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Case Study |
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Confidential API
Client, Conshohoken, Pennsylvania, USA |
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Cost effective corrosive fume
exhaust system |
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Background
This
confidential client is one of the world's leading suppliers of
active pharmaceutical ingredients, chemical intermediates and
biotechnology solutions to the pharmaceutical and agrochemical
industries. Besides manufacturing under their own label,
this client also does considerable contract manufacturing
(tolling) for large Pharma firms. They operate
manufacturing sites throughout Europe and the United States,
including one along the Schuylkill River in Conshohocken,
Pennsylvania. |
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| Installation of PSP® coated
Schedule 10 pipe. |
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The Pennsylvania plant
had a situation that needed immediate attention. Several
pinhole leaks had developed in the 8, 10, and 12 inch diameter
corrosive fume piping system located on the roof of a process
unit. The schedule 40 stainless steel pipe originally
installed was not capable of handling the aggressive corrosive
vent exhaust coming from 60 glass-lined steel and 20 Hastelloy
reactors as well as various types of dryers inside the process
building. |
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Occasional process
excursions caused reactor rupture discs to "pop",
resulting in a witch's brew of corrosive liquids and vapors
being ejected into the vent relief system. The vent piping
led to roof mounted scrubbers where the corrosive acid vapors
would be treated and rendered harmless. But with several
holes in the exhaust pipe, acid vapor and condensed liquid were
leaking into the air and onto the unit's roof. |
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Challenge |
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This site's
engineers researched their options and immediately installed
spare pipe that was in their storeroom. But a permanent,
cost effective and high performance solution was needed for
several additional sections of the failing stainless steel
system that needed replacement. Plant engineers recalled
investigating PermaShield Pipe (PSP®) months earlier at the New
York City ChemShow. They remembered that Fab-Tech's
fluoropolymer coated stainless steel pipe and duct had a proven
history as the premier product for extreme corrosive fume
applications in the semiconductor industry for over 15
years. So successful was PSP® in this market, Chemical
and Life Science clients also sought PSP® as the solution to
safely transport their corrosive liquids and vapors. |
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Solution |
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Fab-Tech was
contacted by this customer and after consultation with Fab-Tech
engineers, it was determined that the chemicals being vented
were easily within the operating envelope of the PermaShield
fluoropolymer coating. In a competitive cost analysis,
this customer also discovered that the Fab-Tech pipe actually
cost less than PTFE lined carbon steel pipe, and had the added
benefit of a corrosion resistant stainless steel exterior.
Several lengths of schedule 10 304L stainless steel pipe coated
with Fab-Tech's advanced fluoropolymer coating were ordered and
quickly delivered to the Conshohocken site to coordinate with a
scheduled August plant shutdown. The lightweight Fab-Tech
piping arrived on schedule and was quickly and easily
installed. Additional quantities of PSP® coated pipe were
ordered over the next two years until all remaining uncoated
stainless steel pipe was replaced, pre-empting any future
possibility of pinhole leaks and environmental contamination. |
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This client's
Mission Statement includes these words: "The realization of
economically and environmentally favorable solutions is an
integrated process, which includes material selection, process
development, product design, resource conservation and logistics
optimization." |
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Fab-Tech is proud
to be able to present a material selection that provided this
valued client with an economically and environmentally favorable
solution. |
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Completed
installation of PSP® coated Schedule 10 pipe. |
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Aligning straight section of PSP®
pipe. |
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