Biopharmaceutical

RODI Water System

The Challenge

A few years ago, an experienced mechanical contractor approached the HPS team about a special piping project. This company needed an experienced piping contractor who could handle the detailed requirements associated with installing a Reverse Osmosis/Deionized (RODI) water system in a life science lab facility.

Having already worked with this mechanical contractor on a previous project to quickly and properly install a similar system at a university, they knew they could trust us with the job.

The Strategy

Life science facilities can demand a lot of water; and this project consisted of a RODI loop and numerous drops on two different levels of two separate buildings. Our team needed to connect the two buildings to form one massive loop supplying all the lab stations. Because of its naturally smooth inner surface finish, limited degradation when exposed to RODI water, and being a cost competitive material and installation process, natural polypropylene was chosen as the loop material.

The HPS site team had to work alongside many different trades in crowded areas to complete the loop. The material specifications did not allow mechanical unions to be used within the piping system, which meant HPS had to perform field welds in difficult aerial positions with a Georg Fischer butt fusion welding machine. The result was a contiguous, leak-free system in the ceilings and walls.

Each plastic fusion weld received a verification label in accordance with FDA documentation requirements for weld tracking and, upon completion, the system was flushed and pressure tested with DI water in compliance with customer specifications.

The Result

This specialty installation is one of the largest RODI systems HPS has tackled to date. A six month job with three more months of additional scope, the finished project was a beautiful and fully functional RODI loop piping system. The owner and the GC were pleased with the result, and the mechanical contractor continues to reach out to us to work on similar projects.

Interested in collaborating with High Purity Systems? Start the conversation here.

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Using an orbital welding process, our team installed 316L stainless steel ammonia and silane lines with coaxial tubing to create a double contained system. VCR and compression fittings secured the 15Ra, 1/4″ x 1/2” coaxial gas lines.

Upon completion of the installation, a pressure test was performed on both the inner 1/4” process line and the outer 1/2” containment line, as well as analytical testing to confirm purity. The finished product, which met the international SEMI standards for cleanroom safety and cleanliness, was turned over to the customer in three weeks.

The Result

This multi-step gas cabinet relocation and installation demonstrated that in addition to our work in smaller research and development labs, HPS also executes projects in larger semiconductor manufacturing plants. This project demanded HPS’ expertise with ultra-high purity cleanroom piping systems as well as double containment coaxial systems for hazardous materials.

The customer chose our team for our strong industry reputation and extensive resume, and we provided them with competitive pricing and flexible start and completion dates to meet their manufacturing schedule.

Think we can work together to solve a similar problem in your facility? Contact us now.