Glassware and other components used to manufacture bio-pharmaceutical products must be frequently and meticulously cleaned. The washing of these products must comply with demanding health standards and must follow a highly specific methodology. Careful consideration is given to the secure positioning of the products in the racks as well as the number and the position of the various water jets required for optimum cleaning. “The racks are custom-made depending on the type of labware to be washed. The mechanism holding the pieces and the water supply system composed of jets and injection nozzles are designed to specifically meet the cGMP requirements [Current Good Manufacturing Practice] of the biopharmaceutical industry and the customer’s applications”, explained Cédric Tremolieres, CAD supervisor of the Getinge Lancer design office. The company offers an extensive range of washers/ dryers with a chamber volume ranging from 80 cm3 to roughly 5 m3.
A 1D simulation tool
As a means of further tailoring the jet system of the racks to industrial needs, the design office has acquired a calculation tool allowing CAD designers to determine, from the design phase of the racks, the flows in each of their arms. This 1D simulation tool developed by Cetim’s hydraulics specialists, allows designers to determine, in just a few clicks and without any specific hydraulics expertise, whether the capacity of the pump is sufficient to supply the required flows in all points of the racks. To do so, they simply have to specify the type of injection nozzles used, their positions, their coordinates in the rack and their cross-section areas and to state if the injection nozzles are located on straight tube sections or after the elbows. “The development of this tool required the performance, in conjunction with Cetim, of lengthy measurement campaigns which provided input data for the calculation model. This proved to be a highly productive partnership”, stated Cédric Tremolieres.
