System and method for measuring rapid decompression ice nucleation in lyophilization
AssigneePurdue Research Foundation
InventorsAndrew Strongrich, Alina Alexeenko
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An environmental sensor system for monitoring nucleation in a lyophilization chamber is disclosed which includes a sensor unit, including a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, and a reader circuit in electronic communication with the sensor unit; wherein the sensor unit is adapted to sealingly fit around a vial placed in a lyophilization chamber and further adapted to be energized by the reader circuit and provide signals associated with temperature and pressure within the vial in a non-invasive manner in which the sensors are configured to be positioned in a headspace within the vial but not in contact with product within the vial.
Claims13
An environmental sensor system for monitoring nucleation in a lyophilization chamber, comprising:
- a sensor unit, including
- a temperature sensor,
- a pressure sensor;
- and
- a reader circuit in electronic communication with the sensor unit;
- wherein the sensor unit is adapted to sealingly fit around a vial placed in a lyophilization chamber and further adapted to be energized by the reader circuit and provide signals associated with temperature and pressure within the vial in a non-invasive manner in which the sensors are configured to be positioned in a headspace within the vial but not in contact with product within the vial.
A system for determining onset of nucleation in a lyophilization chamber, comprising:
- a lyophilization chamber;
- at least one vial containing a product to be lyophilized,
- at least one sensor unit coupled to each of the at least one vials, adapted to measure a corresponding temperature, pressure, and relative humidity (RH);
- at least one pressure sensor adapted to provide absolute pressure within the lyophilization chamber;
- a processor adapted to receive signals from the at least one sensor unit, the processor configured to calculate the dew point of each of the at least one vials, and
- based on temperature of each of the at least one vials determine if onset of nucleation has occurred.
A method of determining onset of nucleation in a lyophilization chamber, comprising:
- receiving a signal corresponding to headspace parameters from at least one sensor unit coupled to each of a corresponding vials in a lyophilization chamber, adapted to measure corresponding temperature, pressure, and relative humidity (RH) in the headspace;
- and
- receiving a signal corresponding to absolute pressure from at least one pressure sensor receiving absolute pressure within the lyophilization chamber from a pressure sensor disposed therein;
- a processor calculating the dew point of each of the at least one vials, and
- based on temperature of each of the at least one vials determining if onset of nucleation has occurred.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.