The system, developed by US freeze-drier specialist VirTis, is aimed at customers who require rapid freeze-drying and high condenser loading, and is capable of condensing 20 litres of water in 24 hours, preventing any vapour impedance during bulk drying.
Built-in control systems allow easy scale-up from clinical and small scale batches to large scale production, according to VirTis .
The unit's 50 litre condenser is an internal coil, in a chamber that has been specifically designed to allow the condenser to be isolated. This enables pressure rise tests to be carried out to give an indication of the end of drying, according to BP, and is achieved by lowering the bottom shelf of the unit, which effectively seals off the condenser from the rest of the chamber.
The VirTual can be supplied with 4 to10 shelves, providing up to 1.42 square metrea of shelf area. Latching kits are also available which allow for shelf spacing to be changed to suit different requirements.
The units are available as either bulk configuration or with hydraulic stoppering, and there are three different refrigeration options available, offering condenser temperatures from -53 degrees C to -90 degrees C and low shelf temperatures of -48 to -70 degrees C. All condensers are fitted with a hot gas defrost system to ensure fast turn-around.
BPS has been the exclusive UK and Irish distributor for VirTis equipment since 1993.
