Simulating Tablet Dissolution Using Computational Fluid Dynamics and Experimental Modeling

Abstract

The study of mass transfer is essential in the food digestion process, especially when gastric acid interacts with food and nutrients dissolve in the gastric system. In this study, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was built based on an in vitro study, which investigated the mass transfer in a tablet dissolution process in a beaker and stirrer system. The predicted mass transfer coefficients from the simulation aligned well with the experimental values. The effect of the type and rotation speed of the stirrers was also investigated. Mass transfer from the tablet was found to be closely related to the tablet Reynolds number of the fluid (ranging from 0 to 938) and the shear stress (0 to 0.167 Pa) acting on the tablet. The relationship between the power number (0.0061 to 0.196) and the Reynolds number for the impeller (719 to 5715) was also derived for different stirrers.