JP2002362735A - Pressure control system for space - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent powder from going out of an isolator 2 for charging the powder which flows out of a space 14 where powder filling machine is installed. SOLUTION: The isolator 2 is partitioned into a plurality of spaces 11 to 18. The powder filling machine is installed in the space located at a central section (a fourth zone 14.) The space 14 is controlled so as to be at the highest pressure (80 Pa of positive pressure). Spaces of low pressure (15 Pa) (a second zone 12 and a sixth zone 16) are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the space 14, and spaces of middle pressure (40 Pa) (a first zone 11 and a seventh zone 17) are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the spaces of low pressure 12, 16. The powder splashed in the space 14 of high pressure where the powder filling machine is installed flows out to the spaces of low pressure 12, 16, however, cannot flow to the spaces of middle pressure 11, 17, and is trapped in the spaces of low pressure 12, 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pressure control system for a space, and more particularly to a pressure control system for a space in which a plurality of spaces partitioned by a partition wall having an opening are independently controlled. It is about the system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is conventionally known an isolator system in which a processing device such as a filling machine is installed in an isolator isolated from the outside to manufacture pharmaceuticals and the like. For example, in the pharmaceutical industry, such isolators are mainly used to maintain a highly sterile environment, or to handle pathogenic bacteria or drugs having strong bioactivity. The present invention does not take such powder out of the isolator when preparing a highly pharmacologically active pharmaceutical powder or filling a container with powder in an isolator isolated from the outside. It is related to the technology for doing so.

When handling highly pharmacologically active substances such as powder in an isolator isolated from the outside as described above, the interior of the isolator is divided into a plurality of spaces by a partition wall having an opening. The powder filling machine is installed in the space located near the center of the space. Conventionally, the pressure in each space has been controlled so that the pressure in the space in which the powder filling machine is installed is the highest, and the pressure gradually decreases as the distance from the filling portion to the upstream side and the downstream side decreases.

[0004]

As described above, the inside of the space for processing powder disposed near the center of the isolator is controlled to a high pressure, and the space before and after the space (upstream of the space controlled to the high pressure) is controlled. When the pressure is controlled so that the pressure in the side space and the downstream side gradually decreases, the powder scattered in the processing space or adhered to the container exits the isolator through the front and rear spaces. I couldn't stop it completely.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to reliably prevent a powder of medicine or other substance having a strong pharmacological activity from going out of a space such as an isolator. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pressure control system for a space in which the pressure can be controlled.

[0006]

A space pressure control system according to the present invention comprises a plurality of spaces partitioned by partition walls having openings, pressure control means for maintaining the pressure in these spaces at a predetermined value. And a processing space for performing a predetermined process on the article in the plurality of spaces, and a transport space for the article is arranged before and after the processing space to control the pressure in each space. A low-pressure transfer space that controls the pressure of the processing space to a high pressure and a pressure lower than the pressure of the processing space; And the space are sequentially arranged before and after the processing space.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an isolator in which the pressure in an internal space is controlled by a pressure control system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the pressure control system. Openings 4Aa, 4Ba, 4C are provided inside the isolator (generally indicated by reference numeral 2).
a, 4Da, 4Ea, 4Fa, and 4Ga, a plurality of (eight in this embodiment) spaces 11, 1 are formed by a plurality of partition walls 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F, and 4G.
It is divided into 2, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18.

The most upstream space 11 in the isolator 2
The (first zone) is connected to another isolator 6 installed on the upstream side, and a container (not shown) filled with powder is supplied from the other isolator 6 on the upstream side. An opening (container entrance) between the upstream isolator 6 and the first zone 11 can be opened and closed by a shutter 8. The container is transferred from 10 to the first zone 11 side.

The first space (the first space) in the isolator 2
A main conveyor 20 is arranged inside a zone (zone 11) to a seventh space (seventh zone) 17, and the conveyor 20 receives a container from the conveyor 10 and conveys the container. Then, the container is transported into a fourth space (fourth zone) 14, and is filled with a pharmaceutical powder by a powder filling machine (not shown) installed in this space 14. Therefore, the fourth zone 14 is a processing space for articles, and the zones 11, 12, 13, 15, 1 before and after it.
Reference numerals 6 and 17 are article transport spaces.

The last (eighth) space 18 of the isolator 2 is an air shower section, which receives a container filled with powder and conveyed by a conveyor 22 in the space 18 and blows air onto the container. Blow away the powder and the like that have adhered. An opening 4G formed in a partition wall 4G between the air shower section 18 and the seventh zone 17
A is provided with a shutter 24 so that it can be opened and closed.

Each of the zones (first zone 11 to seventh zone 17 and air shower unit 1) in the isolator 2
8) is capable of independent pressure control, each of which has a set of air supply blowers 11A, 12A, 13A,
14A, 15A, 16A, 17A, 18A and exhaust blowers 11B, 12B, 13B, 14B, 15B, 16
B, 17B, and 18B and a pressure sensor (not shown) are provided. Further, the intake blowers 11A to 11A are controlled so that the pressure in each of the zones 11 to 18 is maintained at a predetermined pressure.
Control means (not shown) for controlling the air supply amount and the exhaust amount of the 18A and the exhaust blowers 11B to 18B is provided. As described above, it is not necessary to provide one set of the air supply blower and the exhaust blower in each zone, and two or more zones may be controlled by the one set of the air supply blower and the exhaust blower.

Further, a third zone 13 and a fifth zone 15 located before and after a fourth zone 14 in which the powder filling machine is installed are respectively provided with blowers 2 for an air shower.
Circulation lines 26 and 28 having 6A and 28A are provided so that when the powder is filled in the container in the fourth zone 14, powder scattered into the space, powder attached to the container, etc. are blown off. Has become.

In this embodiment, each space (each zone 1)
1 to 18) are independently controlled, the first zone 11 is maintained at a positive pressure of 40 Pa (ie, atmospheric pressure plus a pressure of 40 Pa), and the second zone 12 is maintained at a positive pressure of 15 Pa. , And the third zone 13 are controlled so as to have a positive pressure of 50 Pa. The fourth zone 14 in which the powder filling machine is installed is maintained at a positive pressure of 80 Pa, which is the highest pressure in the isolator 2. Further, the fifth zone 15 downstream of the fourth zone 14 is controlled to maintain a positive pressure of 50 Pa, the sixth zone 16 is maintained at 15 Pa, and the seventh zone 17 is maintained at a positive pressure of 40 Pa. Further, the air shower section 18 at the most downstream side in the isolator 2 has a positive pressure of 10 Pa. Note that another isolator 6 connected to the upstream side of the isolator is controlled to maintain a positive pressure of 100 Pa.

In the isolator 2 according to the above configuration, the inside of each of the divided zones 11 to 18 is controlled to the above-described pressure, and the container supplied from another isolator 6 on the upstream side is set to a positive pressure of 40 Pa. Maintained first zone 11, second zone 12 with 15Pa positive pressure, and 50P
aThey sequentially pass through the third zone 13 of positive pressure and are carried into the fourth zone 14 which is a filling section. A powder filling machine is installed in the fourth zone 14, and the powder for medicine is filled in the container by the powder filling machine. From the fourth zone 14, the container filled with the powder passes through the fifth zone 15, which is maintained at a positive pressure of 50 Pa on the downstream side, the sixth zone 16, which has a positive pressure of 15 Pa, and the seventh zone 17, which has a positive pressure of 40 Pa. After being sent to the last air shower section 18 and taking an air shower, it is discharged from the isolator 2.

As described above, the fourth zone 14 is controlled to the highest pressure (80 Pa) in the isolator 2, and when the powder is filled in the container, the powder scattered in this space is The pressure lower than that of the fourth zone 14 (50
The liquid flows out to the third zone 13 and the fifth zone 15 controlled to Pa). The second zone 12 on the upstream side of the third zone 13 and the sixth zone 16 on the downstream side of the fifth zone 15 have the lowest pressure (15 P) in the isolator 2.
a), and the scattered powder further flows into the second zone 12 and the sixth zone 16. However, the first zone 11 upstream of the second zone 12
And the seventh zone 17 on the downstream side of the sixth zone 16 are controlled to a pressure (40 Pa) higher than the pressure in the second zone 12 and the sixth zone 16, and the fourth zone, which is a filling section,
The powder flowing out of the zone 14 does not flow out into the first zone 11 and the seventh zone 17 but is confined in the second zone 12 and the sixth zone 16.

The isolator 2 according to the present embodiment has zones 11 to 18 divided by partition walls 4A to 4G.
The pressure gradient in the inside is controlled as described above, that is, the filling section (the fourth zone 14) in which the powder filling machine is installed is controlled to the highest pressure, and the lowest pressure zone (the second zone 14) is provided upstream and downstream thereof. Zone 12 and a sixth zone 16), and a medium pressure zone (the first zone 11 and the seventh zone) set outside at a pressure (40 Pa) intermediate between the high pressure (80 Pa) and the low pressure (15 Pa). 17) is provided, so that the powder scattered during the filling operation in the filling section does not come out of the isolator 2.

In the above embodiment, the positive pressure is controlled between the fourth zone 14 controlled to the highest pressure and the second zone 12 and the sixth zone 16 controlled to the most constant pressure. Although the provided third zone 13 and fifth zone are provided, these zones need not necessarily be provided. In any case, the present invention provides a low-pressure zone and a medium-pressure zone sequentially on the downstream side of the processing space such as powder filling controlled at a high pressure, and a low-pressure zone on the upstream side of the processing space. What is necessary is just to provide a zone and a zone of medium pressure sequentially. Further, the numerical values of the pressures in the respective zones described in the above embodiment are merely examples, and the pressures can be controlled to other values. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the inside of the isolator is divided into a plurality of spaces by the partition wall having the opening is described. However, the present invention is also applied to the case where the plurality of isolators are connected to each other and treated as one isolator. It goes without saying that you can do it.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, there are provided a plurality of spaces partitioned by partition walls having openings, and pressure control means for maintaining the pressure in these spaces at a predetermined value. In a pressure control system of a processing space for performing predetermined processing on an article in a plurality of spaces and a space for transporting articles before and after the processing space to control the pressure in each space, the pressure in the processing space is increased. A low-pressure transfer space that controls to a pressure lower than the pressure of the processing space, and a medium-pressure transfer space that controls to a pressure intermediate between the pressure of the processing space and the pressure of the low-pressure transfer space. By being sequentially disposed before and after the processing space, a substance having a strong pharmacological activity such as powder flowing out from the processing space to the low-pressure space on the downstream side and the upstream side is further downstream or upstream of the low-pressure space. Placed on the side Because space is medium pressure which does not flow out to the outside confined to the low-pressure space.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an overall arrangement of an isolator controlled by a space pressure control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a pressure control system for the space.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 2 Isolator 4A-4G Partition wall 4Aa-4Ga Opening 11A-18A Supply air blower 11B-18B Exhaust blower 11 Medium pressure transfer space (first zone) 12 Low pressure transfer space (second zone) 14 Processing space (first 4 zone) 16 Low pressure transfer space (6th zone) 17 Medium pressure transfer space (7th zone)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Kazuhito Tanimoto 58-shi, Soybean Honmachi, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture Inside Shibuya Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Masanobu Iwasa 3-9-1, Honjo Nishi, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Nipro Corporation

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of spaces partitioned by partition walls having openings, and pressure control means for maintaining a pressure in these spaces at a predetermined value, wherein predetermined processing is performed on articles in the plurality of spaces. The processing space to be performed, and a space pressure control system that controls the pressure in each space by arranging the article transfer space before and after the space, controlling the pressure in the processing space to a high pressure, and controlling the pressure in the processing space. A low-pressure transfer space for controlling the pressure to a low pressure, and a medium-pressure transfer space for controlling the pressure in the processing space and the pressure in the low-pressure transfer space to an intermediate pressure. And space pressure control system.