Catalogue des vannes stériles VESTA ®

As one of the world's leading process component manufacturers, GEA Tuchenhagen has been supplying products to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, fine chemistry, cosmetics and healthcare industries for the past 75 years. One of the basic requirements in such industries is the ability to meet the highest hygiene and sterility standards. GEA Tuchenhagen takes account of these factors right from the initial design phase, ensuring they are consistently implemented. The name GEA Tuchenhagen stands for customised systems that can be configured from amongst the company's wide product range to create innovative, cGMP-compliant solutions. A leader in the field in hygienic valve technology, GEA Tuchenhagen enjoys a worldwide reputation for products which have contributed significantly towards making process technology what it is today. GEA Tuchenhagen's many years of experience in the manufacture of hygienic stainless steel instruments give the company an enormous knowledge base to draw on in developing all its innovative products.

With its VESTA® sterile valve series, GEA Tuchenhagen offers the first practical, cost-effective alternative to diaphragm valves. The full benefits of VESTA® sterile valves, both technical and economic, have yet to be fully realised as new applications become apparent. VESTA® sterile valves fully meet the operational requirements for processes at the highest level, comply with the strictest safety regulations and provide a high quality product.

High demands are placed on process components for the pharmaceutical, biotech, cosmetics and food industries if the highest process reliability and product quality are to be achieved. Directives/regulations such as FDA, cGMP and EHEDG; and terms like qualification and validation are gaining more and more importance.

VESTA® block valves are compact sterile valves that can be used universally with two independent actuators of each other. The design concept of a single piece body allowing the merging, separation or branching of various media flows in the smallest of spaces. VESTA® block valves offer an optimal flow path with reduction of dead spaces at the same time. The significantly reduced pipework volume and the improved selfdraining are outstanding features of the design. A variety of configurations provide a high measure of flexibility in the implementation of plant designs with significant cost reduction.

VESTA® tank bottom valves are used to shut off fluid media in tanks. They are designed to be fitted to the lowest point of the bottom to shut off the media flush with the tank bottom without any kind of sump. The pocket free design provides complete draining of the tank and optimal CIP/SIP cleaning. Thanks to the robust design of the body, and/or the body connection flange, the valve can be welded into place without any distortion. The extremely compact design allows VESTA® tank bottom valves to be fitted into the tightest of spaces. In addition VESTA® tank bottom valves are available in various designs to meet the requirements, for example, with an additional valve for CIP/SIP or drainage with a flush front shut-off (pocket-free configuration).

The VESTA® sampling valve is used for aseptic product sampling from pipes or tanks. The VESTA® sampling valve prevents product contamination, thus keeping the process system free from germs.

Cost-effective manufacture of high sensitivity products in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries requires even more complex processes. This places high demands on the engineering, in particular with regard to the process reliability of the complete plant system. In this connection directives (FDA, cGMP), legal frameworks such as EU regulations, and concepts such as qualification and validation are gaining greater significance. In many cases processes using different operating, cleaning and sterilisation media are often applications in sterile process engineering. At the present time such processes are implemented almost exclusively using diaphragm valves in the form of conventional solutions using individual valves or so-called valve blocks. Conventional solutions with individual diaphragm valves in a welded design are known to be very labour-intensive. As well as being time consuming to assemble the valves, fittings and pipe components used also require greater clearances. Dead spaces with systems of this kind are unavoidable and must be taken into account. While valve blocks with diaphragm valves in a block of solid material are compact they are not totally free of dead spaces. Moreover valve blocks of this type are only ’optimised for draiing’ - complete evacuation of the system is not possible. Large wall thicknesses make systems of this kind require long heating-up times during the sterilisation process. Until now there have been few alternatives to systems using membrane valves for such processes. This gap is now filled by the novel VESTA® Multiport from GEA Tuchenhagen. The VESTA® Multiport fitted with VESTA® sterile valves is designed to have zero dead space and be CIP compliant. It provides for total draining, can be located in the smallest of spaces, and at the same time sets new standards in terms of cost effectiveness.

T.VIS® V-1 / V-20 position indicator / control module
T.VIS® P-1 / P-20 position controller

The T.VIS® concept (GEA Tuchenhagen Valve Information System) now complements the pneumatic VESTA® sterile valve series with a smart, modular system for valve monitoring, actuation and control – adapted to the hygienic design of the sterile valve.
The T.VIS® V-1 / V-20 is an electrical position indicator with feedback system and optionally integrated solenoid valves for linear process valves with a stroke up to 30 mm.

Beside the electrical position indicator for pneumatically operated VESTA® Sterile Valves, a stainless steel holder is available as an option. The stainless steel holder can be equipped with inductive proximity switches (3-wire technology) for an operating voltage of 10-30 V DC or alternatively with NAMUR proximity switches (DIN 19234 / EEXi) for an operating voltage of 8 V DC. Integrated LEDs indicate the operating status or the valve position. The stainless steel holder is fitted on top of the actuator. To adjust the set points can be done very easy and quickly.

The VESTA® proximity switch holder can be fitted to VESTA® pneumatic actuators. It is prepared with two holes for attaching one proximity switch each. The open and closed valve positions can be indicated.

The VESTA® stroke limiter is used to limit the stroke of a valve. It is adjustable over the entire stroke range.

VARINLINE® Process Connections are used for the integration of control and measurement instruments to keep your production process transparent. CIP-/SIP capability was imperative when designing the process connection fittings. VARINLINE® Access Unit The VARINLINE Access Unit is used for the integration of control and measurement instruments into pipe systems of diameters designed for lowest liquid and gas volumes up to very large product volumes. Two control and measurement instruments maximum can be incorporated into this type of process connection fitting.

The GEA Tuchenhagen®-VARIFLOW Centifugal Pump TP is designed for pumping demanding media up to a viscosity of 1,000 mPas. Low flow velocities and gentle discharge of media through the spiral housing ensure extremely gentle product handling and high efficiency.

10 pump sizes with a capacity range of up to 210 m3/h and pump heads of up to 90 m w.c. are available, finely tuned to the task at hand.

The GEA Tuchenhagen®-VARIFLOW Centrifugal Pump TPS is a self-priming pump for viscosities of up to 500 mPas. The pump is used for CIP return applications, for emptying tanks as well as for conveying products containing gas. The TPS is characterized by a low sound power level, highest efficiency and excellent cleaning properties. The TPS series also permits evacuation of pipes on the suction side – so that just one pump is required for CIP return and product conveying!