Granulation dryer for continuous operation

The laboratory vacuum shovel dryer DRUVATHERM® is a system provides reliable scale-up to production scales in the context of product and process development and can likewise be used for small batch production too. The Lödige laboratory vacuum shovel dryer DRUVATHERM® is a horizontal, batch vacuum dryer with a frequency-controlled mixing tool. This mixer consisting of mixing elements adapted to the process and arranged on a shaft according to a specific system - is installed in a cylindrical mixing drum equipped with a temperature control jacket. Rotation of the mixing unit generates a three-dimensional product movement, in which all of the product is constantly in motion. The contact frequency of particles with the heat exchange surface leads to shorter drying times. The chopper rotating at high speeds fitted to the side of the mixing drum is used to disperse the product . This leads to a significant increase in drying capacity and prevents moisture and temperature gradients.

Lödige has years of expertise in continuous granulation. Nowadays, continuous ringlayer mixers are established systems for continuous granulation in many industries. However, until now the Lödige product range was missing a suitable dryer. The continuous fluid bed dryer closes this gap. Together with the ringlayer mixer CoriMix® and the customer-specific dosing system, this dryer provides a complete continuous granulation line: GRANUCON®. Dryer operation is based on the fluid bed process. A general disadvantage of continuous fluid beds is the wide retention time distribution within the machine. Lödige’s developers have looked into this problem and have found a solution: integrating a screw in the fluid bed dryer. This has a limiting effect on the retention time distribution. — Exchangeable floor — Quick screw removal — Integrated WIP cleaning — Individual purging of filter elements

Lödige shovel dryers are batch vacuum dryers. The mixing elements are frequency-controlled for ideal adaptation to the process. Special rotating mixing elements, installed in a cylindrical drum equipped with a temperature control jacket, create a three-dimensional product movement . The resulting contact frequency of the particles with the heat exchange surface leads to incredibly short drying times. The intelligent product movement ensures intense contact of individual product particles with the heated container wall while also providing very gentle product treatment. The chopper rotating at high speeds is used to disperse the product during transition between phases. Product surfaces are opened up during this process. This leads to a significant increase in drying capacity and prevents moisture and temperature gradients. Fine particles pulled along by solvent vapours are separated in the filter and returned to the product bed through pneumatic filter cleaning.

The Lödige laboratory tablet coater has a modular design, so that integration of any components is customised according to the customer’s specific requirements. A dividable drum and a dividable nozzle arm allow processing of even very small volumes (0.6 l). The coater and the optionally available liquid supply station consist of Corian®, a highly resistant, light-weight, FDA-approved material, which is crucial for the particularly functional and modern design of the laboratory coater system. The laboratory coater is not just a “laboratory machine”, but a full coating system, in which process conditions comparable to those of Lödige production coaters are generated. The mobile laboratory coater incl. the drum for the tablets and drawer for the nozzle arm and tool form the base unit. In addition, the following equally mobile modules are available: — Air supply unit — Exhaust air unit — Liquid supply station (optional)