Improved Powder Production Processes: An Exploration of Atmospheric Spray Freeze Drying

This project will refine an existent technology developed by us for freeze-drying biological and medical solutions to produce powders. Freeze-dried bio-medical powders are used in pharmaceuticals as well as for food. The technology we will refine in this project is called atmospheric spray freeze drying (ASFD) and has the potential to be faster and more economical than current methods and to work for a wider variety of substances than allowed for by current methods. In this project, we will refine the monitoring and control components of the ADFD technology. In the proposed work we will custom build an AFSD device and improve the monitoring and control, internally, of process parameters at different point in the prototype device. Use of AFSD will be explored using pharmaceutical formulations of interest to the industry partner and comparison to conventional tray freeze-drying will be made. The aim of this project is to gain a better understanding of how process parameters and their control affect the essential properties of atmospheric spray freeze dried material.

Faculty Supervisor:

Warren Finlay

Student:

Alvin Ly

Partner:

Pfizer Canada Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Pharmaceuticals

University:

University of Alberta