Tuning Particle Size in Helical Coil Channels

Abstract

Precipitation, in recent years, has become a very important and researched the topic for industries like the pharmaceutical. The need to understand this process so as to be able to control and obtain the desirable size, shape and surface area of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API’s)  which would, in turn, lead to obtaining more suitable physicochemical properties thus becomes crucial. The aim of this article is therefore to study the factors which affect this particle size distribution ( basically nucleation) and suggests the helical coil configuration to be more suitable for controlling the size. This is concluded by studying this same phenomenon in a semi batch reactor, effect of coiled configuration on residence time distribution and the mixing in curved tubes. Later, the theoretical work is supported by an experimental setup and the approach of the setup is discussed. Finally, we conclude by stating the results which could be derived from this set-up.