Laser diffraction for particle size determination of Inhalanda and other fine aerosols (VENHALER)

Laser diffraction for particle size determination of Inhalanda and other fine aerosols (VENHALER)

Sponsor: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur

Contact person: Daniel Jupke and Dimitri Ivanov

Summary of the overall project:

• The joint research project between the TU Braunschweig and Sympatec GmbH aims to develop a measuring system that reliably measures the particle size of aerosols for inhalation. The effective treatment of certain diseases often requires the generation and administration of fine aerosols that can easily penetrate the lungs. However, the ability to reliably measure the particle size distributions of these aerosols and tailor them to specific patient groups has been limited. Existing measurement systems do not have flow chambers suitable for this task and the measurement ranges are insufficiently adapted for the finest aerosols in these chambers. Another challenge with ultra-fine mist inhalers is that the particle size can change due to evaporation and condensation, requiring precise control of the accompanying air. Industry partner Sympatec will make a significant contribution to finding a technical and economic solution to this challenge, in particular through the development of a new laser diffraction system. The planned laser diffraction instrument will, thanks to its innovative detector design, enable the determination of aerosols in a size range that has not been adequately covered to date, thus filling an existing gap in the market. Special emphasis will be placed on laser diffraction to measure the particle size of Inhalanda, as well as on numerical concepts and simulation results. In the medium term, this should form the basis for further follow-up projects that are not limited to the measurement of ultrafine particles, but also include online particle size measurement in granulation processes,

  for example. In addition, the potential of numerical and data-driven modelling in pharmaceutical process development, e.g. in the development of pharmaceutical production chains and new formulations, will be exploited.

  Goals and tasks of iPAT

• Development of a new wide-angle laser light scattering system, including the design of flow-optimised measurement chambers and implementation of appropriate secondary air conditioning.
• Development of a simulation methodology to effectively analyse flow and particle movement in the measurement system and to virtually test different inhaler concepts. A coupled CFD-DEM simulation (flow and particle simulation) will be used, which together with metrology and machine learning can serve as a digital twin for inhaler development.
• The overall goal is to improve particle size measurement of aerosols in order to develop customised inhalers for specific patient groups in the medium term.

• Project partners

  Sympatec GmbH