Apparatus, systems and related methods for processing, dispensing and/or evaluatingl dry powders

A method of flowably dispensing or processing dry powders from a device having a dry powder flow path, comprising:

• generating a first non-linear vibration input signal, the first non-linear input signal comprising a plurality of different selected frequencies that correspond to a first non-pharmaceutical dry powder formulation;
• applying the first non-linear vibration input signal to a portion of a dry powder flow path while the first dry powder formulation is flowing therethrough;
• generating a second non-linear vibration input signal, the second non-linear input signal comprising a plurality of different selected signal frequencies that correspond to predetermined flow characteristics of a second non-pharmaceutical dry powder formulation;
• and
• applying the second non-linear vibration input signal to the flow path while the second non-pharmaceutical dry powder formulation is flowing therethrough, the second input signal being different from the first input signal.

A method of flowably dispensing or processing dry powders from a device having a dry powder flow path, comprising:

• generating a first non-linear vibration input signal, the first non-linear input signal comprising a carrier frequency modulated by a plurality of different selected frequencies that correspond to a first non-pharmaceutical or pharmaceutical dry powder formulation;
• and
• applying the first non-linear vibration input signal to a portion of a dry powder flow path while the first dry powder formulation is flowing therethrough,
• wherein the vibration input signal comprises imparting a high frequency motion onto a selected portion of a hopper in the flow path, with outer bounds of a motion induced by the vibration input of the hopper is small.

A method of flowably dispensing or processing dry powders from a device having a dry powder flow path, comprising:

• generating a first non-linear vibration input signal, the first non-linear input signal comprising a carrier frequency modulated by a plurality of different selected frequencies that correspond to a first non-pharmaceutical or pharmaceutical dry powder formulation;
• and
• applying the first non-linear vibration input signal to a portion of a dry powder flow path while the first dry powder formulation is flowing therethrough,
• wherein the first non-linear vibration input signal is generated using a plurality of superpositioned modulating frequencies, and
• wherein the number of superpositioned modulating frequencies is at least three.

A method of operating a dry powder filling system for dispensing non-pharmaceutical formulations of dry powder substances, comprising:

• generating a vibratory signal comprising a carrier frequency modulated by a plurality of selected frequencies, wherein the selected frequencies corresponding to identified a priori flow characteristic frequencies of a non-pharmaceutical dry powder;
• applying the vibratory signal to a dry powder in a dispensing flow path of a bulk powder enclosure;
• then
• dispensing meted quantities of the dry powder from the dispensing flow path during the applying step,
• wherein the a priori flow characteristic frequencies correspond to observed frequencies in an avalanche-analysis spectrum of the dry powder, and wherein the non-linear vibratory signal “xsignal” is a cumulative signal that comprises a sum of selected observed frequencies derived from an avalanche-analysis spectrum of the dry powder.