Equipment List for an API & Pharma Intermediate Plant (Multipurpose Batch Plant)

How a Multipurpose API Plant Is Organised

Most API and pharma intermediate plants in India are multipurpose batch plants. The same set of reactors and downstream equipment is used to make several products in campaigns, so equipment is chosen for flexibility, cleanability and a wide range of materials. The process usually flows through five stages: raw material receiving and charging, reaction, work-up and separation (extraction, crystallisation, filtration), drying and finishing, and solvent recovery and waste handling. Utilities such as steam, chilled water, brine, vacuum, nitrogen and compressed air support every stage.

Creative Engineering manufactures most of the vessels, filters, columns and exchangers in this list at its units in Ankleshwar. See our API intermediate equipment page and pharma equipment page.

Master Equipment List by Process Stage

Reactors and Reaction Vessels

Reactors are the heart of the plant. A multipurpose plant commonly has several reactors in a range of sizes, from small pilot-scale to large production vessels, so campaigns of different volumes can be planned. Specify working volume, design pressure and vacuum, temperature range, jacket type, agitator type and speed, materials and surface finish. SS 316L is the default for most intermediates, with Hastelloy or glass-lined vessels where acids and chlorides are heavy.

Read what is a reactor, agitator selection and types of chemical reactors. Our reactor and reaction vessel pages list options.

Receivers, Condensers and Overhead Systems

Every reactor that runs distillation, reflux or vacuum needs a condenser and a receiver. The condenser is usually a shell and tube exchanger mounted above or beside the reactor, and the receiver collects distillate. Standard practice is to match the receiver volume to the reactor batch size, add a vent line to the scrubber or vacuum system and provide a sight glass and a drain. Read our shell and tube heat exchanger design guide, and see our receiver vessels and heat exchanger pages.

Filtration and Drying Train

After reaction and crystallisation the product must be separated and dried. There are two main routes. A centrifuge plus dryer route uses a basket or peeler centrifuge and a separate dryer, which suits larger volumes. A Nutsche filter dryer combines filtration, washing and drying in one closed vessel, which reduces product handling, exposure and cleaning effort and suits potent or solvent-wet products. Read what is a Nutsche filter and see our Nutsche filter page.

Distillation and Solvent Recovery

Solvents are a major cost in API manufacturing and a major environmental concern. A solvent recovery section with a distillation column, reboiler, condenser and receivers lets the plant recycle solvents and reduce waste. Columns may be packed or tray type, sized from the solvent mixture and the required purity. See our distillation column, reboiler and solvent stripper pages, or the complete distillation system.

Storage Tanks, Silos and Hoppers

Plants need storage for solvents, acids, bases, intermediates and finished product. Liquid raw materials are held in storage tanks, with sizes chosen from batch consumption and delivery frequency. Powders may need hoppers or silos with suitable cone angles for reliable discharge. Square and rectangular tanks are popular for batch holding and mother-liquor collection where floor space is limited. See storage tanks, square tanks and silos.

Piping, Skids and Structures

Piping connects the equipment and must be designed for the chemistry, pressure and cleanliness of each line. Fabricating spools in a workshop and erecting them on site reduces on-site welding and improves quality; see pipe spool fabrication. Pre-assembled units, such as a reactor skid with its condenser and receiver, speed up installation; see skid-mounted process equipment. Platforms and ladders give safe access to manways and instruments; see platforms and ladders.

Dryers: Choosing the Right Type for Your Product

Dryer choice depends on how heat-sensitive the product is, how much solvent it holds and how it behaves as a powder. Vacuum tray dryers are simple and gentle, good for small batches and heat-sensitive materials, though loading and unloading is manual. Rotary vacuum dryers tumble the product for faster, more uniform drying, and suit medium to large batches. Fluid bed dryers give fast drying for granular, free-flowing material but need suitable particle size and dust control. Agitated Nutsche filter dryers dry directly after washing in the same vessel. Match the dryer with solvent recovery, because vapours from drying should be condensed and recovered where possible.

GMP and Documentation Points for Pharma Equipment

• SS 316L product-contact surfaces with a defined surface finish and electro-polishing where required.
• Crevice-free welds, self-draining design and no dead legs.
• Material certificates and weld records for traceability.
• Cleaning and drainage design that supports validation.
• Documentation to support qualification: drawings, finish reports, test certificates and calibration records.

Read our GMP equipment design guide for details.

Utilities That Support the Equipment

Process equipment cannot work without utilities, and utilities should be sized with the equipment list. A typical plant needs steam or hot oil for heating, chilled water and brine for cooling and condensing, vacuum for distillation and drying, nitrogen for inerting and blanketing, compressed air for instruments and pneumatic valves, and a reliable power supply with a standby generator. Also plan cooling towers, a scrubber for vent gases and an effluent system. Early utility load calculation avoids undersized boilers or chillers that limit production later.

• Steam or thermic fluid for jackets and reboilers.
• Chilled water and brine for condensers and low-temperature reactions.
• Vacuum system sized to the largest vacuum duty.
• Nitrogen for blanketing and purging flammable solvents.
• Scrubbers for acidic, basic and solvent vent gases.

How to Size and Specify Each Item

1. Start with the product list and the largest batch size planned, and fix the working volume of the main reactors.
2. Choose reactor material from the harshest chemistry in the product list, not the average one.
3. Size condensers from the maximum vapour load and available chilled water or brine temperature.
4. Match receiver volume with batch distillate volume and add a margin.
5. Select the filtration route from product handling needs and batch size.
6. Size the solvent recovery column from the solvent composition and required recovery rate.
7. Choose tank capacity from consumption and supply cycle, and design venting, earthing and nitrogen blanketing.
8. Define utility loads: steam, chilled water, brine, vacuum, nitrogen and compressed air.
9. Prepare a URS and send it to your manufacturer for a technical and commercial offer.

Common Mistakes When Planning an API Plant Equipment List

• Sizing every reactor for the largest product, leaving small campaigns inefficient; plan a spread of sizes.
• Choosing one material for all vessels without checking the harshest reaction.
• Forgetting solvent recovery until after the plant is built, then lacking space and utilities.
• Undersizing condensers and chillers so reactions cannot be held at temperature.
• Ignoring cleaning access: manways, spray balls and drains affect changeover time between products.
• Leaving documentation to the end, making qualification slow.

Get Equipment for Your Plant From One Manufacturer

Buying reactors, receivers, filters, columns, exchangers and tanks from one manufacturer reduces interface problems and simplifies documentation. Creative Engineering can supply the complete vessel and exchanger package for a multipurpose API plant, with GMP finish, code-stamped pressure parts and a single data book. Send your equipment list or process flow diagram through the contact page, or call +91 98251 38460. We respond within 24 hours. Also read how to choose a process equipment manufacturer in India and reactor price factors.

Frequently Asked Questions