Further investment in RBL pilot plant
UK speciality chemicals manufacturer Robinson Brothers (RBL) is to install a second short path wiped film evaporator at its pilot plant in West Bromwich.
UK speciality chemicals manufacturer Robinson Brothers (RBL) is to install a second short path wiped film evaporator at its pilot plant in West Bromwich.
The latest spend amounts to more than £100,000 (€148,000) and is part of a continuous investment programme at the plant.
RBL installed its first short path wiped film evaporator initially to manufacture a specific intermediate. However, it now has three further products waiting to use the facility and is therefore planning to purchase the second unit to run in parallel. The technology is particularly suitable for products that are not heat stable and are therefore not suited to standard distillation. The company has chosen to 'scale out rather than scale up', to give it the added flexibility of two smaller units rather than one larger one.
In addition, the company has installed new vacuum facilities to support the evaporator, a high temperature oil heating unit, and three filter driers. Two of these are of stainless steel and have a filtration area of 0.5m2, while the larger Hastelloy unit has an area of 0.75m2 and it suitable for isolating highly corrosive substances.