Multi-objective optimization of high-shear wet granulation process for better granule properties and fluidized bed drying characteristics

This study determines the effects of influential process parameters of high-shear wet granulation (HSWG) on the critical process and quality attributes of the granules. The wet granules from HSWG experiments were dried in a fluidized bed dryer wherein the granule drying characteristics were analyzed by introducing Page's equation, which fits well with R2 values of above 0.95 for all the batches. Response surface methodology (RSM) based nonlinear models predicting the drying time, flow angle of repose, and surface mean diameter of the granules effectively capture the granulation phenomena with high correlation coefficients of above 0.93. Multi-objective constrained grid-search (MOCGS) optimization is utilized to optimize the HSWG process. Selected optimization results include the minimum drying time of 23 min, the minimum flow angle of repose of granules as 21 degrees and the maximum surface mean diameter of the granules as 0.62 mm for the batch size of 1.8 kg.

Automated summary

This study investigates the effects of influential process parameters on the critical process and quality attributes of granules in high-shear wet granulation (HSWG). The drying characteristics of wet granules from HSWG experiments were analyzed using Page's equation, resulting in a good fit with R2 values above 0.95 for all batches. Nonlinear models based on response surface methodology (RSM) effectively predicted the drying time, flow angle of repose, and surface mean diameter of the granules, with high correlation coefficients above 0.93. Multi-objective constrained grid-search (MOCGS) optimization was employed to optimize the HSWG process, achieving minimum drying time of 23 min, minimum flow angle of repose of granules at 21 degrees, and maximum surface mean diameter of the granules at 0.62 mm for a batch size of 1.8 kg.