This document discusses different techniques for pelletization, including extrusion-spheronization, fluid bed granulation, spray drying, and spray congealing. Extrusion-spheronization involves extruding the material through a screen to form rods, which are then rounded into spheres using a spheronization machine. Fluid bed granulation coats particles in a fluidized bed with sprayed binding liquid. Spray drying and spray congealing involve spraying melted or dissolved formulations into cooled air to form solid spheres.

1. Equipments for Pellets
Submitted to Dr. Shweta Sharma
By: Ishpreet Singh
Amit Anand
Atul Garg

2. Pelletization can be defined
as an agglomeration process
that coverts fibe particles or
particles of bulk drugs and
exciepients into small, free
flowing, more or less spherical
units,called pellets.
This technique enables the
formation of spherical beads
or pellets with a mean
diameter usually ranging from
0.5 to 2.0mm.
It can be coated and usually
used in controlled release
dosage forms.
Introduction

3. Extrusion/
Spheronisation
Fluid-bed
granulation
Spray-
congealing
Spray-
drying
Pelletization techniques:

4. Extrusion-Spheronization:-
Extrusion is necessary first step in the extrusion-
spheronization process.
The size of the sphere are determined by the
diameter of the extrudate used.
The extrusion-spheronization process can be broken
down into following steps:-

6. Screw Extruders
Screen or Basket
Extruders
Gear Extruder

7. Commonly used in industrial application.
Higher pressure and heat can degrade
pharmaceutical products.
Screw Extruder:-

8. Screw Extruder

9. Screen or
Basket extruder
Lower
density
extrudate
Relatively
high
throughput
Gear extruder
Produces
relatively
high density
Gears are
robust and
last longer

10. Basket extruder

11. Gear extruder

12. Spheronization
Spheronization is a process of forming a spherical
particles from different rod shapes, by extrusion, that
has a diameter ranging from 0.5 to 1mm.

13. The size of the spheres are determined by the
diameter of the extrudate used for the spheronization
process.
For example, in order to obtain spheres with a
diameter of 1mm, a 1mm screen is used on the
extruder.

14. Spheronization machine design
In principle the basic machine consists of a rotating
friction disk, designed to increse friction with the
product,which spins at high speed at the bottom of the
cylinder bowl.
The spinning friction disc has a carefully designed
groove pattern on the processing surface. This is most
often crosshatched, but several sizes and other types
are available.

16. Spheronization mechanism of action
As the machine rotates, rods move in rotationary
movement or woven rope movement, and the most
important point that rods should not be friable but it
should have a plastic properties to have the ability to
spheronized.

17. Main stages in the fluid bed
Drying:-
1
• Wet product
2
• Energy supply
3
• Dry product

18. Granulation / agglomeration:

19. Types of fluid bed technologies
Top spray Bottom
spray
Tangential
spray

20. Tangential spray(Rotor Process)
Parameters:
Liquid addition rate
Inlet air temp
Humidity
Atomization air Pressure
Binder type and concentration
Disk speed
Disk gap

21. Rotogranulation
Rotogranulation is one of the most recent methods for the
production of spheroids.the singl unit spheronizing system can
be described using terms like centrifugal granulator, rotatory
fluidized-bed granulator, rotary fluid bed, rotary processor or
Rotor granulator:
The preblending of the formulation powder, including the
active ingredients, filters, disintegrants,in a flow of air.
The granulation of the mixture by spraying a suitable liquid
binder onto the fluidized powder bed.
The drying of the granulated product to the desired moisture
content.

22. During processing, three
mechanical forces cause particle
movement, mixing and
granulating.
First, the spinning of the disk
generates a centrifugal force.
Second, a lifting force is
generated by the hot air passes
through the adjustable disk gap.
Third, gravitational force
causes material to fall down onto
the disk.
These mixing provide good
mixing and result in granules,
drying, coating with good coating
uniformly.

23. Spray drying
Spray drying represents another process based on
globulation.
During spraying drying, a drug is solution or
suspension is sprayed, with or without exciepients,
into a hot-air stream, generating dry and highly
spherical particles.

24. Spray congealing
In spray congealing the drug is allowed to melt,
disperse or dissolve in hot melts of gums, waxes, fatty
acids or other melting solids.
The dispersion is them sprayed into a stream of air
and other gases with a temperature below the melting
point of the formulation components, under
appropriate processing conditions, spherical congealed
pellets are obtained.
Spray congealing is similar to sparay drying it is
also called spray chilling.