638 PHARMACEUTICAL TECHNOLOGY

Wet mass. The surface layers dry quickly and the absorption of further energy then raises the dry
material to a high value which is often detrimental to the product. For that reason infrared radiation is
now seldom used as a heat source.

The use of microwave radiaton

Although energy in the infared region is more casily generated there are other longer wave lengths
which can generate heat when the radiaction is absorbed in a wet solid . microwave radiation in the
range of wavelength of 10 mm to 1m penetrates much better than i.r. radiation and microwave ovens
are now a common feature of a modem kitechen .microwave driers are currently finding some
application in the pharmaccutical industry .

Generation and action of microwaves

Microwaves are produced by an electronic device known as a magnetron which was developed for use
in wartime radar . microwave energy can be reflected down a rectangular duct ( termed waveguide ) or
simply beamed through a transparent window into the drying chamber . To avoid interference with
radio and television it is permitted to operate only at certain frequencies which are 960 and 2450 MHz
in the UK . when microwaves fall on substances of suitable electronic structure ( water is one of these )
the electrons in the molecule attempt to resonate in sympathy with the radiation and the resulting
molecular ‘friction ‘ results in the generation of heat . the penetration is good so that heat is generated
uniformly within the solid . dry solids may not resonate as well as water so further heating may be of
avoided when the water is removed .

A microwave drier for granulates

Figure 38.11 is a sketch of a microwave drier marketed for use for drying granulates . it is designed to
operate under vacumm though that is not essential for the use of microwaves . the radiation is
generated by ten magnetrons each producing 0.75 Kw at 2450 MHZ . the radiation passes through the
polypropylene window into the daying chamber where it is absorbed in the wet granules contained on a
tray . the heat generated in the mass drives off the moisture at a low temperature set by the vaccum in
the chamber . the avolved vapour is pumped away as it is formed . when drying is nearly complete the
field intensity will rise since the dry solids do not absorb as readily as water . this rise is sensed and
made to turn off the magnetrons progressively so as to give an accurate control of the final moisture
content.

Advantages of microwave drying the following adventages are claimed for microwave drying .

1. It provides rapid drying at fairly low temperatures .

2. The thermal effiency efficiency is high since the drier casing and the air remain cool. Most of the
microwave energy is absorbed in the wet material.
3. The bed is stationary avoiding problems of dust and attrition.
4. Soluce migration is reduced as there is uniform heating of the wet mass.
 Disadvantages of microwave drying
1 The batch size (typically 25kg) is smaller than the batch size in fluidized bed srying.
2 Care must be taken to shield operators from the microwave radiation which can cause
heating of organs such as the eyes and restes. This is ensured by ‘fail safe’ devices
preventing generation of microwaves until the drying chamber is scaled.

DRIERS FOR DILUTE SOLUTIONS AND SUSPENSIONS

The objective of these driers is to spread the liquid to a large surface area for heat and mass
transfer and to provide an effective means of collecting the dry solid. Two main types are used,
the first spreading the liquid to a thin film and the second dispersing the liquid to a spray of
small droplets.

Drum drier

Shown in section in flig. 38.12, the drum drier consists of a drum 0,75-1,5 m in diameter and 2-4
m in length, heated internally, usually by steam, androtated on its longitudinal axis. The liquid is
applied to the surface and spread to afilm; this may be done in various ways, but the simplest
mthod is that shown in the diagram, where the drum dips into a feed pan. Drying rate is
controlled by using a suitable speed of rotation and drum temperature. The product is scraped
from the surface of the drum by means of a doctor knife.

Advantages of the drum drier

1 The method gives rapid drying, the thin film spread over a large area resulting in
rapid heat and mass transfer.
2 The equipment is compact, occupying much less space than the spray drier, for
example.

640 PHARMACEUTICAL TECHNOLOGY

3 Heating time is short, being only a few seconds.

4 The drum can be enclosed in a vacuum jacket, enabling the temperature of drying to
be reduced.
5 The product Is obtained in flake from, which is convenient for many purposes.

The only disadvantage is that operating conditios are critical and it is necessary to
impose careful control on feed rate, film thickness, speed of rotation temperature
difference.
The drum drier can handle a variety of materials, either as solutions or suspensions;
substances that are dried by this method include milk products, starch products,
ferrous salts and suspensions of kaolin or zinc oxide.
Spray drier

The spray drier provides a large surface area for heat and mass transfer by
atomizing the liquid to small droplets. These are sprayed into a stream of hpt air, so
that each droplet dries to a solid particle.
There are many forms of spray drier and fig. 38, 13 is a typical design, in which
the drying chamber resembles a cyclone ensuring good circulation of air, to facilitate
heat and mass transfer, and that dried particles are separated by the centrifugal
action.
The character of the particles is controlled by the droplet form, hence the type
of atomizer is important. Jet atomizers are easily blocked and the droplet size is
likely to vary, but this is not so with rotary types. One form of rotary atomizer is
shown in fig. 38. 14. Liquid is fed on to the disc, which is rotated at high speed (up to
20,000 rev/min); a film is formed and spreads from the small disc to a larger, invertd
hemispherical bowl, becoming thinner, and eventually being disperdes from th edge
in a fine, uniform spray. In addition, the rotary atomizer has the advavntage of being
aqually effective with suspensions of solids and it can operate efficiently at various
feed rates.
For crude products, drying can be effected by direct use of furnace gases, but for
pharmaceutical purposes it is usual to filter the air and to heat it indirectly by means
of aheat exchanger. Dust carried over in the air stream may be recovered by a
cyclone separator or filter bag; in some cases the air may be scrubbed in a tower by
means of the drier and that the feed is preheated, reducing the heat requirements.
Spray –dried products are easily recognizable, being uniform in appearance and,
if examined by means of a hand lens, the particles have a characteristic shape, in the
form of hollow spheres with