Investigation of Segregation in Mixing Pharmaceutical Powders using Passive Acoustic Emissions in a V-blender
Abstract
Powder mixing is a crucial and complex step in pharmaceutical production. Monitoring of mixing and segregation processes can be achieved using process analytical technologies to improve product quality. Passive acoustic emissions were examined during mixing in a V-blender. Vibrations from the emissions were measured through an accelerometer affixed to the outer V-shell arm lid. Horizontal and vertical loading configurations of particles were examined. Stable mixtures were reached when the measured amplitude plateaued around the approximate weighted average of the particles in the outer V-shell arm. Horizontal loading trials mixed faster and reached stable mixtures in fewer revolutions than vertical loading trials. Fill level can affect the mixing and segregation inside the V-blender. Passive acoustic emissions were further examined using different loading configurations and particle fill levels, supporting the effectiveness of this method for extracting information about mixing and segregation in pharmaceutical production to enhance product quality and manufacturing efficiency.