Merck Animal Health – Engineering Design-Fermentation Expansion
Apr 24, 2013

Merck Animal Health

Engineering Design – Fermentation Expansion

Merck, formerly Intervet, Inc. is an affiliate of Intervet International, the world’s leading manufacturer of veterinary vaccines and currently ranked third among global animal health suppliers. Intervet has, in recent years, attempted to expand its fermentation manufacturing facility, but has been thwarted because of costly over-engineering of the facility. Intervet has turned to sys-tek to develop a project design that meets the owner’s needs within the project budget.

Customized Solutions

The Fermentation Expansion includes the following:

  • Conversion of existing 2000L fermentation vessel to sterile media preparation.
  • Vessel. sys-tek is designing all piping, instrumentation, and controls for this system.
  • Installation of owner-provided 500L, 3000L, and 5000L fermentation systems.
  • sys-tek is designing all interconnecting transfer panels, piping, instrumentation, and controls for these systems.
  • New 5000L processing tank, including all piping, instrumentation, and controls. Installation of owner-provided ultra-filtration systems. sys-tek is designing all interconnecting transfer panels, piping, instrumentation, and controls for these systems.
  • Installation of owner-provided emulsifying systems. sys-tek is designing all interconnecting transfer panels, piping, instrumentation, and controls for these systems.
  • Expansion of process utilities such as deionized water, clean steam, and CIP to support process requirements.
Central Utilities

Process cooling for the expansion required a central chilling system that could provide cooling that would cycle from 200 to 680 tons over a 6-hour period for the process. To minimize equipment cost and to provide a continuous low temperature process cooling supply, sys-tek conceived and designed a hybrid ice storage system that not only provides for the cycling process cooling loads but the HVAC system loads as well. The uniqueness of the design provide operational flexibility and system redundancy which increase reliability and uptime for manufacturing.

Engineering Design with Passion: sys-tek was selected for this project because of our proven history to understand that every project is unique and requires its own solutions to satisfy the owner’s needs. We understand that our clients are not looking for cookie-cutter solutions. They are looking for creative, innovative solutions that fit their needs, budgets, and goals.