Freeze Drying System Technology - Fundamentals - Product configuration - ApplicationsFreeze drying Freeze drying is the most careful process for drying of biological and chemical products. Freeze drying means to remove water from frozen material through sublimation. Ice ( solid ) sublimates directly to vapour ( gas ) avoiding the liquid state, provided that the pressure is lower than 6.11 mbar. During the drying process the freeze dryer operates under vacuum and the water vapour is condensed ( frozen ) at a very cold surface, the ice condenser. The ice condenser works as a moisture pump, the vacuum pump is needed for non-condensable gases. In order to start the sublimation process, heating energy must be brought into the product. When drying in round-bottom flasks or wide-neck closed filter bottles the warm room temperature is used to bring in the heating energy. If the product is dryed in vials or trays, temperature controlled shelves are used for energy transport. Approx. 99.5% of the water is taken out during the main drying process, the crystalline bounded resp. the rest of the water comes out at very low vacuum, which is the final drying process. (Construction of the freeze dryer g ] The components of a freeze dryer are : + Drying chamber and heating accessories - heated and unheated shelves for drying trays = shelves with sealing device for drying in injection bottles = manifold for drying in e.g. round-bottom flasks, wide-neck closed filter bottles (over rubber valves) + Pumps for air and water vapour - vacuum pump to evacuate the chamber ( gas pump ) - ice condenser with temperatures from below -50°C to below -85°C to condense the water vapour ( water vapour pump ).The freeze dryres are devided into laboratory -, pilot - and production units. Laboratory tnits ‘The way how to use the unit depends on the accessories one may choose. From the selection of accessories it depends in which way the unit can by used. ( process A, process B, process C ) The refrigeration system of the laboratory units are air cooled and the ice condenser capacity between 2 Kg and 24 Kg are available. Process A: Freezing and drying inside the ice condenser chamber = single-chamber-system Process B: Separate freezing and drying external to the ice condenser chamber e.g. in dishes or injection bottles and/or in combination with round-bottom flasks, ampouls, wide neck closed filter bottles or similar vessels. = Double-chamber-system Freezing and drying in chambers with liquid temperature controlled shelves. This process can be used in units with integrated are separate cooling bath.