Application of Microwave Low Temperature Vacuum Drying Equipment in Pharmaceutical Industry

Microwave vacuum drying equipment is a new type of microwave energy application equipment that combines microwave energy technology and vacuum technology. It combines the advantages of microwave and vacuum drying, and overcomes the shortcomings of long cycle and low efficiency of conventional vacuum drying. In the drying process, the work efficiency can be improved by 4 to 10 times compared to the conventional method. With the advantages of high drying yield, good quality and low processing cost, microwave vacuum drying equipment is a high-tech product integrating electronics, vacuum science, mechanics, thermodynamics, program control and other disciplines. It is in the process of drying. A new technology and new process have been developed based on the in-depth study of physical changes in materials, internal and external heat and mass exchange, and moisture migration under vacuum conditions. In industrialized production, there are many articles that cannot be dried under high temperature conditions, such as some medicines, chemicals, nutritious foods, and high-end Chinese herbal medicines such as ginseng and antler. In order to ensure product quality, the drying process must be less than 100%. °C or under room temperature conditions, it is known that pressure decreases, the boiling point of water also decreases, such as at one atmosphere pressure (101.3kpa), the boiling point of water is 100 °C, and at 0.073 atmospheres (7.37kpa), the boiling point of water is 40°C. Under vacuum conditions, heating the object can evaporate the internal moisture of the object without warming. Since the convective heat transfer of air under vacuum conditions is difficult to perform, it is only by means of heat conduction that the material is provided with heat energy. The conventional vacuum drying method has slow heat transfer rate, low efficiency, and difficulty in temperature control. Microwave heating is a type of radiant heating. It is the direct interaction between microwaves and materials. It is heated at the same time inside and outside. It does not need to transfer heat through convection or conduction. Therefore, the heating speed is fast, the drying efficiency is high, and the temperature control is easy.
Developed countries in foreign countries began to develop industrialized microwave vacuum drying equipment in the 1980s and achieved good results in practical applications. French International Microwave Corporation used microwave vacuum drying equipment to process seedless raisins. The traditional process of 65 °C, 24 hours hot air drying to 50 °C, 5 hours microwave vacuum drying, product quality and yield have greatly improved. In the late 1990s, our company took the lead in research and development of microwave vacuum equipment in China. After several years of efforts, we completed the development of an industrialized 10KW microwave vacuum drying equipment in 2000. For pharmaceutical engineering, biological engineering, chemical engineering, materials engineering and deep processing of agricultural and sideline products, it provides a new type of high-efficiency drying equipment.
The advantages of microwave vacuum drying equipment are mainly reflected in: 1. Efficient Conventional vacuum drying equipment uses steam for heating. It requires heating from the inside to the outside. The heating speed is slow and requires a lot of coal, while microwave vacuum drying equipment uses electromagnetic waves. Heating, without heat transfer medium, is directly heated to the inside of the object, and the heating rate is fast. The microwave energy of 1 kW heats the water at normal temperature to 100° C. in 3-5 minutes, avoiding the above disadvantages, so it is fast and efficient. The drying cycle is greatly reduced and the energy consumption is reduced. Compared with conventional drying technology, it can improve work efficiency by more than four times. 2, heating due to microwave heating, the material is heated from the inside to the outside at the same time, the material inside and outside the temperature difference is very small, will not produce the conventional heating in the inconsistent state of heating inside and outside, resulting in a puffing effect, conducive to crush, so that The quality of drying is greatly improved. 3, easy to control, easy to continuous production and automation Because microwave power can be quickly adjusted and no inertia characteristics, easy-to-immediate control, you can adjust the temperature between 40 °C -100 °C. 4, the device is small, easy installation and maintenance 5, the product quality is good, compared with the conventional method, the quality of the processed product has a significant increase. 6, microwave disinfection, sterilization, product safety and health. Long shelf life. 7, significant economic benefits.
From the above-mentioned features, energy efficiency, consumption reduction, product quality improvement, safety and health, and low equipment investment costs can be seen clearly in terms of economic and social benefits.
The successful development of industrialized microwave vacuum drying equipment filled the domestic gap. This set of high-tech equipment has greatly promoted the development of national technology, especially the development of China's pharmaceutical industry, and has had a far-reaching impact. At the same time, its successful development has opened up a broader field for the application of microwave energy.


Posted on