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Benque B, Orefice L, Forgber T, Habeler M, Schmid B, Remmelgas J, Khinast J. Improvement of a pharmaceutical powder mixing process in a tote blender via DEM simulations. Int J Pharm 2024; 658:124224. [PMID: 38740105 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
An industrial-scale pharmaceutical powder blending process was studied via discrete element method (DEM) simulations. A DEM model of two active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) components and a combined excipient component was calibrated by matching the simulated response in a dynamic angle of repose tester to the experimentally observed response. A simulation of the 25-minute bin blending process predicted inhomogeneous API distributions along the rotation axis of the blending container. These concentration differences were confirmed experimentally in a production-scale mixing trial using high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of samples from various locations in the bin. Several strategies to improve the blend homogeneity were then studied using DEM simulations. Reversing the direction of rotation of the blender every minute was found to negligibly improve the blending performance. Introducing a baffle into the lid at a 45° angle to the rotation axis sped up the axial mixing and resulted in a better final blend uniformity. Alternatively, rotating the blending container 90° around the vertical axis five minutes prior to the process end was predicted to reduce axial segregation tendencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedict Benque
- Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering GmbH, Inffeldgasse 13, 8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Luca Orefice
- Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering GmbH, Inffeldgasse 13, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Thomas Forgber
- Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering GmbH, Inffeldgasse 13, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | | | - Beate Schmid
- Sandoz GmbH, Biochemiestrasse 10, 6250 Kundl, Austria
| | - Johan Remmelgas
- Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering GmbH, Inffeldgasse 13, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Johannes Khinast
- Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering GmbH, Inffeldgasse 13, 8010 Graz, Austria; Institute of Process and Particle Engineering, TU Graz, Inffeldgasse 13, 8010 Graz, Austria
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Liu Z, Ma H, Zhou L, Liu Y, Huang Z, Liao X, Zhao Y. DEM-DDM Investigation of the Tablet Coating Process Using Different Particle Shape Models. Ind Eng Chem Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.2c04030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zihan Liu
- Institute of Process Equipment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310027, China
| | - Huaqing Ma
- Institute of Process Equipment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310027, China
| | - Lianyong Zhou
- Institute of Process Equipment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310027, China
| | - Yanlei Liu
- Hangzhou Special Equipment Inspection and Research Institute, Hangzhou310051, China
| | - Ze Huang
- Hangzhou Special Equipment Inspection and Research Institute, Hangzhou310051, China
| | - Xiaoling Liao
- Hangzhou Special Equipment Inspection and Research Institute, Hangzhou310051, China
| | - Yongzhi Zhao
- Institute of Process Equipment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310027, China
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3
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Modeling of inter-tablet coating uniformity of electrostatic dry powder coating by discrete element method. POWDER TECHNOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.powtec.2022.117929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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4
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Investigation of gas-solid heat and mass transfer in a Wurster coater using a scaled CFD-DEM model. POWDER TECHNOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.powtec.2022.117598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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5
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A coarse-grained parcel method for heat and mass transfer simulations of spray coating processes. ADV POWDER TECHNOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.apt.2022.103590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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6
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A hybrid workflow for investigating wide DEM parameter spaces. POWDER TECHNOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.powtec.2022.117440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Madlmeir S, Forgber T, Trogrlic M, Jajcevic D, Kape A, Contreras L, Carmody A, Liu P, Davies C, Sarkar A, Khinast J. Quantifying the Coating Yield by Modeling Heat and Mass Transfer in a Wurster Fluidized Bed Coater. Chem Eng Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2022.117505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Madlmeir S, Forgber T, Trogrlic M, Jajcevic D, Kape A, Contreras L, Carmody A, Liu P, Davies C, Sarkar A, Khinast JG. Modeling the coating layer thickness in a pharmaceutical coating process. Eur J Pharm Sci 2021; 161:105770. [PMID: 33610738 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2021.105770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Although mechanistic numerical simulations can offer great insights into a process, they are limited with respect to resolved process time. While statistical models provide long-term predictability, determining the underlying probability distributions is often challenging. In this work, detailed CFD-DEM simulations of a pharmaceutical Wurster coating process for microspheres are used to evaluate the input parameters for a novel Monte-Carlo simulation approach. The combined strengths of both modeling approaches make it possible to predict the coating mass and thickness distributions over the entire process time. It was observed that smaller beads receive a thicker coating layer since they pass the spray zone closer to the nozzle. Moreover, it was established that, in contrast to the airflow rate, the spray rate has a great impact on the inter-particle coating variability. A stochastic model was developed to investigate the relative contribution of coating layer variability and fill weight variability to the product non-uniformity in a capsule filling process of Multiple Unit Pellet Systems (MUPS).
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Affiliation(s)
- S Madlmeir
- Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering, Graz, Austria
| | - T Forgber
- Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering, Graz, Austria
| | - M Trogrlic
- Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering, Graz, Austria
| | - D Jajcevic
- Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering, Graz, Austria
| | - A Kape
- Glatt, Integrated Process Solution, Binzen, Germany
| | - L Contreras
- Worldwide Research, Development and Medical, Pfizer Inc., Sandwich, UK
| | - A Carmody
- Worldwide Research, Development and Medical, Pfizer Inc., Sandwich, UK
| | - P Liu
- Worldwide Research, Development and Medical, Pfizer Inc., Groton CT, USA
| | - C Davies
- Worldwide Research, Development and Medical, Pfizer Inc., Groton CT, USA
| | - A Sarkar
- Worldwide Research, Development and Medical, Pfizer Inc., Groton CT, USA
| | - J G Khinast
- Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering, Graz, Austria; Institute of Process and Particle Engineering, Technical University of Graz, Austria.
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