LAUSR

Research emphases on extensive experimental studies and modeling efforts have been on the rise for the development of accurate predictive models of pharmaceutical unit operations and 'digital-twin' framework for continuous manufacturing lines. These exhaustive studies have been conducted at different process conditions to acquire comprehensive knowledge of effects of process parameters on the overall process dynamics. However, there still lacks a detailed understanding of material property effects of pharmaceutical powders on process operation. To address this issue, a discrete element modeling (DEM) approach combined with material calibration is applied for simulation of feeder unit to obtain particle-level insight into effects of material properties on feeder performance with focus on particle flow and powder mixing within the feeder unit. Bulk calibration is implemented to accurately represent powder material properties within the DEM framework. Different refill situations are simulated using DEM to observe powder mixing, measured at the outlet. Feeder DEM simulations are further applied to understand correlations of material properties on feeder operation. These studies provide a detailed physical insight and particle-scale information into the powder mechanics during powder feeding operation.