Vitalair provides bespoke containment solutions

Wakefield-based Hosokawa Vitalair has supplied and installed a bespoke containment solution at the Anglesey plant of the Peboc division of custom and fine chemical specialist manufacturer Eastman Company (UK).

The site manufactures a range of specialised organic intermediates and a confidential cGMP custom synthesis of substances for the pharmaceutical industry and has facilities for multipurpose pilot plant or batch production.

The requirement was for a flexible containment solution to cope with the varied and changeable demands in reactor charging operations, which would be suitable for handling a wide variety of substances. Hosokawa Vitalair, in conjunction with Eastman, designed a single pass containment booth to fit around the charging vessel, creating a seal between the vessel and the wall of the booth. Rather than containing the entire reactor vessel, only the vessel opening needed to be within the containment area to contain the actual charging process.

Drums of various sizes are transported into the reactor charging booth along a variable height roller track. They are lifted manually from the conveyor, opened and present to the reactor vessel for tipping and emptying. A downflow of clean air from the ceiling pushes dust particles away from the operator's breathing zone, and these are removed from the booth via low level exhaust grilles and collected in safe change HEPA filters.