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Multiscale Dissolution Simulation of Particles from a Tablet in Dissolution Apparatus by Coupling Discrete Element
1Department of Industrial and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Purdue University, 575 Stadium Mall Dr., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
Pharmaceutical Research
|May 20, 2026
Summary
A new physics-based simulation framework accurately predicts tablet dissolution kinetics under realistic conditions. This tool aids in pharmaceutical manufacturing, quality control, and process development for improved drug delivery.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Science
- Computational Fluid Dynamics
- Particle Mechanics
Background:
- Tablet dissolution is critical for drug efficacy and manufacturing quality.
- Accurate prediction of dissolution kinetics under hydrodynamic stress is essential for process optimization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a simulation framework for predicting tablet dissolution kinetics.
- To enable accurate modeling under realistic hydrodynamic conditions for pharmaceutical development.
Main Methods:
- Coupled Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) for fluid dynamics and Discrete Element Method (DEM) for particle mechanics.
- Modeling dissolution of drug particles within a tablet in USP Apparatus II.
- Validation against single-particle dissolution experiments and scaling to tablet-level simulations.
Main Results:
- The LBM-DEM framework successfully reproduced hydrodynamics and particle dynamics.
- The model demonstrated fidelity when scaled from single-particle to tablet-level simulations.
- Accurate prediction of tablet dissolution under compendial hydrodynamic conditions was achieved.
Conclusions:
- The physics-based framework provides a robust tool for predicting tablet dissolution.
- It supports pharmaceutical process development and quality control.
- Future work can incorporate particle swelling and breakage for comprehensive modeling.
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