Application Bulletin AP4R1
Quadro Comil
 

WET GRANULATION APPLICATION
 

Background / Requirement

Powders and liquids are mixed in an intensive batch-type, high-shear Mixer/Granulator. This mixer creates a wet granulation with up to 6” diameter lumps. The product was then discharged into drums to await further processing. It was manually fed by hand scoop from barrels to an Oscillating Granulator with an approximate 1/4” square mesh screen. The Oscillator produced a 1/4” x 1” long extrusion which was spread onto trays to facilitate a tray dryer system. Two to three hours were required to size reduce a 440lb batch of material with the Oscillating Granulator. The extrusions were then dried to a moisture level of 1% or less, for further size reduction and tableting. The requirement was to reduce wet granulation process time and eliminate the need to store the product in drums prior to final size reduction.

Comil Performance

The Comil can be plug fed directly from the discharge port of the high-shear Mixer/Granulator with no intermediate handling involved. The Comil discharges the 440lb batch in as little as 5 to 10 minutes depending on the Mixer/Granulator’s ability to discharge.

Comparing particles produced from the Oscillator and Comil, it is obvious that homogeneously dispersed wet mass dries faster and more evenly. The Oscillating Granulator produces compressed extrusions while the Comil produces smaller uncompressed, homogeneous particles with a high surface area. This results in a higher quality drying process, as particles are more uniformly dried. Subsequent dry sizing requires less intensity as there are fewer coarse particles to reduce (this results in low heat and low dust).

Summary

The Quadro Comil discharged at a rate of 5000 lbs/hr (2200 kg/hr), compared to an Oscillating Granulator at only 200 lbs/hr (91 kg/hr). The Comil can be connected to and plug fed directly from the discharge port of the Mixer/Granulator. The Oscillator required a consistent manual feed. The Comil produces uniform particles with a subsequently increased surface area. These particles provide for a much more efficient drying operation than the extrusions produced by the Oscillating Granulator.

Note:The Quadro Comil and the Oscillating Granulator are both in the Screening Mill Class within the SUPAC guidelines.