Because it has to be really clean: That's why Vetter relies on dynamic uninterruptible power supply

Power outages are part of everyday life in Germany - with serious consequences for the economy. According to a survey by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, 42% of the 1,000 companies surveyed from various sectors and regions experienced power outages of up to three minutes in 2023. The consequences are sometimes serious - but not for the German pharmaceutical company Vetter. The company, which has production sites in Germany, Austria and the USA, does not manufacture any medicines itself. Instead, it specializes in filling them aseptically, for example in syringes, cartridges or vials. To ensure that this is completely aseptic, Vetter has been safeguarding its production processes with uninterruptible power supply systems - Kinetic PowerPacks for short - for almost 20 years.  

"A power failure would mean that we would have to dispose of entire batches of medication," says Kai Schumacher. He is Head of Electrical Engineering at pharmaceutical service provider Vetter and, together with his team, ensures that the electricity always flows at Vetter. And always really means 100 percent. "The smallest outages would have the biggest impact," he explains.  

This is because the medicines must be filled in a completely sterile atmosphere. This is required by both the regulatory authorities and Vetter's customers: the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in the world. No microorganisms or impurities are allowed to get into the active ingredients, as this would compromise their effectiveness and therefore patient safety.  

The Vetter production employees - all wearing overalls, a cap over their hair and a face mask and gloves - therefore fill the medicines in a so-called clean room. The air here is cool and clean, almost sterile smelling. A quiet, constant humming of the filter systems can be heard. The lighting is bright, but not dazzling, and the floor is spotless.

Ventilation system guarantees sterility in the cleanroom

No germs are allowed to enter the cleanroom. Air flows and air exchange rates are strictly regulated. A ventilation system ensures a constant positive pressure in the room so that it remains sterile even when doors are opened. If the power, and therefore the ventilation system, fails for just a few seconds, sterility in the room can no longer be guaranteed. "Then we would have to dispose of the batches of medication that we are currently filling," explains Kai Schumacher.  

The 30-something has been with Vetter for six years and is rarely seen in the cleanroom. His home is a few stairs away in the company's "technical cellar". This is where he has once again had mtu Kinetic PowerPacks installed. "Because they simply work well," he says.  

mtu Kinetic PowerPacks: Kinetic mass storage ensures constant availability

What makes them special is that they are immediately ready for use even without a battery and can compensate for the smallest irregularities in the power grid. For this purpose, mtu Kinetic PowerPacks have a constantly rotating kinetic mass storage unit. This is coupled with an mtu combustion engine and a synchronous generator which, depending on the operating mode, is also motor-driven and thus compensates for the power factor of different consumers.

As long as the public power grid is running, the kinetic mass storage device - in this case a flywheel - is driven by the generator, which works as an electric motor in this operating state. The heavy kinetic mass storage serves as an "energy battery" that stores the energy and then makes it available when the power fails.  

The whirring of the flywheel can be heard loud and clear in Kai Schumacher's "technical cellar". You can't have a conversation next to it. But that's the way it should be, because the system has to be ready for use at all times and the kinetic mass storage units have to be running.

Rotational energy starts mtu diesel engine in mtu Kinetic PowerPacks

Things get really exciting when the public power grid fails: part of the energy stored in the flywheel then drives the generator, which then takes over the power supply. Meanwhile, another part of the stored rotational energy helps to start the 12-cylinder mtu Series 4000 diesel engine very quickly. It reaches its rated power within a very short time and can now take over the power supply via the generator and stabilize the flywheel. This happens without interruption - hence the name "uninterruptible power supply".

"A colleague from the night shift recently told me that the whole town was suddenly dark because the power had gone out. Only at Vetter were the lights still on and we were able to continue production." An example that shows how relevant and important the system is.  

50 uses per year for mtu Kinetic PowerPacks

The mtu systems at the various Vetter sites are used around 50 times a year. There is not always a really big power outage that causes the lights to go out in the whole city. The mtu Kinetic PowerPacks also compensate for fluctuations and irregularities in the power grid. And these are occurring more and more frequently - partly because more and more renewable energy is being fed into the grid, making it more volatile.  

When these fluctuations occur, there is a specific trigger logic that has been refined over decades, as Christoph Webinger explains. He has been selling the dynamic UPS systems, which have been part of Rolls-Royce since 2020 and were previously known as EuroDiesel and Kinolt, for 15 years. If there's one expert in this field, it's him.

"If there are only minor fluctuations or phase failures in the power grid, the KPP system remains connected to the grid and merely compensates for the output voltage," says Webinger. At a certain point, however, the diesel engine has to step in and take over the load in order to supply the energy that Vetter needs for its really clean cleanroom.

Nine mtu Kinetic PowerPacks are already in operation at the Ravensburg site, and two more will be added soon. The eleven systems will then have a combined output of 16,000 kilowatts. They are regularly serviced to ensure that they are reliably ready for use at all times. A small inspection is carried out every two months to lubricate the bearings and check the vibrations, among other things. Once a year, the diesel engine also needs to be serviced. "Compared to other uninterruptible power supply systems, however, the maintenance effort for the systems is very low," explains Kai Schumacher. The systems only need a complete overhaul after 20 years. Then they are completely dismantled and refurbished.

Then they will be ready for the next 20 years, during which Vetter employees will be able to fill medicines aseptically.