Alfa Laval revolutionizes pharmaceutical and speciality chemical production
Alfa Laval - a world leader in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling - has developed a new technology for production of pharmaceuticals and speciality chemicals resulting in increased efficiency and reduced energy consumption. Alfa Laval's plate reactor implies a revolutionary technology shift in the heart of the production process. Alfa Laval launches the first product - Alfa Laval ART® PR49, for industrial scale production.
Competitive pressure and environmental legislation are forcing the pharmaceutical and chemical industries to find new production techniques for safer, cleaner and more efficient means of manufacturing. Alfa Laval's latest innovation changes one of the most essential organic chemical processes - the reaction between two or more substances.
Alfa Laval ART PR49 combines the properties of a chemical reactor with those of a plate heat exchanger. Traditionally you create a reaction by adding one substance to another. The reaction sometimes generates intense and damaging heat. To minimize the negative impact the reacting substance is normally either diluted or added over a longer time period. The new plate reactor reduces the time needed and the reaction can be performed with higher concentrations. The continuous flow of reactants creates optimal reaction conditions and the plate technology removes any excess heat.
"Two major pharmaceutical companies have already bought the new technology and we are in dialogue with the majority of the rest", says Svante Karlsson Head of Process Technology Division within Alfa Laval.
Alfa Laval's new continuous plate reactor ART PR49 is the first plate reactor for industrial scale production. It was first shown during the international process industry exhibition ACHEMA 2009, and won the prize "Process Innovation Award".
Did you know... that all chemical processes are based on a reaction between two or more substances, and they are all conducted in some sort of reactor? The total market for reactors is estimated to be several billion Swedish kronor.
About Alfa Laval
Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling.
The company's equipment, systems and services are dedicated to assisting customers in optimizing the performance of their processes. The solutions help them to heat, cool, separate and transport products in industries that produce food and beverages, chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, starch, sugar and ethanol.
Alfa Laval's products are also used in power plants, aboard ships, in the mechanical engineering industry, in the mining industry and for wastewater treatment, as well as for comfort climate and refrigeration applications.
Alfa Laval's worldwide organization works closely with customers in nearly 100 countries to help them stay ahead in the global arena.
Alfa Laval is listed on the Nordic Exchange, Nordic Large Cap, and, in 2008, posted annual sales of about SEK 28 billion (approx. 2.9 billion Euros). The company has some 12 000 employees.