Pharmaceutical, Biotech & Fine Chemical Production

Industry Overview - Electric Heating in Pharmaceuticals & Biotech

Pharmaceutical, biotech and fine chemical processes rely on accurate temperature control in reactors, dryers, distillation systems and critical utilities such as CIP/SIP and WFI. Electric heating is widely used where precise control, clean operation and fast response are important. Intelligent SCR power control improves stability, supports GMP compliance and helps sites manage their energy use as expectations on efficiency and sustainability continue to rise.

Reactors & jacketed vessels
CIP/SIP heaters & WFI systems
Tray, vacuum & fluid bed dryers

Distillation & evaporation systems
Hot oil skids & thermal loops
Cleanroom duct & inline heaters

Process Machinery & Applications

Electrically heated systems commonly controlled with REVO SCR power in pharma, biotech and fine chemical facilities.

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Reactors & Jacketed Vessels

Electric heating for batch and semi-batch reactors used in synthesis, crystallisation, or neutralisation.

Common pain points:

tight temperature bands
ramp/soak control
traceability

Recommended controllers:

REVO DPU

REVO C

CIP / SIP Heaters & WFI Systems

Electric heaters for clean-in-place, steam-in-place and purified water generation.

Common pain points:

sanitary design
temperature stability
validation

Recommended controllers:

REVO DPU

REVO C

Tray, Vacuum & Fluid Bed Dryers

Precision heating for solvent removal and drying of APIs and intermediates.

Common pain points:

uniform drying
overheat protection
energy control

Recommended controllers:

REVO PC

REVO PN

REVO C

Distillation & Evaporation Systems

Electric heating of reboilers and evaporators for solvent recovery and purification.

Common pain points:

boil-up stability
inrush current
power quality

Recommended controllers:

REVO DPU

REVO C

Hot Oil Skids & Thermal Loops

Electric process fluid systems for temperature transfer in multiple reactors or vessels.

Common pain points:

fluid temperature stability
loop control
energy demand

Recommended controllers:

REVO DPU

REVO C

Cleanroom Utilities & HVAC

Duct and inline heaters for temperature and humidity control in clean environments.

Common pain points:

air stability
safety interlocks
start-up demand

Recommended controllers:

REVO PC

REVO C

Typical Pain Points & How We Solve Them

Temperature Control & Product Quality

API synthesis, crystallisation and drying demand tight temperature control to achieve the right polymorph, yield and impurity profile.

Solution: REVO C and REVO-PC enable smooth, accurate power control to jacketed reactors, dryers and reboilers, helping maintain narrow operating windows.

Validation, Traceability & GMP Compliance

Pharmaceutical and biotech processes require documented, auditable temperature and utility performance.

Solution: With REVO C or REVO-PC connected to PLC/SCADA, power and alarm data can be recorded alongside temperature profiles to support GMP and validation documentation.

Energy & Utility Efficiency

CIP/SIP heaters, WFI systems and dryers can be major electrical loads on a site.

Solution: Demand limiting, staggered starts and appropriate firing modes via REVO-PC or REVO-PN help reduce electrical peaks and improve overall energy performance.

Hygiene, CIP/SIP & Cleanroom Constraints

Equipment in pharma and biotech plants must integrate into hygienic, often space-constrained areas.

Solution: Compact REVO controllers on skids or in technical areas support cleanroom-friendly designs while keeping power control close to the process.

Unplanned Downtime & Maintenance

Heater or circuit failures in reactors, CIP skids or WFI systems can disrupt production schedules.

Solution: Diagnostics such as open/partial-load detection and current monitoring help maintenance teams identify failing heaters before they cause lost batches.

Electrification & Decarbonisation

Sites are under pressure to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions across utilities and process equipment.

Solution: Electric heaters with modern SCR control offer more precise control than simple on/off and can be integrated into broader energy management strategies.

Snapshot: Reactor & CIP/WFI Skid Control Upgrade

Problem: an existing reactor and utility set-up using on/off contactors for jacket heaters and CIP/WFI heaters was struggling with temperature overshoot, slow response and limited data for validation.

Solution: installation of REVO C on the reactor jacket heater and a REVO-PC master with REVO-C zone control on a new CIP/WFI skid. The reactor and skid heaters are now driven with phase-angle or burst control as appropriate, with power, current and alarm data sent to the site PLC/SCADA over Profinet via the REVO-PC.

Result: smoother reactor temperature control, improved adherence to CIP/SIP and WFI temperature profiles, reduced nuisance trips and better availability of power data to support validation and energy reporting (typical benefits achievable on similar upgrade projects).

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Why CD Automation?

REVO controllers for reactors, utilities and dryers in GMP environments
REVO-PC with Modbus, Profinet, EtherCAT into PLC/DCS
Firing modes for resistive, variable resistance and transformer-fed loads
Support for OEM skid builders and site engineers
Retrofit and new-build projects for pharma, biotech and fine chemicals

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Industry Overview - Electric Heating in Pharmaceuticals & Biotech