Praxair China Bags Pharmaceutical Contract

Praxair China has installed its NCOOL cryogenic heat exchanger system at Shanghai The First Biochemical & Pharmaceutical. The company claims that it 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 nitrogen-based system replaces the existing mechanically refrigerated freeze dryer, providing a system that is environmentally safer with 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).

David Chow, president of Praxair China, said: “It’s encouraging to see our NCOOL system and related lyophilization technology reach another milestone in the Chinese market. The prospects for liquid nitrogen cooling of pharmaceutical freeze dryers are very promising.”