Roll compaction of pharmaceutical excipients

Yu, Shen (2013). Roll compaction of pharmaceutical excipients. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Roll compaction is commonly used as a dry granulation technique in the pharmaceutical industry to produce tablets for formulations sensitive to heat and moisture. This thesis reports systematic studies on the behavior of pharmaceutical excipients in associated unit operations (i.e. roll compaction, milling, tabletting), as well as their correlations.

Roll compaction experiments were carried out using an instrumented roll compactor with a gravity feeding system. The influence of the process parameters, material properties and powder conditioning were investigated

Ribbons produced in roll compaction were granulated using an oscillating mill to investigate the milling process. A first order kinetics equation was introduced to describe the mass throughput of the granules. Using positron emission particle tracking technique, which provided a measurement of instantaneous velocity and the location of the ribbons, two milling regions (i.e. impact and abrasion) involving distinct fracture mechanisms were identified.

Tabletting of the granules was performed using a universal test machine. A reduction in the compressibility and compactibility of the granules compared to the feed powders, due to work hardening, was also observed.

A method was introduced to determine the optimized process conditions for roll compaction and milling through a close examination of the correlation between the unit operations.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):