An Innovative Method of Thermal Contact Heating and Melting of Hydrocarbon Mixtures to Obtain Soft Dosage Forms

Abstract

Heat exchange processes are of great importance for the implementation of technological operations in many industries, including the pharmaceutical, food and refining industries. The problem of heat transfer intensification is especially important for the creation of high-energy-efficient equipment. Heat-exchange processes of heating and melting are labor-intensive and energy-consuming, where it is necessary to transfer substances or mixtures from a solid state to a sufficiently fluid one to ensure their further transportation to the next stages of production. The peculiarity of hydrocarbon mixtures lies in their thermophysical properties: a wide range of changes in the phase transition temperature or melting point (37…100 °C), a tendency to thermal destruction and a low thermal conductivity (0.034… 0.34 W/m ∙ K). Traditionally, reactors with different mixer designs, baths with coils, electric tissue heaters, heating chambers, etc. are used at enterprises for heating and melting hydrocarbon mixtures. Mostly equipment is purchased abroad, for the purchase of which a lot of money is spent. Such methods are long and energy-intensive, there are large temperature gradients, which often leads to overheating of one part of the substance and underheating of another. In addition, the process of loading mixtures into boilers and their subsequent unloading is problematic and contaminatingly dangerous. Given all this, the development and implementation of domestic innovative technologies and equipment for the processes of heating and melting of hydrocarbon mixtures is an urgent task.