LAPSE:2021.0082
Published Article
LAPSE:2021.0082
Freeze-Drying with Structured Sublimation Fronts—Visualization with Neutron Imaging
Nicole Vorhauer-Huget, David Mannes, Mathias Hilmer, Sebastian Gruber, Markus Strobl, Evangelos Tsotsas, Petra Foerst
March 1, 2021
The particular structure of the sublimation front in vacuum freeze-drying of porous media is, in most situations, not accessible at the pore scale. The classical measurement techniques access the process only globally. Knowledge about the structure of the front, however, is necessary for prescriptive analysis of freeze-drying, as it dictates not only drying velocity, drying time, and overall energy consumption, but also the material properties after drying. This is especially relevant in situations in which the freeze-drying process is carried out close to the collapse temperature of the product. We, therefore, study the sublimation of ice with neutron tomography and analyze the spatial formation of the dry space using the example of frozen cylindrical maltodextrin with drying parameters at the limit of material collapse. We show that the sublimation front forms unique fractal structures that differ strongly from the usual form of a flat front. Distinct dry fingers covering the sample, in addition to a fractal peripheral sublimation front, were observed. The findings are important for the understanding of freeze-drying processes and will serve as a basis for the development of microscale models of freeze-drying.
Keywords
drying front, freeze-drying, front structure, image analysis, neutron tomography
Subject
Suggested Citation
Vorhauer-Huget N, Mannes D, Hilmer M, Gruber S, Strobl M, Tsotsas E, Foerst P. Freeze-Drying with Structured Sublimation Fronts—Visualization with Neutron Imaging. (2021). LAPSE:2021.0082
Author Affiliations
Vorhauer-Huget N: Institute of Process Engineering, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany
Mannes D: Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
Hilmer M: Chair of Process Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich, 80333 München, Germany [ORCID]
Gruber S: Chair of Process Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich, 80333 München, Germany [ORCID]
Strobl M: Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland [ORCID]
Tsotsas E: Institute of Process Engineering, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany
Foerst P: Chair of Process Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich, 80333 München, Germany [ORCID]
Journal Name
Processes
Volume
8
Issue
9
Article Number
E1091
Year
2020
Publication Date
2020-09-02
Published Version
ISSN
2227-9717
Version Comments
Original Submission
Other Meta
PII: pr8091091, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2021.0082
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doi:10.3390/pr8091091
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Mar 1, 2021
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CC BY 4.0
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Mar 1, 2021
 
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Original Submitter
Calvin Tsay
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