Praxair China has installed its NCOOL™ cryogenic heat exchanger system at Shanghai The First Biochemical & Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., an affiliate of Shanghai Pharmaceutical (Group) Ltd. This is the first liquid nitrogen supply contract that Praxair China has signed that employs Praxair’s patented NCOOL cryogenic heat exchanger system in a pharmaceutical freeze dryer.
The NCOOL system is used for precision cooling and temperature control of production lyophilizers, chemical reactors and for other critical fluid cooling applications.
Praxair’s highly efficient nitrogen-based system replaces the current mechanically refrigerated freeze dryer, providing a system that is environmentally safer, more reliable and with greater process flexibility. By capturing the cooling value of ultra-cold liquid and gaseous nitrogen, the NCOOL system eliminates both the reliance on compressors and the use of halogenated coolants (CFCs or other ozone-depleting substances).
“It’s encouraging to see our NCOOL system and related lyophilization technology reach another milestone in the Chinese market,” said David Chow, president of Praxair China. “The prospects for liquid nitrogen cooling of pharmaceutical freeze dryers are very promising.”