Equilibar's Single-Use Back Pressure Regulator Wins Pharma Award

Pharma Manufacturing magazine recently awarded Equilibar a 2022 Pharma Innovation Award for the company’s Equilibar SDO Single Use Back Pressure Regulator. The awards honor new technologies and services that help advance not only product quality, but risk reduction and manufacturing efficiency. The company believes these winners are valuable tools designed in response to the specific needs of the market and customers.

Photo Credit: Equilibar

The award-winning, patent pending Equilibar® SD series back pressure regulators and flow control valves are manufactured using USP Class VI polymers and stainless steel, and are dome-loaded multi-orifice valves. The disposable valve body is made of polymer, and is inserted into a stainless steel support housing with wing nut closure for quick and easy assembly. 

The SD regulator offers frictionless operation and precision across exceptionally wide flow rate ranges. The stainless steel housing is designed as a permanent part of the process and connects to a dome pilot pressure supply. The disposable body is sold in a pre-sterilized state and comes ready for sterilization up to 50 kGy.

Once assembled, users simply apply a pressure to the pilot port in the dome of the valve equal to the desired setpoint then the valve takes over. This pilot pressure forces the upper flexible diaphragm down onto a field of orifices, and rising inlet pressure lifts the diaphragm up to allow excess pressure to be relieved through the outlet orifices. Similarly, a loss of pressure at the inlet causes the diaphragm to be pushed closer to the orifices, restricting flow and rebuilding pressure at the inlet.

It is well suited to control the transmembrane pressure in tangential flow filtration or cross-flow filtration, and dP control in virus filtration systems.

In addition to pressure control applications, the Equilibar SD can be used in on/off and flow control applications in single use processes. Potential advantages for on/off applications include the simple construction, ease of computer automation and low pressure drop.