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Validating a numerical simulation of the ConsiGma® semi-continuous tablet coating process
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  • Peter Böhling,
  • Dalibor Jajcevic,
  • Frederik Detobel,
  • James Holman,
  • Laura Wareham,
  • Matthew Metzger,
  • Johannes Khinast
Peter Böhling
Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering GmbH

Corresponding Author:peter.boehling@rcpe.at

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Dalibor Jajcevic
Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering GmbH
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Frederik Detobel
GEA Process Engineering NV
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James Holman
GEA Process Engineering NV
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Laura Wareham
Merck & Co Inc
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Matthew Metzger
Merck & Co Inc
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Johannes Khinast
Graz University of Technology
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Abstract

GEA developed a semi-continuous tablet coater which can be integrated into a continuous tableting line, accelerating the switch from traditional batch production to the continuous mode of operation. Process understanding is the key element for process control and is important for continuous manufacturing. Computational tools can improve the fundamental understanding and process performance, especially those related to new processes, such as continuous tablet coating where process mechanics remain unclear. In the last years, Computational Fluid Dynamics and the Discrete Element Method have increasingly been applied in the pharmaceutical industry. The goal of this work was to develop and validate a high-fidelity CFD-DEM simulation model of the tablet coating process in the GEA ConsiGma® coater. Simulation results for the tablet movement, coating quality, and heat and mass transfer during the coating process were validated and compared to the experimental outcomes. The experimental and simulation results agreed well on all accounts measured.