Draw a Gantt chart that illustrates the sequence of events in the production of the API in Example 3.1.

Example 3.1

In the production of an API (active pharmaceutical ingredient), the following batch recipe is used.

Step 1: 500 kg of reactant A (MW = 100 kg/kmol) is added to 5000 kg of a mixture of organic solvent (MW = 200 kg/kmol) containing 60% excess of a second reactant B (MW = 125 kg/kmol) in a jacketed reaction vessel (R-301), the reactor is sealed, and the mixture is stirred and heated (using steam in the jacket) until the temperature has risen to 95°C. The density of the reacting mixture is 875 kg/m³ (time taken = 1.5 h).

Step 2: Once the reaction mixture has reached 95°C, a solid catalyst is added, and reaction takes place while the batch of reactants is stirred. The required conversion is 94% (time taken = 2.0 h).

Step 3: The reaction mixture is drained from the reactor and passed through a filter screen (Sc-301) that removes the catalyst and stops any further reaction (time taken = 0.5 h).

Step 4: The reaction mixture (containing API, solvent, and unused reactants) is transferred to a distillation column, T-301, where it is distilled under vacuum. Virtually all of the unused reactants and approximately 50% of the solvent are removed as overhead product (time taken = 3.5 h). The end point for the distillation is when the solution remaining in the still contains less than 1 mol% of reactant B. This ensures that the crystallized API, produced in Step 5, meets specification.

Step 5: The material remaining in the still is pumped to a crystallizer, CR-301, where the mixture is cooled under vacuum and approximately 60% of the API from Step 2 crystallizes out (time taken = 2.0 h).

Step 6: The API is filtered from the crystallizer and placed in a tray dryer, TD-301, where any entrapped solvent is removed (time taken = 4 h).

Step 7: The dried API is sealed and packaged in a packing machine, PK-301, and sent to a warehouse for shipment to the customer (time taken = 1.0 h).

Perform a preliminary design on the required equipment items for this batch process.