Tribhuvan University, Institute of Medicine

Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal

Pharmaceutical Engineering
Introduction to the course:

This course deals with pharmaceutical designing and operation of various equipment in the pharmaceutical
field.

General objective:

After completion of this course, the students will be familiar with the engineering aspects of pharmaceutical
plants including basic drawings, industrial operations and processing.

Specific objectives :

After completion of this course, the students will be able to

1. Define unit operations, explain the concept of material and energy balances, describe units and carry
out their conversions.
2. Define distillation, state Rault's law,Henry's law, explain boiling point diagram,relative volatility and
equillibrium diagram of binary mixture, simple steam and flash distillation,principles of rectification,
azeotropic, molecular and extractive distillation, bubble cap plates column,packed column,column
efiiciency and plate efficiency. Vapour liquid equillibria, Relative volatility, Constant boiling mixture,
Distillation methods - Equillibrium distillation, differential distillation, Rectification, Partial
condensers, Effect of heat losses, Petroller distillation, Steam distillation, Optimum reflux ratio.
3. Explain drying including moisture content and mechanism of drying,factors affecting drying,drying rate
curves, drying equipment, cabinet or tray dryer, spray dryer,fluidized bed dryer, infra red drying, freeze
drying, vaccum dryer.Classify dryers. Explain special drying methods, Drying theory, equillibrium
moisture content, Rate of drying curves, Constant drying rate, Period, Factors affecting constant drying
rate, Variable drying conditions, Calculation of dryer ( Rotary dryer, Spray dryer).
4. Describe extraction, liquid-liquid extractors, batch and continuous equipment, concurrent and counter
current extraction, solid liquid extraction (leaching) process and equipment. Equipment for leaching
coarse solids, Intermediate solids, Fixed bed diffusion batteries, Continuous diffusion batteries, Oil seed
extraction, Basket extractor, Rotocel extractor, Flow sheet of extraction plant, Extraction of fine material,
Continuous leaching of fine materials, Continuous counter-current decantation systems, Liquid-liquid
extraction, Solid-liquid extraction, Solubility and equillibrium diagram, System with complete
immiscibility, Rates of extraction, percolation, maceration, decoction .
5. Give fundaments of mixing, explain mixers for solid-solid, liquid-liquid and solid-liquid system,
homogenization. Give a brief account of mixing with special emphasis on mixing of liquid with liquids,
Gas with liquid, Viscous masses mixing, Solids with liquid, Theory of mixing, Mixing of miscible
liquids, Solids with small amount of liquids.
6. Describe the properties of important materials employed in fabrication of pharmaceutical equipment:
iron and its alloys, copper and its alloy, nickel and its alloy, rubber, plastic, enamel, glass.
7. Describe the flow of fluids. Explain the laws and principles of fluid flow, Bernoulli's equation,
streamline, transition and turbulent flows, Reynold's experiment, fluid friction and roughness of pipe
surfaces, drop in pressure due to sudden contraction and enlargement in pipe fittings, flow measuring
devices, venturi meter, orifice meter, rotamenter, ultrasonic metere, pilot tube etc. Discuss the
transportaion of fluids with special emphasis on apparatus of Fluid Flow, its parts, material used in parts,
Pumps (different types of Pumps), Transportation of gas (Ejectors, Compressors, Fans, Blowers).
8. Define heat transfer. List modes of heat transfer, describe conductivity of heat through plain and
cylindrical surfaces, heat transfer by convection, natural convection, forced convection,concept of film
coefficient and over all coefficient, heat transfer from condensing vapour, heat transfer to boiling liquids,
heat interchangers. Classify and describe the heat flow processes with special emphasis on:

Conduction: Fourier's law, Thermal conductivity, Series resistance, Conduction through fluids.
Convection: Temp. gradient in forced convection, Surface coefficients, Overall coefficients, General
considerations regarding surface coefficients, Consistent unit, Laminar flow of fluids inside tubes,
Fluids in natural convection.
Radiation: Black body, Rates of Radiation, Effect of Temperature, Radition from gases, Heat transfer by
combined radiation and convection, Angle of vision, Radiation errors in thermometry, Heaters,
Tubular heaters, Heat interchangers (exchanger) ,Double pipe heat exchangers, Finned tubes.

9. Define evaporation. Explain types of evaporators, overall heat transfer coefficient, multiple effect
evaporator, steam economy, condensation of vapours, entrainment seperator. Condensers, Vaccum
pumps, Removal of condensate, Self removal, Seperators, Evaporators capacity, Effect of feed
temperatures, Choice of steam pressure, Elevation of boiling point, Temperature drop, Factors
influencing heat transfer coefficients, Scale formation, Rate of scale formation, Multiple effect
evaporation and its principles, Evaporation by Thermo-compression, Theory of vapour compression and
its method.

10. List and explain screening and sieving equipment, explain the theory of sedimentation, classification and
elutriation. Explain size seperation, screens, Standard screen analysis, Wire screen, Types of screening
equipment, Air seperation methods, Air seperators, Bag filters, Precipitators, Scrubbers, Air filters, Size
seperation by settling, General laws of free settling, Viscous resistance or Stoke's law, Resistance to
motion of geometric shapes other than spheres, Irregular shaped particles, Seperation of size by free
settling, Differences in density, Sedimentation.
11. Explain theory of centrifugation and Kozeny's equation, filtration equipment, filter medium and filter
aids,centrifuges. Describe filtration and centrifugation with special emphasis on the following: theory of
filtration, filter aids, filter media, industrial filters including filter press, rotary filter, edge filter; factors
affecting filtration, mathematical problems on filtration, optimum cleaning cycle in batch filters;
principles of centrifugation, industrial centrifugal filters and sedimenters.
12. Define size reduction and explain objectives of size reduction, factors affecting size reduction, list laws
of crushing and grinding, explain dispersing agents and grinding aids, selection of equipment, explain
the mechanism, processes and applications of ball mill, pot mill, colloid mill, hammer mill, fluid energy
mill, edge runner and end runner mill. Size Reduction : Classify size reduction process. Explain theory
of crushing – Rittinger's law, Crusher operation, Closed circuit grinding.
13. Explain the characteristics of crystals (purity, size, shape, geometry, habit, forms, size), factors affecting
solubility curves and calculation of yields, material and heat balances around Swenson Walker
Crystallizer, supersaturation theory and its limitations, nucleation mechanism, crystal growth..
Give a brief account of various types of crystallizers, tanks, agitated batch, single vacuum, circulating magma
and caking of crystals and its prevention.
14. Give a brief account on plant location with its layout, utilities and services. Describe industrial pollution
and give different ways to control it. Give a brief account of environmental engineering, solid and liquid
waste disposal, industrial hazards and safety measures.
15. Dehumidification and humidity control, define and explain humidity, humid heat, humid volume,
interpret psychrometric charts, wet bulb theroy, theory of air conditioning. Explain air conditioner,
dehumidifier and refrigerator and their application in pharmacy.
16. Define and explain gas absorption, Mass transfer within a gas phase, Rate equation for gas phase mass
transfer, The wetted – well column and mass transfer coefficients, Properties of tower packing and its
types, Tower construction, Two phase flow through packed towers, Pressure drop, Liquid phase mass
transfer in packed towers, Gas absorption, Overall mass-transfer coefficients.

BPharm Curriculum, IOM, Kathmandu, 2057 (AD 2000)

(2)
 Pharmaceutical Engineering (Practicals)

1. Drying of wet solid sample and to plot rate of drying curves.

2. Rate of filtration through a filter leaf and to calculate specific cake and filter medium resistance.
3. Operation of a sieve shaker and sieve analysis.
4. Experiment on colloid mill to measure homogeneity of product.
5. Operation of Ball mill to calculate Rittinger's law and Kick's law coefficient.
6. Experiment to determine the leaching of contents from packaging material.
7. Determination of tensile strength, busting strength, grammage of pharmaceutical packaging materials.
8. Elementary knowledge of engineering drawing - concept of orthographic and isometric views of
elevation and third angle engineering drawing.
9. Basic engineering drawing practice - bolts, nuts, rivetted fronts, screws, worn screws as per
specification.
10. Drawing of simple Pharmaceutical machinery parts.
11. Experiment on batch distillation and to verify Rayleigh equation.
12. Determination of flash points of oils and solvents by Pensky Marten's apparatus.
13. Experiment on Reynolds apparatus.

Recommended books:

• Introduction to Chemical Engineering by Badger and Banchero

• Introduction to Chemical Engineering by MacCabe and Smith
• Chemical Engineering by Coulson and Richardson Vol. I, II & III
• Unit process in pharmacy by David Ganderton
• Plant Engineering Handbook by Stanier
• Theory and Practice of Industrial Pharmacy by Libermann & Lachman
• Material Selection for process plants by Roussal Gackenback

BPharm Curriculum, IOM, Kathmandu, 2057 (AD 2000)

(3)
BPharm Curriculum, IOM, Kathmandu, 2057 (AD 2000)
(4)