Explosion Prevention and Protection in the Pharmaceutical Industry: Fluid Bed Dryer

The fluid bed dryer is one of the main pieces of equipment in the pharmaceutical industry and requires a detailed explosion prevention and protection strategy

The pharmaceutical industry produces or handles flammable substances in the form of powder or liquid in some of its processes.

Among the main operations in this industry are the granulation, coating and drying of powdery products. These are carried out in a piece of equipment called a fluidized bed dryer or granulator.

The fluid bed dryer consists of a main chamber where the powdery product is loaded, usually by means of a pneumatic conveying system. This product is suspended by the entry of a redirected air stream through a perforated plate.

The granulation process consists of projecting, by means of a nozzle, a binding substance on the suspended product, increasing the particle size giving the granules. The air that suspends the product is hot and at high pressure, thus favoring the formation of the granules and their subsequent drying.

The coating process is carried out in a similar way, using different spray nozzles in this case. The main chamber of the equipment also has cartridges in its upper part that retain the product and its subsequent discharge into the lower area by means of pressure air pushing.

Fluid bed dryers usually have additional systems such as the air injection and heating system, the dust suction system (usually a cartridge filter) and the product loading and unloading system.

The use of flammable powdery products in this equipment is one of the main explosion risks in the pharmaceutical industry. A correct Risk Assessment is essential to establish an effective strategy that includes explosion prevention and protection .

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