The Use of Computational Fluid Dynamics in the Design of a Pharmaceutical Processor

Abstract

The use of solid oral dosage such as tablets accounts for approximately 60 % of the total frequency of all pharmaceutical dosage forms. In addition to this 90 % of all drugs supplied are in tablet form even if they are presented in other medicinal forms. During tablet production there are a number of processes that are carried out, in what is essentially a batch process. This work describes the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in the design of a new single vessel pharmaceutical processor. Initially a simple model was developed using the computational code STAR-CD. The results of this were compared with tests carried out in a prototype processor. This provided confidence to develop the design. During the design phases of the work all potential design features have been modeled and the final design choices made on the basis of the CFD results. The initial phases of the work were carried out using single-phase models, however all the recent design work has been carried out using a two-phase flow model.