Document Type

Dissertation

Rights

Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International Licence

Disciplines

1.2 COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE, 2. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

Publication Details

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Masters of Engineering in Pharmaceutical Process Control and Automation

Abstract

This dissertation examines, analyses, implements, and evaluates an innovative software heat transfer model for predicting air-to-air heat (energy) recovered in pharmaceutical drying clean rooms in Colombia. The approach provides a synergy between Reverse Flow Heat Recovery technology and activities for the consumption of this energy, not solely within the process, but throughout the whole pharmaceutical complex (e.g. warehouse, office and alternative processes). This novel integrated modelling tool developed using off the shelf software application such as MS Excel combined with MS Visual programming to calculate psychometric points, mass and enthalpy balances for analysing the operation of heat recovery systems. This makes the tool inexpensive and immediately useful “as is”. A case study of a drying operation at a pharmaceutical company in Colombia is used to aid in a critical review of the tool from a pragmatic real-world perspective. Results show dryers are potentially large emission sources of heat in the pharmaceutical industry, not solely within the process, but throughout the whole pharmaceutical complex (e.g. warehouse, office and alternative processes). The project also illustrates that as weather variations are not rapid, when compared to control systems such as ABS breaking on a car or other millisecond control systems, use of MS Excel derived models, which have a greater user friendly interface, can be valid inexpensive tools with immediate energy saving potential. Mathematical models based on these input output relationships were developed. The assumptions and equations used to arrive to the heat recovered are given in a clear Human Model Interface.

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