Level monitoring in pharmaceuticals is indispensable for the preparation of media (cultures) essential for the preparation of antibiotics - ELPRO LEPENIK introduces the WIKA measurement system for pharmaceutical users
Reliable level monitoring in the pharmaceutical industry.
Using the WIKA electronic differential pressure measurement system – model code DPT-EL.
With electronic differential pressure measurement, level control in the pharmaceutical industry gets a high-precision measurement solution that can be used flexibly.
Reliable level monitoring is indispensable in many processes in the pharmaceutical industry. There are many solutions available for this task. An antibiotic manufacturer has decided to use WIKA’s electronic differential pressure measurement system to control the level in the preparation of media (cultures) for bacterial cultivation. This dual-processor system operates with high accuracy and is insensitive to ambient temperature.
Media (culture) media are made up of several substances. Creating such a nutritional solution for bacteria is a fundamental step in the production of active substances and medicines. Level monitoring in this process not only provides information on the current level in the tank, but also serves as an indicator of the correct mixing ratio. Closely linked to this is the quality of the culture media.
The antibiotic manufacturer in question uses differential pressure transducers for level control. This type of instrument has two process connections for pressures P1 and P2. To measure the level, it is necessary to bridge an appropriate distance between two measuring points. This is usually done with the help of capillaries.
It is important to remember that the capillary connection is very susceptible to fluctuations in ambient temperature, which can affect the accuracy of the measurements. This is a lesson that antibiotic manufacturers have also learned. Converters from different manufacturers have been installed, but the situation has not improved. No instrument could compensate for the high ambient temperatures present in the cultivation process.
There are alternative ways of measuring. But for economic reasons, the pharmaceutical company in question decided to measure the differential pressure that monitors the level. This solution provides the required accuracy and the investment is significantly lower than other measurement methods (e.g. radar). The cost advantage also includes level monitoring with electronic differential pressure measurement, which now provides the pharmaceutical company with reliable level detection.
Measuring system DPT-EL WIKA operates with the help of two process transducers. They are arranged as primary and secondary instruments. They are connected to each other by an electrical link consisting of a signal cable and are therefore insensitive to ambient temperature.
The primary DPT-EL inverter feeds the secondary. The secondary converter can also be configured via the primary converter’s display or interface. Communication is via internal BUS.
The WIKA measuring system for pharmaceutical users is equipped with two IPT-20 process transmitters . For hygiene and safety reasons, the measuring instruments are connected to the process with a suitable pressure interface, in this case a pressure interface with a sterile connection . This measurement combination provides an accuracy of up to 0.1 per cent of the span.
With electronic differential pressure measurement, level control in the pharmaceutical industry gets a high-precision measurement solution that can be used flexibly. It is particularly suitable for level measurements when differential pressure gauges with capillaries reach their limit. This is the case when ambient temperature fluctuates or when pressure is transferred over longer distances. In cases of high static pressures, the usual differential pressure measurement is preferable to low differential pressures.
For electronic differential pressure measurement DPT-EL two process transducers are available (model IPT-20 or CPT-20 ), depending on the requirements – a combination of both is also possible. For both instruments, the measuring range can be set individually via the ”turn down” function .
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They are always available for opinions and explanations:
Aleksandra Lepenik, expert in temperature measurements
Measurement expert Zoran Lepenik
Mojca Kugler, Pharmaceutical industry: Level monitoring using differential pressure WIKA, 2023
March 2023
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