Fluidized bed technology is well known and widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. This technology offers a versatile and efficient solution for various manufacturing processes, enabling to perform different steps within the same plant. The intensive mixing and the ability to control critical parameters like temperature and airflow make fluidized beds suitable for use in agglomeration and layering applications (Figure 1). These size enlargement processes enable the production of powders with specific properties, such as defined size, improved flowability and uniform composition.

Moreover, the importance of modeling fluidized bed processes cannot be overstated. Advanced modeling techniques provide a deeper understanding of the governing mechanisms and the complex interactions within the fluidized bed, enabling the prediction of process outcomes. This predictive capability is crucial for minimizing trial-and-error experimentation, reducing development time, and ensuring robust process design.

The aim of this project is to model three batch fluidized bed size enlargement processes: Top spray agglomeration, Wurster agglomeration and Wurster coating. The investigated fluidized bed configurations are schematically shown in Figure 2. The experimentally developed models describe the influence of different process parameters on relevant product and process quality attributes.

The resulting models will be implemented into a novel flowsheet simulation environment called DYSSOL, which is able of simulating steady-state and dynamic units, describing multidimensional distributed parameters and handling dependent distributions of solid processes.