On some properties of three-dimensional mixing systems

This article develops some general observations on the statistical, geometrical and dynamic properties of three-dimensional autonomous and periodically forced mixing systems. The main geometrical differences between the two-dimensional and three-dimensional cases, and between autonomous and time-periodic velocity fields are discussed in detail. Although the article makes use exclusively of model systems of three-dimensional flows, the results obtained give useful hints to approach a global characterization of mixing in types of industrial equipment such as stirred vessels

Characterization of particle sizes in bulk pharmaceutical solids using digital image information

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate a novel method of extracting relevant information from undispersed bulk powder surfaces to be used in particle size analysis. A new surface imaging approach for undispersed powders combined with multivariate modeling was used. Digital surface images of various granule batches were captured using an inventive optical setup in controlled illumination conditions. A descriptor, the gray scale difference matrix (GSDM), which describes the particle size of granular material was generated and extracted from the powder surface image information. Partial least squares (PLS) modeling was used to create a model between the GSDM and the particle size distribution of granules measured with sieving. The use of lateral illumination and the combining of information from 2 surface images strengthened the shading effects on the powder surfaces. The shading effects exposed the topography or the visual texture of the powder surfaces. This textural information was efficiently extracted using the GSDM descriptor. The goodness-of-fit (R2) for the created PLS model was 0.91 and the predicted variation (Q2) was 0.87, indicating a good model. The model covered granule sizes in the size range of approximately 20 to 2500 μm. The extracted descriptor was effectively used in particle size measurement. This study confirms that digital images taken from undispersed bulk powder surfaces contain substantial information needed for particle size distribution analysis. The use of the GSDM enabled the utilization of bulk powder surface information and provided a fast method for particle size measurement

Quantitative Characterization of Agglomerate Abrasion in a Tumbling Blender by Using the Stokes Number Approach

<p>Removal of microcrystalline cellulose agglomerates in a dry-mixing system (lactose, 100 M) predominantly occurs via abrasion. The agglomerate abrasion rate potential is estimated by the Stokes abrasion (St(Abr)) number of the system. The St(Abr) number equals the ratio between the kinetic energy density of the moving powder bed and the work of fracture of the agglomerate. Basically, the St(Abr) number concept describes the blending condition of the dry-mixing system. The concept has been applied to investigate the relevance of process parameters on agglomerate abrasion in tumbling blenders. Here, process parameters such as blender rotational speed and relative fill volumes were investigated. In this study, the St(Abr) approach revealed a transition point between abrasion rate behaviors. Below this transition point, a blending condition exists where agglomerate abrasion is dominated by the kinetic energy density of the powder blend. Above this transition point, a blending condition exists where agglomerates show (undesirable) slow abrasion rates. In this situation, the blending condition is mainly determined by the high fill volume of the filler.</p>