FLUIDIZED BED SYSTEMS

CONCEPT OF FLUIDIZATION:

Principle of Fluidization:The principle of operation of fluidized systems are based on the fact that if a gas is allowed to flow through a bed of particulate solids at velocity greater than the settling velocity of the particles and less than the terminal velocity for pneumatic conveying and equal to the minimum velocity of fluidization (V mf ), the solids get partially suspended in the stream of upward moving gas.The gas stream negates the gravitational pull due to weight of particles to enable the suspended state of the solid. The resultant mixture of solids and gas behave like a liquid and thus rightly solids are called Fluidized.

Theory Of Fluidization : i)Phenomenon of Fluidization Stages of fluidization:- The stages of fluidization is mostly based on the fluid velocity passing through the particle bed. According to Ridgeway and Quinn the stages of fluidization can be summarized as follows. 1) Static bed 2) Expanded bed 3) Mobile bed 4) Bubble formation 5) Pneumatic transport

ii) Role of Fluidization velocity:A mass of finely divided solids is transformed into a fluidized bed by lifting action of gas passing through it.Thus three stages can be identified in the process of fluidizing a bed of solids basing on the velocity of gas flow through it. They include 1) Fixed bed or Static Bed 2) Expanded bed or particulate fluidization. 3) Mobilized bed After mobile bed formation if velocity is further increased the bed expands considerably with increase in voidage and bubble formation occurs. If further increase in velocity of air occurs, eventually the lifting force of passing air blows particle out of the bed altogether leading to Pneumatic transport .

As shown in Figure below, the velocity of the fluid through the bed opposite to the direction of gravity determines whether the bed is fixed, expanded, or is swept out.

This led to the development of the concept of minimum fluidization velocity (V mf ) at which the bed just begins to fluidize.

(a) Slow flow rate (b) Intermediate flow rate (c) High flow rate

Status of approach fluid velocity (V 0 )

Type of bed formed

V 0 < V mf Fixed Bed

V mf ≥ Vo < U t Fluidized Bed

V 0 ≥ U t Mobilized Bed

Where Vo is approach velocity or superficial velocity, Vmf is the minimized fluidized velocity, Ut is particle terminal velocity.

iii) Role of pressure drop in Fluidization:When a fluid flows through a bed of particles in a tube, it will exert a drag force upon the particles resulting in a pressure drop across the bed.As the fluid’s approach velocity is increased, pressure drop is magnified. The pressure drop across the bed, ∆p, then remains constant (even with further increase in the fluid velocity) and equal to the effective weight of the bed per unit area .

Different types of Fluidized Bed: Slugging bed – A slugging bed is a fluid bed in which air bubbles occupy entire cross sections of the vessel and divide the bed into layers Boiling bed – A boiling bed is a fluid bed in which the air or gas bubbles are approximately the same size as the solid particles Channeling bed – A channeling bed is a fluid bed in which the air (or gas) forms channels in the bed through which most of the air passes Spouting bed – A spouting bed is a fluid bed in which the air forms a single opening through which some particles flow and fall to the outside

FLUIDIZED BED DRYERS1)INTRODUCTION

Fluid bed drying is most widely used technique for drying pharmaceutical powders and granulation.The direct contact between particles and air/gas is possible in fluid bed system. Here any type of inert gas or air is used. They can be designed in either batch or continuous type fluid bed dryer.

2)PRINCIPLEIn fluidized bed dryer, hot air is passed at high pressure through a perforated bottom of the container containing granules to be dried.The granules are lifted from the bottom and suspended in the stream of air.This condition is called fluidized state.

The hot gas surrounding every granule to completely dry them.Thus, material or granules are uniformly dried.The hot air/gas used for drying can be generated by either steam coils or a combustion furnace.The angle of repose of gas-solid mixture is zero and it assumes the shape of the vessel that contains it. In fluid bed drying uniform conditions of temperature, composition and particle size distribution is achieved throughout the bed because of complete mixing between the solids and gas is obtained.

PARAMETERS TO BE CONTROLLED IN FLUID BED SYSTEMSi) Apparatus Parameters 1) Air distribution plate Position of the air distribution plate influences the airflow pattern inside the body. 2) Shape of instrument body Annular base gives better product and fluidization3) Nozzle height in case of coater and granulator. It plays vital role as in coating, the atomized coating solution should not get dried before reaching the tablet surface. 4) Positive and negative pressure operation.

ii) Process Parameters:The following inlet air parameters are critical

1) Temperature As the inlet air temperature increases the rate of drying increases and vice versa.This approach to increase the rate of drying can not be used always because some materials are harmed by high temperature, e.g. Ibuprofen liquefies above 60°C temperature of inlet air should be optimized without any impact on product quality.If temperature is high, it leads to blistering. If temperature is low, soft spot can be formed.2) Humidity Humidity in the inlet air should be as low as possible and ideally dehumidified air should be used for faster drying rate because as the

humidity of inlet air decreases the rate of drying increases.

3) Air flow rate Air flow rate should be controlled properly in order to get efficient use of drying air. Air flow rate should not be too fast or too slow but optimized to have efficient drying.

iii) Product Parameters: 1) Initial moisture content of material. It should not be high otherwise it increases

drying time. 2) Batch size. It should be small and optimized based on

feasibility.

TYPES OF FLUID BED DRYERA)Batch Type Vertical Fluid Bed Dryer With

Granulating Option. I. Reverse Turning Bed Type In this equipment, by turning the gas dispersion plate

(the reverse turning bed) in 90° direction with the control motor, all the dried material can be discharged at once.

II. Rotating Discharge Type Dried material is discharged by opening the discharge

gate equipped at the side of the Dryer. As the perforated plate is used as the gas dispersion plate, the gas inside the equipment whirls and pushes the dried material out from the discharge gate.

Characteristics Of Batch Type Fluidized Bed Dryer The residence period of the dried material can be controlled which results in uniform drying.It is most suitable in case where an accurate control of the residence period is required at the decreasing rate drying zone. Small destruction of particle occurs therefore suitable for granular or crystallized material. Easy operation can be achieved by an automatic control of material feeding, drying discharging etc. When multiple stage system us adopted, the exhaust gas heat can be used efficiently.

B) Continuous Type Horizontal Vibrating Conveyor Fluid Bed Dryer Residence time in any drying zone is dependent on (1) Length of the zone (2) The frequency and the amplitude of the vibration (3) Use of dams Heat transfer units such as tube or plate, are built inside the equipment. These unit supplies 60-80 % heat necessary for drying.

Characteristics Of Continuous Fluidized Bed Dryer (1) The materials with relative high moisture content can also be dried. (2) At and after a second drying chamber, piston flow ability can be achieved by arranging numbers of the partition plates as per the required residence period. The perforated plate at the fixed direction ensures easy discharging. (3) Small destruction of particles, so suitable for granules or crystalline materials. In multiple zones fluid bed dryers, heating and cooling occurs in same unit.Each zone has independent control for temperature, dewpoint and velocity of air/gas.By adjusting the weir height for each zone, residence time can vary up to four fold in the unit.

CONSTRUCTIONThe construction of a vertical fluidised bed dryer The dryer is made of stainless steel or plastic.A detachable bowl is placed at the bottom of the dryer, which is used for charging and discharging.The bowl has a perforated bottom with a wire mesh support for placing materials to be dried.A fan is mounted in the upper part for circulating hot air.Fresh air inlet, prefilter and heat exchanger are connected serially to heat the air to the required temperatures.The temperature of hot air and exit are monitored.Bag filters are placed above the drying bowl for recovery of fines.

WORKING:When the velocity of the air is greater than the settling velocity of granules, the granules remain partially suspended in the gas stream.After some time, a point of pressure is reached at which frictional drag in the particles is equal to the force of gravity.The granules rise in the container because of high velocity gas and fell back in a random boiling motion.This condition is said to be fluidized state.Drying is achieved at constant rate and falling rate period is very short.

ADVANTAGES:1) It requires less time to complete drying i.e.,20 to 40 mins

compared

2)To 24 hrs of tray dryer. Handling time is also short. It is 15 times faster than tray dryer.

3)Hot spots are not observed in the dryer, because of its excellent mixing and drying capacities.

4)It facilitates the drying of thermo labile substances, since the contact time is short.

5)It can be used either as batch type or continuous type.

6)The free movement of individual particles eliminates the risk of soluble material migrating as may occur in static bed.

1)Many organic powders develop electrostatic charges during drying which can be avoided by efficient electrical earthing of the dryer.

2)The turbulence of the fluidized state of granules may cause attrition of some materials resulting in production of fines which can be avoided by using suitable binding agent.

DISADVANTAGES:

FLUIDIZED BED COATING SYSTEM Principle of operation: Particles are fluidized and coating fluid is sprayed on and dried.Small droplets and low viscosity of the spray medium ensure an even product coating.

PARAMETERS TO BE CONTROLLED:IN COATING PROCESS:1) Related To Spray Nozzle Distance of spray nozzle. Efficiency of coating depends on the quality of the coating

solution. The coating solution should not get dried before reaching the fluidized substances viz. tablet, particles, and granule surface.

2) Droplet size. Quality of the coat depends on the droplet size. So it should

neither be too big nor be too small. 3) Spray rate. Flow rate should not be too fast or too slow, but should be of

optimized rate for efficient coating. 4) Spray pressure. Atomization of coating solution depends on the spray pressure,

thus for proper atomization droplet size should be optimum.

MISCELLLANEOUS:1) Moisture content in processing compartment. Moisture should not be present in case of hygroscopic materials. 2) Method used for coating should be chosen on basis of the purpose for which it is used. e.g. SR, ER, etc. 3) Time of drying should be determined on bases of the product and quality of the coat desired.PRODUCT PARAMETERS:1) Coating agent. Selection of coating agent should be done according to type of coating required e.g. Enteric coating, Sugar coating, etc. Solvent should be selected according to the properties of the coating agent. If solvent is volatile, it should be checked for inflammability.

If solvent is volatile, it should be checked for inflammability. Concentration of granulating agent should be optimized for uniform spreading and droplet formation. Temperature of the coating agent should not be so high that coating solution get dried before reaching to the tablet surface. 2) Starting material. Shape of tablets greatly affects the coating process. In case of powder coating the particles shape and density affects the coating process.

TOP SPRAY COATING •This process is used for general coatings right up to enteric coating. With top spray coating in the fluid bed (batch and continuous), particles are fluidized in the flow of heated air, which is introduced into the product container via a base plate.•The coating liquid is sprayed into the fluid bed from above against the air flow (countercurrent) by means of a nozzle. Drying takes place as the particles continue to move upwards in the air flow.• Small droplets and a low viscosity of the spray medium ensure that the distribution is uniform.

•Coating in the continuous fluid bed is particularly suitable for protective coatings/color coatings where the product throughput rates are high.•The product is continuously fed into one side of the machine and is transported onwards via the sieve bottom by means of the air flow. •Depending on the application, the system is sub-divided into pre-heating zones, spray zones and drying zones. The dry, coated particles are continuously extracted.

BOTTOM SPRAY COATING (WURSTER COATING) •This process is particularly suitable for a controlled release/ Extended Release and delayed/ enteric coating of active ingredients layered in the form of pellet.•In the Wurster process, a complete sealing of the surface can be achieved with a low usage of coating substance.

•The spray nozzle is fitted in the base plate resulting in a spray pattern that is concurrent with the air feed. By using a Wurster cylinder and a base plate with different perforations, the particles to be coated are accelerated inside the Wurster tube and fed through the spray cone concurrently.•As the particles continue traveling upwards, they dry and fall outside the Wurster tube back towards the base plate. They are guided from the outside back to the inside of the tube where they are once again accelerated by the spray. This produces an extremely even film. Particles of different sizes are evenly coated.

•Ideal for coatings with high solid content. The product is set into a spiral motion by means of a rotating base plate, which has air fed into the powder bed at its edge. •The spray nozzle is arranged tangentially to the rotor disc and also sprays concurrently into the powder bed. Very thick film layers can be applied

TANGENTIAL SPRAY COATING (ROTOR PELLET COATING)

HUTTLIN KUGEL COATER•The product container of kugel coater is spherical.•Fluidized air is introduced by tube that passes down the center of the product container.•A series of spray nozzles are also located at the bottom of the product container in such a way that fluidizing air create a ballon effect to keep the product been coated away from the spray nozzle•Addition, of multiple spray nozzles intended to maximize uniformity of distribution of coating.

FLUIDIZED BED GRANULATORSPrinciple of

granulation:•The powder is fluidized by the hot air in fluid bed granulator.•The binding liquid such as solution ,suspension is sprayed on the fluidized powder to build liquid bridges among them to form agglomerates.•The liquid bridge that serve to hold the particle together in two ways:1) By surface tension at the air liquid interface2) By hydrostatic suction• The liquid bridges are dried by the hot fluid air to

stick the powder together.• While the liquid sprayed continuously , the

particles grow bigger to a desire granule size.• The process is carried out continuously.• Finally it forms uniform porous granules.

FLUID BED GRANULATOR1. Inlet air filter

2. Condenser3. Humidifier4. Inlet air Heater5. HEPA filter6. Inlet air7. Inlet air plenum8. Gas distributor plate9. Product container10. Conical expansion zone11. Filter housing12. Product filter13. Outlet air14. HEPA filter15. Fan16. Spray gun

WORKING:•A suction fan mounted at the top portion generates the airflow necessary for fluidization of powders. The air used for fluidization is heated to the desired temperature by an air heater. •The liquid granulating agent is pumped from its container & sprayed as a fine mist through a spray head onto the fluidized powder. •The wetted particles undergo agglomeration through particle contacts. After appropriate agglomeration is achieved, the spray operation is discontinued and the material is dried and discharged from unit.

 Types Of Fluidized Bed Granulator: 1) Top Spray Fluid Bed Granulator•The recrystallization and hardening binder technology are generally carried out in the top spray granulator. In this equipment spray nozzle located at the top the base of the product container is equipped with a fine – mesh retention screen to allow small particle size. •Spray nozzle to permit positioning above the static bed in the lengthened expansion chamber. The granulator is operated by fluidizing the bed of powder & spraying the granulating solution at the controlled rate. •Proper agglomeration achieved, the liquid spray is cut off and the material allows drying to the desired moisture content.

2) Rotating Disk Fluid Bed Granulator With Dryer Option:•Layering technology carried out by rotating disk granulator and coater. The technique have been extended to coating operation and combined with an expansion chamber to form the rotating disk granulator & coater fluid bed device.•The rotating disk can be moved up or down to create a variable slit opening between the outer perimeter of the disk and the side wall of the container.

•This allows independent control of air velocity over air volume, air is drawn into the product container through the slit under negative pressure. At the same time the disk rotate at varying speed & product move under centrifugal force to the outer positions where it is lifted by the fluidizing air stream into the expansion chamber. •As the material fall to the center of the rotating disk and repeat the processes. This fluidization pattern also described as a spiraling helix or rope like pattern around the inside the rotor chamber.•The motion of fluidization of the particle controlled by the forces like fluidization, centrifugal force and gravity.

•In the layering technique dry powder can be fed into the wet bed resulting in the build up the layers of the powder on to the particle substrate. At the end of the coating process the liquid spray is cut off and the material in the product chamber is dried by increasing the fluidizing air volume and temperature.

Advantages:•Liquid like behavior, easy to controlRapid mixing, uniform temperature and concentrations.•Resists rapid temperature changes, hence responds slowly to changes in operating conditions and avoids temperature runaway with exothermic reactions.•Applicable for large or small scale operations.Heat and mass transfer rates are high, requiring smaller surfaces.•Continuous operation.•Ease of process control due to stable conditions.

Disadvantages:•Bubbling beds of fine particles are difficult to predict and are less efficient.•Particle comminution (breakup) is common.•Pipe and vessel walls erode due to collisions by particles.•Non-uniform flow patterns (difficult to predict).Size and type of particles, which can be handled by this technique, are limited.•Due to the complexity of fluidized bed behavior, there are often difficulties in attempting to scale-up from smaller scale to industrial units.

•Fluidized bed dryers are used in drying of various materials such as powders, tablets, granules, coals, fertilizers, plastic materials.

•This process is being used in granulation of pharmaceutical powders.

•Fluidized bed coaters are used widely for coating of powders, granules, tablets, pellets, beads held in suspension by column of air.

•The three types (Top spray, Bottom spray, Tangential spray) are mainly used for aqueous or organic solvent-based polymer film coatings.

•Top-spray fluidized bed coating is used for taste masking, enteric release and barrier films on particles/tablets. Bottom spray coating is used for sustained release and enteric release and Tangential spray coating is used for SR and enteric coating products.

Applications 

REFERENCE:•REVIEW ARTICLE :FLUIDIZED BED SYSTEM(PHARMAINFO.NET)

•HANDBOOK OF PHARMACEUTICAL GRANULATION TECHNOLOGY 2ND EDITION