Industry
Hygienic, cleanable instrumentation with documented materials and traceable calibration for regulated production.
Pharmaceutical production changes the question an instrument has to answer. Elsewhere the priority is measuring the process correctly; here the instrument also has to be cleanable, and it has to be able to demonstrate that it is clean. A transmitter with the right range and the wrong surface finish is not a borderline choice, it is a rejected one.
The consequence is that materials, surface finish, connection type and the absence of crevices are specified before performance. A hygienic connection replaces the threaded joint, an electropolished wetted surface replaces the machined one, and the instrument is mounted so that it drains rather than traps product.
Documentation carries equal weight. An instrument that will contact product is normally expected to arrive with a material certificate, a surface-finish statement and a declaration covering the materials that touch the process. Where those documents are not available for a model, the honest position is to say so at the enquiry stage rather than to discover it at qualification.
Reactors, crystallisers, centrifuges and dryers. Measurement under agitation, often in a classified area because of solvent handling, and with wetted parts that have to tolerate aggressive chemistry as well as cleaning.
The most restrictive environment. Instruments sit in clean areas, must be cleanable to a defined standard, and are frequently required to be sterilised in place. Hygienic design and documented wetted surfaces are mandatory rather than preferred.
Conductivity, flow, temperature and pressure on water systems and clean steam. These measurements feed the quality record, so traceability and stability over a long interval matter more than a fast response.
Counting, inspection, temperature and pressure in areas with a lower hygiene classification, where standard industrial instruments are often acceptable and the cost difference is significant.
| Measurement | What is measured in this sector | Instruments commonly specified |
|---|---|---|
| Flow | Purified water, clean steam, solvents, dosing of active ingredients and CIP solution | Electromagnetic meters with hygienic liners and connections, Coriolis meters where dosing accuracy or mass is required, and vortex or differential-pressure installations for clean steam |
| Pressure | Reactor and vessel pressure, filter differential, and pressure in clean utilities | Hygienic pressure transmitters with flush diaphragms, and differential transmitters where sterilisation or cleaning has to be accommodated |
| Temperature | Reaction and crystallisation temperature, clean-steam temperature, and temperature used to compensate water flow | RTDs in hygienic thermowells, chosen for stability and traceability rather than speed; thermocouples where a fast response is required in a non-product contact point |
| Level | Reactors, buffer and hold tanks, and interface detection in extraction | Radar and guided-wave transmitters with hygienic antennas, hydrostatic transmitters where the tank is simple, and point switches for high-level protection |
| Analysis | pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and total organic carbon in water systems and process streams | In-line analysers and transmitters with hygienic connections, sited with attention to sample handling and to the cleaning regime |
| Environmental monitoring | Particle counts, pressure differentials between clean areas and room conditions | Airborne particle counters and differential-pressure instruments used to demonstrate the state of a controlled area |
Which of these is acceptable depends on the hygiene class of the area and on the cleaning regime the installation follows. Those two facts should be stated in the enquiry.
Frequently asked
The questions that come up in this sector before an order. If yours is not here, send it with the duty and we will answer it alongside the quotation.
Hygienic describes the design of the wetted surfaces, not the alloy. A hygienic instrument has connections that can be cleaned in place, a surface finish that can be verified, no crevices, no threads and no dead legs in the product path, and it can be drained by gravity. A stainless threaded transmitter with a machined body may be perfectly corrosion resistant and still be unacceptable in a product-contact position.
For many models, yes, and it has to be established at the enquiry stage rather than after the order. Availability differs between products and between the partners who supply them. Where a certificate is needed, tell us which parts it has to cover and which form the plant accepts, and we will confirm what can be provided.
Electromagnetic meters with hygienic liners and connections are the usual choice, because water is conductive and the meter has no obstruction in the bore to clean around. Coriolis meters appear where a mass figure or a dosing accuracy is needed. The cleaning regime and the connection standard are decided before the flow range in this application.
Non-contact radar with a hygienic antenna is common, because nothing enters the product and the antenna can be cleaned. Guided-wave radar is used where the vessel is narrow or the product has a low dielectric constant, but the probe then becomes a product-contact part with its own cleaning and documentation requirements. Agitation, baffles and the internal fittings all shape the answer.
Yes, against a stated protection concept. Pharmaceutical sites frequently combine a hygiene classification with an area classification, because solvents are handled in the same room, so both requirements have to be given together. An instrument that satisfies one and not the other is not usable.
The area hygiene class and the cleaning regime, the medium, the material specification, the surface and connection requirements, the normal and sterilisation temperatures, which documents have to accompany the order, and whether the measurement feeds the batch record. Those answers decide the instrument before the measurement range does.
Published products
BAL-220 · Laboratory Balances Reference listing
Analytical balance with a 220 g capacity and 0.1 mg readability, an electromagnetic force compensation cell and an internal calibration weight.
DL-16 · Industrial Data Loggers Reference listing
Standalone multi-channel data logger recording temperature, voltage and current inputs at programmable intervals, with internal memory and network export.
EFM-100 · Electromagnetic Flow Meters Reference listing
Obstructionless full-bore flow meter for conductive liquids from 4-20 mA or pulse output, with a lined wetted path that adds no pressure drop.
PHA-300 · pH Analyzers Reference listing
Continuous pH measurement with automatic temperature compensation, a differential or combined electrode and a 4-20 mA output for control or recording.
RTD-PT100 · RTD Temperature Sensors Reference listing
PT100 resistance thermometer assembly with a stainless steel sheath, available in two, three and four-wire configurations for process and laboratory duty.
UVS-1900 · Spectrophotometers Reference listing
Double-beam UV-Vis spectrophotometer covering 190 to 1100 nm with a scanning monochromator, for quantitative analysis and wavelength scanning in the laboratory.
Send the process conditions and the standard you have to meet, and we will confirm the instrument, availability and documentation that can accompany the order.
Request for quotation
Send the technical detail and we will confirm availability, lead time and terms. In-stock items ship within 48 hours; customized specifications typically take 2-10 days. Minimum order quantity is 1 pc.