Introduction
There are many granulation technique available for pharmaceutical products - high shear granulation, fluid bed granulation, dry granulation etc. Where fluid bed granulation is a commonly used granulation technique in pharmaceutical industries. This article covers the following topics -
- Fluidized bed granulator principle
- Fluidized bed granulation process steps
- Fluidized bed granulation process parameters
- Fluidized bed granulator advantages and disadvantages
Principle
Fluidized bed granulation is achieved by suspending the powder in the fluidized bed air and then binder solution is sprayed from nozzles that are either positioned above or below the powder bed depending on the type of the granulator.
Steps
Fluidized bed granulation performed maintaining few steps successfully. Which include -
- Pre-heating
- Charging or loading
- Drymixing
- Spraying
- Drying
- Discharging
Fig: Fluid Bed Diagram
Process Parameters
Following process parameters is to be checked during fluid bed spray granulation -
- Machine Air Temperature (°C)
- Product Temperature (°C)
- Exhaust Temperature (°C)
- Machine Air flow (m3/hour)
- Exhaust Air Blower Speed (%)
- Atomization Air Pressure (bar)
- Spray pump speed (rpm)
- Spray Mass Flow (g/min)
- Inlet Air Moisture (%)
- Exhaust Air Moisture (%)
Advantages and Disadvantages of Fluid Bed Granulation
Advantages
- Robust process
- Granule size is easy to optimize the
- Better flow
- Smooth surface of granules
- Less drying time
Disadvantages
- Time consuming
- Slower Granules formation
- Higher risk of lump formation due to overwetting
- Less granules strength
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