Powder flow characteristics

Powder flow is most frequently thought of as relevant to formulation development, and there are numerous references attempting to correlate any one of a number of measures of powder flow to the manufacturing properties of a formulation [34—40]. In particular, the importance of physical properties in affecting powder flow has been well documented. Research into the effect of the mechanical properties on powder flow has, however, been very limited. It is, of course, important to be able to determine and quantitate the powder flow properties of formulations. It is of equal importance, however, to determine the powder flow characteristics of bulk drug early in the development process (preformulation phase). Often, the preformulation or formulation scientist is constrained by time, materials, and manpower. Yet certainly the preformulation studies carried out should be meaningful. Well-defined experimental methods and procedures should be used the information generated should be reproducible and permit useful predictions to be made. 

In recent years the compressibility index Ci( has become a simple, fast, and popular method of predicting powder flow characteristics [40,42-44,51,52]. Carr [42-44] proposed its use as an indirect measure of bulk density, size and shape,... 

Nagel, K. M., Peck, G. E. Investigating the effects of excipients on the powder flow characteristics of theophyline anhydrous powder formulations. Drug Dev. Ind. Pharm., 29, 2003, 277-287. 

The weaknesses associated with the flow through an orifice and angle of repose measurements limit their application for powder flow studies and hopper designs. Consequently, several powder shear testers and methods that permit a more thorough and precisely defined assessment of powder flow characteristics were developed. Shear testers that measure the frictional characteristics of a powder bed under load yield valuable information with regard to powder flow in high-speed tablet equipment. A number of types of shear cell testers are available, but the most common types used in the pharmaceutical industry are the Jenike shear cell and the Schulze ring shear tester.61,62... 

Stainforth, P.T., Ashley, R.C., and Morley, J.N.B, Computer analysis of powder flow characteristics. Powder Technology 4 (1971) 250-256... 

Small, complex-shaped glass articles such as thread guides for the textile industry and television gun mounts for the electronics industry are made by the multiform process. The dry-milled powder is mixed with an inorganic binder and a fluid vehicle, and then atomi2ed by a spray dryer into small, dried agglomerates of glass powder and binder with good flow characteristics. They are subsequently pressed to the desired shape and fired. 

Inasmuch as friction conditions determine the flow characteristics of a powder, coarser powder particles of spherical shape flow fastest and powder particles of identical diameter but irregular shape flow more slowly. Finer particles may start to flow, but stop after a short time. Tapping is needed in order to start the flow again. Very fine powders (fine powder particles to coarser ones may increase the apparent density, but usually decreases the flow quality. Metal powders having a thin oxide film may flow well. When the oxide film is removed and the friction between the particles therefore increases, these powders may flow poorly. 

Conventional U-F moulding powders originally formulated for compression moulding are often satisfactory but special injection grades have been developed. Ideally the moulding material should have good flow characteristics between 70... 

Chemical engineers could also work to devise processes to improve the flow characteristics of powders after they are formed. Such research would help control agglomeration of particles in subsequent processing steps as well as facilitate the production of compacted ceramic preforms. For example, gas-solid chemical reactions might be used to tailor the chemical composition of powders. As another example, better methods of componnding powders with binders might be achieved by processes that mix powders with suitable binders in a liquid and then spray dry the resulting suspension. 

When performing catalytic reactions or reactions with immobilized reactants, a bed or support has to be fiUed into a tube or capillary. The fiUing may be a bed of powder, a bed of granules or a three-dimensional material network (e.g. a polymerized foam). By special choice of the filling, e.g. very regularly sized particles, it is attempted to improve the flow characteristics. 

Water uptake causes a host of problems in drug products and the inactive and active ingredients contained in them. Moisture uptake has been shown to be an important factor in the decomposition of drug substances [1-8]. Moisture has also been shown to change surface properties of solids [9,10], alter flow characteristics of powders [11,12], and affect the compaction properties of solids [13]. This chapter discusses various mathematical models that can be used to describe moisture uptake by deliquescent materials. 

When powders flow, they do so either in a steady controlled fashion (as in the case of dry sand), or in a uncontrolled gushing manner (as would damp sand, for which the entire bulk tries to move in a solid mass). This latter condition is termed floodable flow it is most characteristic of the flow of cohesive, sticky... 

The influence of consolidation load on the flowability of sucrose is shown in Fig. 8. For this material, the effective angle of internal friction is nearly constant yet the shear index is seen to change with state of consolidation. Apparently, for sucrose, increased consolidation results in a somewhat more free flowing although still cohesive material. As such, sucrose can be considered a complex powder [49] with perhaps somewhat better flow characteristics when consolidated (as might occur in a hopper). 

If the torque as measured in a Brabender is plotted in an Arrhenius plot against 1/T characteristic linear dependencies are observed (Fig. A). While powder flow is observed up to the softening point of PVC a distinct linear relationship between shear rate and reciprocal temperature exists between 150 - 180°C indicating one mechanism of flow. The deviation above ca. 180°C indicates a change in flow mechanism. 

Due to the variable flow characteristics of powdered fillers, and the range of addition levels often demanded (for example, from 20 to 80% by weight), it is not possible to design a unified feed system for all materials [155]. Considerations include the operational design and accuracy required from the feeders, the location of filler addition (within solid or melt zones, or a combination of both) and the need to utilise a stuffer screw. A variety of feeding options are illustrated in Fig. 32. 

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