APPLICATION OF CHAOS ANALYSIS TO FLUIDIZED BED DRYING OF PHARMACEUTICAL GRANULATE

摘要

A statistical test based on attractor reconstruction has been applied to a small-scale industrial fluidized bed drier for pharmaceutical granulate. High frequency pressure fluctuation data has been collected over dryings lasting between 45 to 75 min depending on operating conditions. The data clearly shows that separate stable fluidized states occur at the beginning and end of the drying with a continuum of change between these states. Visual observations of the initial stable state, suggest the presence of a bubble train within the central core of the contactor while the final state, lasting 5 to 10 min, exhibits more uniform fluidization involving the entire bed.