Comparison between a twin-screw extruder and a rotary ring die press. Part II: influence of process variables

Experimental Investigation and Numerical Simulation of a Self-Wiping Corotating Parallel Octa-Screw Extruder

An octa-screw extruder (OSE) is equipment for pelletizing, blending, and mixing polymers and composites. In this study, the degree of resin filling, residence time distribution (RTD) of molten resin, and temperature profile in the octa-screw extruder were evaluated both experimentally and numerically. An intermeshing corotating parallel octa-screw kneading extruder was used for the experiments. For the comparison study, the results obtained from this extruder were compared with the twin-screw extruder. High-density polyethylene was selected as the material for extrusion. Meanwhile, a numerical code, based on a 2.5 D finite element method derived from the Hele–Shaw flow model, was developed to simulate the octa-screw extrusion process. The empirical outcomes suggest that octa-screw extrusion exhibited a narrower RTD of the molten resin compared with the twin-screw extrusion, suggesting better extrudate quality. The octa-screw extrusion also showed a lower temperature profile than twin-screw extrusion. The results of the simulation were also found to be in good agreement with experimental measurements. Experimental and numerical investigations of an OSE enable detailed comprehension and visualization of resin distribution in the entire length of the OSE, thus providing advantages in terms of process optimization.

Advances in Twin-Screw Granulation Processing

Twin-screw granulation (TSG) is a pharmaceutical process that has gained increased interest from the pharmaceutical industry for its potential for the development of oral dosage forms. The technology has evolved rapidly due to the flexibility of the equipment design, the selection of the process variables and the wide range of processed materials. Most importantly, TSG offers the benefits of both batch and continuous manufacturing for pharmaceutical products, accompanied by excellent process control, high product quality which can be achieved through the implementation of Quality by Design (QbD) approaches and the integration of Process Analytical Tools (PAT). Here, we present basic concepts of the various twin-screw granulation techniques and present in detail their advantages and disadvantages. In addition, we discuss the detail of the instrumentation used for TSG and how the critical processing paraments (CPP) affect the critical quality attributes (CQA) of the produced granules. Finally, we present recent advances in TSG continuous manufacturing including the paradigms of modelling of continuous granulation process, QbD approaches coupled with PAT monitoring for granule optimization and process understanding.

Elucidation of mass transfer mechanisms in pellet formation by spheronization

Previously published mechanisms of pellet formation during extrusion-spheronization include a transfer of material between different granules. This research aimed to specify the origin of this transfered mass, enabling further insight into the extrusion-spheronization process. Granules of various diameters were rounded simultaniously in a spheronizer to ascertain if mass transfer between smaller and larger granules is truly in balance, or if mass transfer from smaller to larger granules is preferred. Granules were also marked with a fluorescent tracer to enable quantification of mass transfer. By using differently sized and shaped granules as starting material, different modes of mass transfer were investigated. Samples were taken after various process durations to investigate the kinetics of the tranfer mechanism. It was found that both small and large granules dispense and receive mass during spheronization. In general, small granules increase their size, while large granules maintain their size or show a slight size decrease, resulting in the particularly narrow monomodal size distribution.

Scale-up of the rounding process in pelletization by extrusion-spheronization

Previously described scaling models for the spheronization process of wet extrudates are incomplete, often concluding with an adjustment of the plate speed according to the spheronizer diameter, but neglecting to give guidelines on the adjustment of the load or the process duration. In this work, existing scaling models were extended to include the load and the process time. By analyzing the final particle size and shape distributions as well as the rounding kinetics for various loads and plate speeds in spheronizers with plate diameters of 0.12 m, 0.25 m and 0.38 m, the found scaling model was validated. The peripheral speed was found to be the main influence on the rounding kinetic, while the load and the plate diameter only showed minor influence. Higher peripheral speeds, higher loads and a larger spheronizer diameter led to an increase in rounding kinetic, allowing for shorter residence times and increased throughput. However, lower peripheral speed, lower loads and lower plate diameters led to particles of increased sphericity.

Continuous twin-screw granulation for enhancing the dissolution of poorly water soluble drug

The article describes the application of a twin-screw granulation process to enhance the dissolution rate of the poorly water soluble drug, ibuprofen (IBU). A quality-by-design (QbD) approach was used to manufacture IBU loaded granules via hot-melt extrusion (HME) processing. For the purpose of the study, a design of experiment (DoE) was implemented to assess the effect of the formulation compositions and the processing parameters. This novel approach allowed the use of, polymer/inorganic excipients such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and magnesium aluminometasilicate (Neusilin(®)-MAS) with polyethylene glycol 2000 (PEG) as the binder without requiring a further drying step. IBU loaded batches were processed using a twin screw extruder to investigate the effect of MAS/polymer ratio, PEG amount (binder) and liquid to solid (L/S) ratios on the dissolution rates, mean particle size and the loss on drying (LoD) of the extruded granules. The DoE analysis showed that the defined independent variables of the twin screw granulation process have a complex effect on the measured outcomes. The solid state analysis showed the existence of partially amorphous IBU state which had a significant effect on the dissolution enhancement in acidic media. Furthermore, the analysis obtained from the surface mapping by Raman proved the homogenous distribution of the IBU in the extruded granulation formulations.

Spheronization process particle kinematics determined by discrete element simulations and particle image velocimentry measurements

Spheronization is an important pharmaceutical manufacturing technique to produce spherical agglomerates of 0.5-2mm diameter. These pellets have a narrow size distribution and a spherical shape. During the spheronization process, the extruded cylindrical strands break in short cylinders and evolve from a cylindrical to a spherical state by deformation and attrition/agglomeration mechanisms. Using the discrete element method, an integrated modeling-experimental framework is presented, that captures the particle motion during the spheronization process. Simulations were directly compared and validated against particle image velocimetry (PIV) experiments with monodisperse spherical and dry γ-Al2O3 particles.

RESULT

demonstrate a characteristic torus like flow pattern, with particle velocities about three times slower than the rotation speed of the friction plate. Five characteristic zones controlling the spheronization process are identified: Zone I, where particles undergo shear forces that favors attrition and contributes material to the agglomeration process; Zone II, where the static wall contributes to the mass exchange between particles; Zone III, where gravitational forces combined with particle motion induce particles to collide with the moving plate and re-enter Zone I; Zone IV, where a subpopulation of particles are ejected into the air when in contact with the friction plate structure; and Zone V where the low poloidal velocity favors a stagnant particle population and is entirely controlled by the batch size. These new insights in to the particle motion are leading to deeper process understanding, e.g., the effect of load and rotation speed to the pellet formation kinetics. This could be beneficial for the optimization of a manufacturing process as well as for the development of new formulations.

Quantification of mass transfer during spheronisation

Spherical granules (pellets) are quite useful in many pharmaceutical applications. The extrusion spheronisation technique is well established as a method of producing pellets of a spherical shape and narrow size distribution. After the extrusion, the cylindrical extrudates are transformed to spherical pellets by spheronisation. The frequently used models consider deformation and breakage during this process. However, the adhesion of fine particles has been neglected as a mechanism in spheronisation for many years. This study quantifies the mass transfer between pellets during spheronisation. During the investigation, the pelletisation aids (microcrystalline cellulose and kappa-carrageenan), the drug (acetaminophen and ibuprofen) and water content were varied systematically. A novel parameter, namely, the "mass transfer fraction" (MTF), was defined to quantify the mass transfer between the pellets. All four investigated formulations had an MTF between 0.10 and 0.52 that implies that up to 50 % of the final pellet weight was involved in mass transfer. Both pelletisation aids showed similar MTF, independent of the drug used. Furthermore, an increase of the MTF, with respect to an increase of the water content, was found for microcrystalline cellulose formulations. In conclusion, the mass transfer between the pellets has to be considered as a mechanism for spheronisation.

Miniaturization in pharmaceutical extrusion technology: feeding as a challenge of downscaling

In recent years, extrusion technology has shifted the focus of pharmaceutical research due to versatile applications like pelletization, bioavailability improvement or manipulation of solid-state properties of drugs, continuous granulation, and the development of novel solid dosage forms. Meanwhile, a major effort has been devoted to the miniaturization of equipment in pharmaceutical extrusion technology, particularly with regard to the requirements of the development of new chemical entities and formulations. In the present study, a lab-scale twin-screw extruder was investigated in order to determine the limitations imposed by the feeding systems. The wet extrusion process was considered as challenging because both a powder and a liquid feeder have to be considered. Initially, the accuracy and uniformity of the powder and liquid feeder were tested independently of the extrusion process. After modification of the powder feeder, both feeders were investigated in conjunction with extrusion. Based on this, an optimization of the liquid feeder was required and completed. Both feeder modifications reduced the variability of the moisture content in the extrudates 10-fold. This led to a reliable small-scale extrusion process.

Properties of pellets manufactured by wet extrusion/spheronization process using kappa-carrageenan: effect of process parameters

The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the pelletization process parameters of kappa-carrageenan-containing formulations. The study dealt with the effect of 4 process parameters--screw speed, number of die holes, friction plate speed, and spheronizer temperature--on the pellet properties of shape, size, size distribution, tensile strength, and drug release. These parameters were varied systematically in a 2(4) full factorial design. In addition, 4 drugs--phenacetin, chloramphenicol, dimenhydrinate, and lidocaine hydrochloride--were investigated under constant process conditions. The most spherical pellets were achieved in a high yield by using a large number of die holes and a high spheronizer speed. There was no relevant influence of the investigated process parameters on the size distribution, mechanical stability, and drug release. The poorly soluble drugs, phenacetin and chloramphenicol, resulted in pellets with adequate shape, size, and tensile strength and a fast drug release. The salts of dimenhydrinate and lidocaine affected pellet shape, mechanical stability, and the drug release properties using an aqueous solution of pH 3 as a granulation liquid. In the case of dimenhydrinate, this was attributed to the ionic interactions with kappa-carrageenan, resulting in a stable matrix during dissolution that did not disintegrate. The effect of lidocaine is comparable to the effect of sodium ions, which suppress the gelling of carrageenan, resulting in pellets with fast disintegration and drug release characteristics. The pellet properties are affected by the process parameters and the active pharmaceutical ingredient used.

Pellet manufacturing by extrusion-spheronization using process analytical technology

The aim of this study was to investigate the phase transitions occurring in nitrofurantoin and theophylline formulations during pelletization by extrusion-spheronization. An at-line process analytical technology (PAT) approach was used to increase the understanding of the solid-state behavior of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) during pelletization. Raman spectroscopy, near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) were used in the characterization of polymorphic changes during the process. Samples were collected at the end of each processing stage (blending, granulation, extrusion, spheronization, and drying). Batches were dried at 3 temperature levels (60 degrees C, 100 degrees C, and 135 degrees C). Water induced a hydrate formation in both model formulations during processing. NIR spectroscopy gave valuable real-time data about the state of water in the system, but it was not able to detect the hydrate formation in the theophylline and nitrofurantoin formulations during the granulation, extrusion, and spheronization stages because of the saturation of the water signal. Raman and XRPD measurement results confirmed the expected pseudopolymorphic changes of the APIs in the wet process stages. The relatively low level of Raman signal with the theophylline formulation complicated the interpretation. The drying temperature had a significant effect on dehydration. For a channel hydrate (theophylline), dehydration occurred at lower drying temperatures. In the case of isolated site hydrate (nitrofurantoin), dehydration was observed at higher temperatures. To reach an understanding of the process and to find the critical process parameters, the use of complementary analytical techniques are absolutely necessary when signals from APIs and different excipients overlap each other.

Preparation of controlled release spheronized beads by a simple extrusion and modified spheronization process

Beads loaded with the water-soluble drug, phenylpropanolamine HCl (PPA), were prepared using an extruder and double arm counter-rotating roller modified from a traditional pill machine. The mean diameter of the cylindrical rod-like extrudate from the ram extruder was 3 mm; that of the uncoated bead after cutting and spheronization by the modified double arm counter-rotating roller was 3.26-3.28 mm. Although the surface of the beads was moderately rough and irregular, some exhibited hump-shaped protrusions, the sphericity was acceptable (roundness 1.15) and adequate for the subsequent coating process. An increase in mean diameter of the coated beads and improvements in friability and sphericity were observed in proportion to the amount of coating material applied (ethylcellulose or Eudragit RS 100). It was also found that the release rate of PPA from the coated beads could be controlled by the amount and type of coating materials applied or with the incorporation of Eudragit RS 100 into the core matrix. Further modifications to the double arm counter-rotating roller, including adjustment of the rotation speed and distance between the rollers, would yield smaller uncoated beads with improved roundness and surface roughness. In conclusion, the present method could be potentially applied to prepare controlled release drug delivery beads or pellet dosage forms.

Investigation on the co-extrudability and spheronization properties of wet masses

In the present work, preliminary results of co-extrusion and spheronization of wet masses are reported. A ram co-extruder, manufactured in-house, was designed with two concentric single dies mounted on two concentric and independent chambers. This equipment has allowed the production of three types of extrudates (rod or solid extrudates, tubular or hollow extrudates and co-extrudates). Different wet mixtures of microcrystalline cellulose, lactose, a non-soluble in water dye and water were produced and used to feed the chambers of the ram co-extruder. Extrusions of the wet masses were carried out at different speeds of the ram (25-400 mm/min). The extrudates were evaluated according to surface characteristics (by visual inspection), force of extrusion and duration of steady-state (after recording the force applied to the ram and its displacement). Simultaneously, for each process of extrusion it was possible to assess the angles of convergence to the bottom of the chambers for both the external and internal chambers. These angles reflected the high complexity of the extrusion occurring on the external chamber in consequence of its annular geometry, in which the bisecting-line was not parallel to the axis of the extruder, by opposition to the converging angle in the internal chamber, where the bisecting-line was perfectly aligned to the axis of the extruder. Variations in the amount of water in the formulations and the speed of extrusion affected both the production and the quality of the extrudates and their ability to provide pellets. The rod extrudates were the easiest to produce and the relationships between the formulations, the processing conditions and the properties of the extrudates were immediately apparent. On the other hand, co-extrudates were more complex to characterise, although identical relationships between formulations, processing conditions and the properties of the co-extrudates were observed as for the rod extrudates. Different batches of extrudates (rod, tubular and co-extrudates) were spheronized to a maximum spheronization time of 10 min at 1000 rpm. The pellets were characterized with respect to size, size distribution, sphericity and density. Results have shown that for a larger diameter of the co-extrudates, the pellets produced were bigger ( approximately 3.38 mm) than the pellets produced from rod extrudates (1.22 mm). For longer times of spheronization, the aspect ratio and the density increased for both pellets produced from rod (0.95 and 1.46 g/cm(3)) and co-extrudates (0.90 and 1.47 g/cm(3)). The study has shown the potential of this new technology in providing a product with advantages over the traditional spheres produced by extrusion and spheronization.

Importance of the fraction of microcrystalline cellulose and spheronization speed on the properties of extruded pellets made from binary mixtures

The aim of the study was to prove the importance of the binary mixture composition and spheronization speed on pellet properties. Extrudates from different binary mixtures of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and dicalcium phosphate dihydrate were prepared with a power-consumption-controlled extruder and spheronized at different speeds. The water content of the extrudate for the production of spherical pellets was evaluated. The pellets were characterized in terms of size, shape, porosity, mechanical properties, and disintegration. The fraction of MCC in the binary mixtures had the highest impact on the pellet properties. With an increasing fraction of MCC more water was required for successful pelletization, size and porosity of the pellets decreased, and the surface tensile stress increased. These observations were evaluated using the "sponge" and the "crystallite--gel" models for MCC. The latter led to the conception that an extrudate consists of two phases: a percolating crystallite--gel phase formed by MCC and water during extrusion and a filler phase formed by the second component of the binary mixture. This two-phase concept provides explanations for the extent of shrinking during drying and for the disintegration behavior. The spheronization speed had an influence on the size but not on porosity or surface tensile stress of the pellets. The best results were obtained at intermediate spheronization velocities of 10 and 13.4 m/sec. Fundamental properties of extrudates and pellets can be described by applying a two-phase concept of the crystallite--gel model.

Comparison between a twin-screw extruder and a rotary ring die press. Part II: influence of process variables

The influence of different processing steps on pellet quality was investigated: granulation/extrusion and spheronization. Pellets were produced at two levels of water content on two different types of extruders: a twin screw extruder and a rotary ring die press. In order to control the spheronization process each extrudate was rounded in two spheronizers using two radial velocities, respectively. Pellet shape and size were selected to describe the pellet quality. Under constant spheronization conditions the extrudates behaved dissimilar on the two spheronizers. This could be attributed to the geometry of the friction plates. The spheronizer with the rougher surface applied more mechanical energy to the extrudate and wet pellets which reduced the water content necessary for the formation of good pellets. Eliminating the influence of the spheronization process, high differences were observed in the quality of the extrudates produced by the two extruders. This confirmed the results from the first part of this study. Due to the crystallite-gel-model the different extruder types apply different mechanical stress on the extrudate which affect the network structure of the microcrystalline cellulose gel. The twin-screw extruder produced a more delicate network with a lower water movement. This led to a shift of the optimal moisture content towards higher values. Compared with spheronization, process changes in the granulation/extrusion process were more critical.