Freeze drying chamber for a bulk freeze drying system

A freeze drying vessel (302) for a freeze drying system (200) having a freezing vessel (228) that generates frozen product particles (282) by freezing drops (242) of fluid product (212), comprising:

• a freeze drying chamber (304) having a drying chamber inlet (348) that receives the frozen product particles, a vacuum port (350) through which the drying chamber is evacuated to a first vacuum pressure and a drying chamber outlet (248);
• a plurality of sloped horizontal shelves (352) that receive the frozen particles, wherein the shelves are arranged vertically in the drying chamber to provide top (358) and bottom (372) shelves and a plurality of shelves between the top and bottom shelves, wherein said plurality of sloped shelves comprise first (358, 362, 366, 370) shelves arranged with a slope downwards in a first direction (392) and second (360, 364, 368, 372) shelves arranged with a slope downwards in a second direction (394), the first and second directions being opposite to each other;
• a plurality of connecting members (374, 376, 378, 380, 382, 384, 386, 388) comprising at least one first (374, 376, 382, 384) connecting member and at least one second (378, 380, 386, 388) connecting member, wherein the at least one first (374, 376, 382, 384) connecting member is attached between a pair of shelves taken only among the first shelves and the at least one second (378, 380, 386, 388) connecting member is attached between a pair of shelves taken only among the second shelves, the at least one first connecting member being different from the at least one second connecting member wherein a single second shelf is located between an associated pair of first shelves and a single first shelf is located between an associated pair of second shelves to provide an arrangement of successive shelves that alternate between the first and second directions;
• a plurality of vibration elements (396, 398, 400, 402) located outside the drying chamber and comprising at least one first (396, 398) vibration element and at least one second (400, 402) vibration element, wherein at least one first connecting member and at least one second connecting member is attached to the first and the second vibration elements respectively, the at least one first vibration element being different from the at least one second vibration element, and wherein each vibration element is configured to vibrate an associated connecting member and consequently the attached shelves having only the slope in the same downward direction, thereby enabling independent vibration of each second shelf relative to an associated pair of first shelves and each first shelf relative to an associated pair of second shelves wherein the plurality of sloped shelves heat the frozen particles to promote sublimation of the frozen particles and simultaneously vibrate in such a manner to cause the frozen particles to advance along the plurality of sloped shelves and to drop downward from shelf to shelf forming freeze dried product (284) in powder form which is discharged through the drying chamber outlet.