Freeze-drying loadlock at a pharmaceutical pilot plant
The customer
A contract pharmaceutical R&D facility running a 50-litre pilot lyophiliser for early-stage formulation work — small batches, frequent product changes.
The challenge
The lyophiliser needs to reach 0.05 mbar for primary drying. The existing single-stage pump was taking 22 minutes to get there from atmospheric — too slow given the daily batch turnaround.
The solution
Two changes:
- DV60 two-stage rotary vane as the main pump (75 m³/h, ultimate 0.005 mbar)
- Compact mechanical booster sized for 600 m³/h on the foreline — kicks in below 5 mbar
The two-stage rotary vane reaches the booster cut-in pressure quickly; the booster then handles the long pull-down to operating pressure.
The result
- Pull-down time: 22 min → 11 min
- Ultimate base pressure: 0.05 mbar → 0.012 mbar (cleaner cake, faster sublimation)
- No condensable carryover thanks to the gas-ballast option on the DV60
- Validation maintained — same vendor, same model family, no new IQ/OQ paperwork