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Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Simulations of Spray Drying: Linking Drying Parameters with Experimental
P Worth Longest1,2, Dale Farkas3, Amr Hassan4
1Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, 401 West Main Street, P.O. Box 843015, Richmond, VA, 23284-3015, USA. pwlongest@vcu.edu.
Pharmaceutical Research
|May 23, 2020
Summary
A new computational fluid dynamics model predicts spray dryer performance. Reducing maximum drying rates improves dry powder inhaler aerosolization, enhancing powder properties for better drug delivery.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Engineering
- Computational Fluid Dynamics
- Particle Technology
Background:
- Spray drying is a crucial process for producing dry powders for inhalation.
- Understanding droplet drying kinetics is essential for optimizing powder properties.
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) offers a powerful tool for simulating complex drying processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a CFD model for a laboratory-scale spray dryer.
- To investigate complex transport and droplet drying kinetics.
- To correlate CFD-predicted drying parameters with dry powder inhaler (DPI) aerosolization metrics.
Main Methods:
- Developed a CFD model of the Buchi Nano Spray Dryer B-90.
- Incorporated two-way heat and mass transfer coupling.
- Modeled turbulent flow from acoustic streaming.
- Averaged CFD-based drying parameters (κ_avg, κ_max, precipitation window) across droplets.
Main Results:
- CFD revealed a chaotic drying environment with high variability in time-averaged drying rates (60-70% CV).
- Maximum instantaneous drying rates (κ_max) were two orders of magnitude higher than average rates.
- Strong linear correlations (R² up to 0.98) were found between CFD drying parameters and experimental DPI aerosolization metrics (MMAD, ED).
Conclusions:
- CFD modeling provides valuable insights into spray drying kinetics.
- Reducing the maximum drying rate predicted by CFD enhances powder aerosolization performance.
- Optimizing spray drying via CFD can improve DPI delivery characteristics.
