(603d) Process Control of the Continuous Tumbler Mixer

The development of new process technologies permits the characterization and innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. An efficient automatic control system is highly desired to satisfy regulatory constraints and market demands. The online monitor and information of the system are necessary factors to reach a continuous process. For the online monitor of the system, process sensors such as Near infrared, camera, temperature, level etc. had been proposed to obtain process information. Today’s computational resources allow the design of more complex controllers and algorithms, this controllers can use similar techniques as human learning in order to adapt and maintain the desire parameters.

The aim of this study is to develop an efficient way to control specific process parameters of a continuous tumbler mixer. Throughput, API concentration, blend homogeneity are key factors to maintain in the process. The material throughput across the line is monitor with the feeders feed rate and adjust with a PID controller. The API concentration is monitor with a Near Infrared sensor and adjusts with a PID controller. The blend homogeneity is maintained with a Sony Hdr-Cx110 camera and an algorithm base on Image analysis and Fuzzy Controllers. The integration of the monitored techniques (NIR spectroscopy, feeder feedrate and Sony Hdr-Cx110 camera) with control programs and systems (Matlab and Emerson Delta V) permit to adjust process parameters. These parameters can be monitor and control to produce a robust continuous mixing process. The next step of the investigation is to observe the behavior of the factor interaction in the proposed control algorithm.