Spray drying processes serve many formulated products industries such as food (milk powder, coffee, infant formula), pharmaceuticals (spray dried dispersions, APIs) and consumer goods (detergents). Rapid drying, the ability to handle heat sensitive products and versatility are some of the benefits for spray drying, however there are also common challenges such as high overhead costs (thermal inefficiency), control of product moisture and maintenance issues (product fouling and cleaning in place).
Mechanistic models, or science-based digital twins, use process understanding to describe and predict the quantitative behavior of processes for risk assessment, control strategy design and evaluation, scale up/tech transfer, and design space exploration. The formulated products industries described above are increasingly using mechanistic models for spray drying to achieve these predictive goals and bring value to their businesses across R&D, engineering, and manufacturing functions.
In this webinar, we will overview the industrial challenges in spray drying and discuss PSE’s vision on how model-based solutions can support addressing them. We will then focus on several industrial case studies where model-based solutions for spray drying have provided value to industry. In these case studies we will examine the methodologies used to deliver value, examples of quantification of this value, and the considerations made to select the model appropriate solution to solve the challenges presented.
Examples of common challenges and questions we aim to address through using spray drying digital twins include:
- How do I reduce the risk in scaling up my spray drying process from lab to pilot to plant?
- I am assessing early-stage spray drying process feasibility and I am limited by the amount and cost of the material to run multiple experiments. How can I assess this efficiently and effectively?
- My organization has frequent issues with spray dryer fouling in manufacturing resulting in significant lost production time. How can I reduce this?
- My organization’s spray dryers are operated too conservatively. I would like to understand how to increase throughput and/or tighten product moisture variability with lower risk.
- I am working with a spray dryer which is required to spray dry many different formulations – can I optimize operating conditions for each of them?
- My organization has no/very little prior experience in mechanistic modelling. How can we harness the benefits of science-based digital twins without this prior experience?
What this webinar covers
- An overview of industrial challenges in spray drying and PSE’s vision on how model-based solutions can support addressing them.
- Case studies showing where model-based solutions for spray drying and the methodologies employed provide value to industry, including:
- De-risking technology transfer and scale-up of spray drying processes
- Enabling R&D efficiency in early-stage spray drying process design
- Increasing operating margins through deployment of spray drying digital twins into manufacturing
Who should attend?
Those with an interest in spray drying from any industry, including:
- Non-modellers through to expert modellers in technical roles in R&D, engineering and operations
- Decision makers with an interest in increasing understanding and/or performance of spray dryers across their organisation
Presenter(s)
Dr Sam K. Wilkinson is the Practice Director for Drying based in the Formulated Products business unit at Process Systems Enterprise (PSE). He obtained his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering in 2009 and his EngD in reaction kinetics in formulated industrial catalysts in 2014, both at the University of Birmingham, with the latter sponsored by Johnson Matthey (JM).
Sam joined PSE in 2017 and initially focused on the product development of reactors, separators and dairy industry unit operation models in the gPROMS FormulatedProducts software. His current role focuses on how PSE can develop its solutions for drying technologies to deliver value to users across the Formulated Products industries.
