On the Methods to Measure Powder Flow

Title:On the Methods to Measure Powder Flow

Volume: 21 Issue: 40

Author(s): Geoffrey Tan, David A.V. Morton and Ian Larson

Affiliation:

Keywords: Powder flow, Carr index, Hausner ratio, powder avalanche, angle of repose, flow through an orifice, powder rheometer, shear cell.

Abstract: The flow of powders can often play a critical role in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products. Many of these processes require good, consistent and predictable flow of powders to ensure continuous production of pharmaceutical dosages and to ensure their quality. Therefore, the flow of powders is of paramount importance to the pharmaceutical industry and thus the measuring and evaluating of powder flow is of utmost importance. At present, there are numerous methods in which the flow of powders can be measured. However, due to the complex and environment-dependant nature of powders, no one method exists that is capable of providing a complete picture of the behaviour of powders under dynamic conditions. Some of the most commonly applied methods to measure the flow of powders include: density indices, such as the Carr index and Hausner ratio, powder avalanching, the angle of repose (AOR), flow through an orifice, powder rheometry and shear cell testing.

Cite this article as:

Tan Geoffrey, Morton A.V. David and Larson Ian, On the Methods to Measure Powder Flow, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2015; 21 (40) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612821666151008125852