THE PROJECT 
We were approached by a leading pharmaceutical company, to refurbish one of their pharmaceutical manufacturing areas and introduce new, automated bulk handling, dosing, mixing and filling operations. A key element of the refurbishment project included the supply, installation, commissioning and verification of a new mixer, with the aim of increasing mixing capacity while reducing mixing cycling time.
APPROACH
Stainless steel and fully-jacketed, the specification of the new mixer included two, counter-rotating mixing blades and an emulsifier, providing a fully-functioning mixing apparatus for our client complete with pneumatic valves for automated ingredient addition and sequencing. The automated processing was supported by the installation of a wax melter, capable of melting and holding up to 1000 litres of wax, pumped around a closed-loop ring main before being deposited into the mixer when needed.
As part of the installation we introduced a product batch tank to gravity feed light paraffin into the mixers when required. Capable of holding 2000 litres of light paraffin at a temperature of 70°C, the inclusion of the batch tank means that the light paraffin does not need heating up to temperature once in the mixer, thus saving on both sequencing and ingredient addition time. 
A 40,000-litre bulk tank and heated feed delivery system was also externally installed. This tank was fully jacketed to hold yellow soft paraffin at a constant liquid state of 70°C, pumped around a closed-loop main ring to be deposited into the mixer when required. Weighing some 4.5 tonnes, this equipment was imported from Croatia before a complex installation managed by the on-site FEG Global team. A full testing process of the bulk tank took place, pumping the client’s product around the tank to ensure each of the connections had been installed effectively. It was crucial that the tank pipes were fitted accurately in order that the ingredients – emulsifying wax, paraffin, glycerin and purified water – were circulated smoothly and safely throughout the ring main.
James, our Project Technician, had this to say about the project:
“This was a large project with many elements of complexity, and our team worked well together to achieve a great result for our client.”
RESULT
The mixer was installed and commissioned in line with client requirements, with the ingredients feed and bulk holding systems further de-bottlenecked and the mixing cycle time reduced far in excess of specified thresholds.
