AlfaRex plate heat exchangers for safe

and rapid process temperature control

Orion Yhtymä Oy Fermion, Oulu, Finland Case story

When the Finnish drug company Orion

Yhtymä Oy Fermion added a new pro-
duction line to their plant in Oulu,
Finland, the main heat exchanger re-
quirements were compact dimensions
and good fatigue resistance. The heat
exchangers selected would have to
fit into the limited existing area and
withstand cyclical temperatures in the
production of bulk drug substances.
So, when plant engineers learned
about the advantages offered by Alfa-
Rex, Alfa Laval’s compact all-welded
gasket-free plate heat exchanger, they
ordered 16 AlfaRex units for reactor
temperature control in their expanded
production line.

Since an even temperature is critical to

the drug quality, reactor temperatures
are closely regulated by a series of
valves which open and close frequently
during processing. This means that the
process required an all-welded heat
exchanger such as the AlfaRex which
can provide rapid reactor temperature
regulation as well as resistance to fati-
gue from temperature fluctuations. With
the AlfaRex units, Fermion have been
able not only to maintain a consistently
high product quality but also to con-
siderably reduce energy consumption.
At Orion Fermion, each of the six 1600-
litre reactors and each of the two filtrate
units has two AlfaRex units, one serving
as a heater and one serving as a cooler.
In the old production line, the heating
and cooling media circulated directly in
the jacket of the reactors using steam,
water and a 50 percent ethanol/water
mixture as the media. In the AlfaRex
system, ethylene glycol circulates in the
Two of 16 AlfaRex plate heat exchangers installed for heating and cooling of the
reactors at Orion Yhtymä OY Fermion.
closed loop of the reactor jacket. Steam
at 158 oC (316 oF) is used as the heat-
ing medium and 50 percent ethanol/
water at -15 oC (+5 oF) is used as the
cooling medium.
Heating takes less than an hour and
cooling is normally performed in stages
during a two-hour period. The reactor
temperature is continuously monitored
and a temperature difference between
+2 to -2 oC (+3.6 to -3.6 oF) causes
the valves to either fully open or close
(depending on the heating or cooling
stage). Since it is important to maintain
as even a temperature as possible
during the cooling process in order to
achieve even crystallisation, the valves
open and close frequently. These rapid
changes and temperature cycling put
added stress on the construction of the
heat exchanger.
Saving energy
Using a closed loop system with only
one medium circulating in the reactor
jacket has permitted steam condensate
to be recirculated to the plant’s steam
boiler. “One of the main benefits of this
system is the energy savings,” says
Kai Hassinen, maintenance manager.
“By recirculating the condensate to the

Ethylene glycol
Steam
Process reactor temperature control at Orion Yhtymä Oy
steam boiler, Fermion saves up to 50 per-
cent in energy consumption in this part
of the process. In the old production
line, the condensate came directly from
the jacket and had to be discarded
since there were impurities in the water.
Of course, space savings were another
important factor; shell-and-tube heat
exchangers weren’t compact enough
to fit into the building.” After just more
than a year in operation, Fermion order-
ed two additional AlfaRex units for further
expansion of the production line.
The importance of quality
A consistent high product quality is of
vital importance to Fermion. Rigorous
quality control is performed during re-
gular audits by Fermion’s own staff as
well as national and international author-
ities and clients. Processing equipment
is indirectly approved through validation
of plant products. Fermion’s products
from the Oulu plant have been approv-
ed by the prestigious FDA (Food and
Drug Administration of the USA).
AL 41497 EN 0112
How to contact Alfa Laval
Contact details for all countries
are continually updated on our website.
Please visit www.alfalaval.com to
access the information direct.
50% ethanol
mixture
Orion Yhtymä Oy Fermion
The Orion plant in Oulu manufactures
pharmaceuticals in bulk form for use
mainly in speciality drugs for the treat-
ment of cancer. Different products
are produced in batches. The plant
operates 24 hours a day 11 months
of the year.
The plant belongs to Orion Pharma, a
division in the Orion Group, the leading
company in the Finnish health care
sector. Other divisions operate in the
fields of engineering and cosmetics and
detergents. The Orion Group employ
a total of 5200 people in operations
around the world.
The AlfaRex gasket-free plate
heat exchanger
The AlfaRex plate heat exchanger is
a gasket-free plate heat exchanger
for high-pressure and high-temperature
duties. When it was introduced in 1994,
it was the first all-welded gasket-free
plate heat exchanger design capable
of competing with traditional welded
designs such as the shell-and-tube heat
exchanger. It is a full-size yet welded
compact heat exchanger which can
handle temperatures ranging from -50
to +350 oC (-58 to +660 oF) and design
pressures of up to 40 barg (580 psig).
Media flow in true counter-current flow
which provides optimal heat transfer,
particularly for heat transfer duties. The
AlfaRex can handle temperature app-
roaches down to 2 oC (3.6 oF). Per unit
of area, counter-current flow achieves
20 percent higher heat transfer values
than cross flow. This means that the
AlfaRex can perform the same duty
with considerably less heat transfer area
and, consequently, at a lower cost.
A lifetime analysis, made on tests and
fatigue statistics, can be made to
ensure process safety.
A typical AlfaRex installation is so com-
pact that it takes up only one-sixth of
the floor space and weighs only one-
sixth that of a comparable shell-and-
tube heat exchanger for the same
duty. Its low hold-up volume not only
allows more accurate process control
but improves operational safety when
handling hazardous media.
A cross-section (left) of the AlfaRex plate
heat exchanger (above).