Theoretical and experimental investigations of the micronization of organic solids by rapid expansion of supercritical solutions

The RESS-Process ( Rapid Expansion of Supercritical Solutions) is an innovative and promising technology to produce small particles and offers interesting applications for difficult-to-comminute species such as certain pharmaceuticals. Our RESS-experiments are carried out with an apparatus suitable...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPowder technology Vol. 110; no. 1; pp. 22 - 28
Main Authors Helfgen, B, Türk, M, Schaber, K
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier B.V 01.05.2000
Subjects
Benzoic acid
CHF 3
Cholesterol
CO 2
Micronization
Nucleation
RESS
Supersaturation
Benzoic acid
CO 2
Nucleation
RESS
CHF 3
Micronization
Supersaturation
Cholesterol
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Summary:The RESS-Process ( Rapid Expansion of Supercritical Solutions) is an innovative and promising technology to produce small particles and offers interesting applications for difficult-to-comminute species such as certain pharmaceuticals. Our RESS-experiments are carried out with an apparatus suitable for temperatures up to 600 K and pressures up to 60 MPa. Carbon dioxide (CO 2) and trifluoromethane (CHF 3) have been used as supercritical solvents and cholesterol and benzoic acid as solutes. Besides the experimental investigations, the RESS-Process is modelled numerically considering the three parts capillary inlet–capillary–microscale free jet. The evolution of fluid pressure and temperature along the expansion path are used to calculate the supersaturation of the real mixtures CO 2/cholesterol, CO 2/benzoic acid and CHF 3/benzoic acid and the respective nucleation rates. The results of these calculations are theoretical nucleation rates of about 10 26 cm −3 s −1 at residence times of 10 −7 s in the free jet.
ISSN:0032-5910
1873-328X
DOI:10.1016/S0032-5910(99)00264-8