Simulations enable radioisotope facility
Facility planning for radioisotope production is complex, but advanced simulations are bringing clarity and confidence to this precision-driven process.
When planning any biopharma greenfield facility, you must answer several critical questions early on to ensure your space is designed appropriately. For one radioisotope producer, this step held more questions than answers, so they turned to CRB’s simulations team to quantify the unknown.
The challenge: Understanding future operating conditions
The process: Running variability and sensitivity analyses
Data collection in this early phase can be tricky; however, CRB’s experts still had a place to start. Our team established production basics, such as the hours per day, days per week, and weeks per year the facility would operate. The team then added batch cadence and other known variables to model desired outcomes. Next, CRB’s radiopharma SMEs and simulation experts collaborated to illustrate a sequence for unit operations and parameters, running multiple “what if” scenarios.
These simulated scenarios uncovered everything from the operator headcount to the number of formulation trains and dispensing trains needed to hit the desired throughput.
The outcome: A foundation for a radioisotope production facility
In just over two months, our experts identified and measured average utilization and timing, along with the allocated space needs for the new radioisotope facility’s design.
This simulation study provided:
- Estimated throughput capacities for future operating conditions
- Established resource utilization (average vs peak)
- Equipment
- Labor
- Identified potential bottlenecks
- Manufacturing lead times
- Frequency/severity of potential batch start delays
- Impacts of rework frequency on process delays
- Potential to significantly reduce the average evaporation rate from initial assumptions
- Proposed optimization of unit operation prework
Using simulations enabled our radiopharma client to leverage a more accurate picture of future operating conditions and risks as they moved through their project’s feasibility and design phases.
This is just one example of how CRB uses simulations to run variability and sensitivity analyses for even the most complex pharma, radiopharma, and biotech capital projects. If you want to confidently move forward with your radiopharma facility’s planning, design and exec, we can help.
Talk to our team of experts today.
