Freeze drying with combined freezing chamber and condenser
AssigneeIma Life North America Inc.
InventorsDavid Debo, Arnab Ganguly, Dennis Posheluk, Ernesto Renzi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A compact freeze dryer removes a liquid from a bulk powder product. The freeze dryer utilizes a single cryogenic vessel for both (1) freezing the liquid contained in the bulk product, and (2) condensing vapor resulting from sublimating the frozen liquid. A vacuum pump is connected to the cryogenic vessel for drawing a vacuum in the cryogenic vessel and in a drying vessel. Vapor resulting from subliming the frozen liquid in the drying vessel is drawn into the cryogenic vessel and condensed.
Claims14
A freeze drying system for freeze drying a bulk product by removing a liquid, comprising:
- a cryogenic vessel having a cooling element;
- a product introduction inlet in communication with an interior of the cryogenic vessel and connected to a source of the bulk product;
- a drying chamber having a warming element;
- a selectively openable and closeable product transfer conduit connecting the cryogenic vessel with the drying chamber;
- at least one selectively openable and closeable bypass conduit connecting the cryogenic vessel with the drying chamber via at least one vapor inlet of the cryogenic vessel;
- and
- a selectively operable vacuum pump in communication with the interior of the cryogenic vessel via a vacuum outlet of the cryogenic vessel, the vacuum outlet of the cryogenic vessel being separate from the at least one vapor inlet of the cryogenic vessel.
A method for freeze drying a bulk product containing a liquid, comprising:
- providing a cryogenic vessel having a cooling element;
- providing a drying chamber having a warming element;
- the cryogenic vessel and the drying chamber fluidly communicating via a transfer conduit intercepted by a transfer valve;
- isolating the cryogenic vessel from the drying chamber by closing the transfer valve;
- introducing the bulk product containing the liquid into the cryogenic vessel containing a gas having a first pressure and a temperature below a freezing point of the liquid, whereby the liquid is frozen to form a bulk product containing a frozen liquid in the cryogenic vessel;
- removing the isolation of the cryogenic vessel from the drying chamber by opening the transfer valve;
- transferring the bulk product containing frozen liquid from the cryogenic vessel to the drying chamber via the transfer conduit;
- subjecting the cryogenic vessel and the drying chamber, while the cryogenic vessel and the drying chamber are in fluid communication, to a vacuum pressure lower than the first pressure, whereby the frozen liquid in the drying chamber sublimates to form a vapor;
- drawing the vapor from the drying chamber to the cryogenic vessel;
- and
- condensing the vapor in the cryogenic vessel wherein opening the transfer valve to remove the isolation of the cryogenic vessel from the drying chamber further comprises opening an isolation valve in a selectively closeable product transfer conduit and wherein after transferring the bulk product, closing the isolation valve and opening a selectively closeable bypass conduit bypassing the selectively closeable product transfer conduit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.