT gas tight filter from Larox is a completely enclosed solid-liquid separation system that can continuously or semi-continuously process virtually any solvent based product inside a sealed housing with a continuously re-circulated nitrogen blanket.
The filter housing is also designed to easily meet cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practice) making it especially suitable for pharmaceuticals and biotech products.
Gas tight filters are currently used for many pharmaceuticals, both intermediate and final, as well as fine chemicals, bio-products, solvent-processed foodstuffs, solvent wetted organic solids, and pyrophoric materials. With over 120 production scale units installed worldwide, Larox is the world leader in solvent-based vacuum belt filtration with the Pannevis RT-GT filter.
Pannevis GT filters from Larox offer all the advantages of the standard Pannevis RT filter including co- or counter-current washing, reflux washing, vibration, all forms of mechanical compression and either hot gas or infra-red drying. They can be configured in many different combinations of the above options for multi-step processing exactly as the standard RT filters.
The filter housing is normally operated with a slight internal over-pressure using nitrogen, which is continuously re-circulated around the filter circuit so that all components including receivers and pumps are totally inert. A very small make-up of nitrogen is required to compensate for nitrogen exiting with the filter cake.
The floor and roof of the housing are rounded while the sidewalls are flat so ensuring that all internal surfaces are easily cleaned. Large windows in the sidewalls and lights in the roof ensure complete visibility. The windows also provide local access within the housing. Clean-in-place (CIP) is a standard feature and the filter is designed for sanitary operation as all dead spots are eliminated, windows and nozzles are angled to drain back into the housing and internal surfaces can easily be polished to a specified level.
As with all RT based filters, the GT filter is extremely reliable and maintenance is simple. All the major maintenance items including the cloth drive and bearings are mounted outside the housing, so it is not necessary to access the inside of the filter for normal scheduled maintenance. Thus the inert integrity of the filter is maintained at all times.
Continuous filter cloth cleaning ensures no cross contamination and 100% product recovery, as cloth wash liquid can be recycled over the filter cake for total solids capture. Batch identification, when required, is easily achieved by carrying out semi-continuous operation. Full validation procedures to meet all FDA final product requirements are proven and available.
With sizes ranging from 0.8m2 up to 63m2 filtration area, there is a Pannevis GT gas tight filter to meet all requirements.
About Larox Group
Larox is a leading innovator and supplier of solid/liquid separation solutions for the world’s process industries. Companies in mining and metallurgy, chemical processing and related industries benefit from our high-performance, high-efficiency process solutions, technologies and products. Larox operates in over 40 countries and has over 430 employees. Larox Group is headquartered in Lappeenranta, Finland. Product factories are located in Lappeenranta and Utrecht, The Netherlands. Net sales in 2004 totalled 97,1 million euros.
In addition to Larox our major product names are Ceramec, Hoesch, Pannevis and Scheibler. Most of the product names have served the markets for several decades, and they are now supported by Larox aftermarket services.
Caption: Pannevis GT gas tight filter from Larox
For more information please contact:
Larox Corporation
P.O. Box 29
53101, Lappeenranta, Finland
Phone+358 5 668 811
Fax+358 5 668 8277
E-mailinfo@larox.com
Internetwww.larox.com
Note for editors:Larox photos can be downloaded from Larox Image Bank at http://www.larox.com/mediacenter/downloads