Complete Guide : How to Clean a Fluid Bed Dryer (FBD) ?

Fluidized bed drying is commonly utilized in the pharmaceutical, food, and chemical industries. In this blog, we will cover the SOP ( Standard Operating Procedure ) of how to clean a Fluid Bed Dryer also called FBD. But let’s first get to the introduction and application of Fluid Bed Dryers:

A Fluidized bed is a chamber where a stream of dry air passes through to dry the granules and powder.

This innovative drying technology was initially created for fast drying. However, this procedure is presently additionally broadly utilized for agglomeration, granulation, pelletization, and tablet processing.

How are the fluid bed dryers cleaned? The traditional techniques for cleaning fluidized bed hardware entailed disassembling every bit of this pharmaceutical equipment and physically scouring or cleaning the surface.

This process is just tedious and tiresome. We cannot deny the fact that it can also be ineffective especially when dealing with large and complex fluid bed dryers. Accessing some parts of the fluid dryer can prove to be a major challenge. The good news is there are better methods that you can use to clean a fluid bed dryer regardless of its size or design.

Why Should I Clean My Fluidized Bed Dryer?

Senieer fluid bed dryer image

Is it necessary to clean my fluidized bed dryer? You may wonder. Just like other pharmaceutical equipment, a fluid bed dryer needs to be cleaned. Here are the main reasons why you should clean your fluidized bed dryer;

-To maintain the quality of the processed product: You can only get a 100% quality pharma product if your fluid bed dryer is clean. By this, we simply mean that the dryer should not have any dirt particles and debris that can affect the integrity of the product.

-Prevent contamination: There is a high chance that you are using your fluid bed dryer to process different types of ingredients. By cleaning a fluidized bed dryer, you will be able to prevent any form of contamination.

-Promote the safety of products: A clean fluid bed dryer will ensure that your processed product is very safe. It won’t cause any kind of trouble to the final consumer.

-Comply with international standards: Most international standards such as cGMP cover areas such as the cleanliness of the fluidized bed dryer.

-Improve the functionality of the fluidized bed dryer: If you want your fluid bed dryer to run smoothly, then you should consider cleaning your fluid bed dryer regularly.

-Increases the life of the fluid bed dryer; Dirty fluid bed dryers can get damaged over a short time. By cleaning it, you will be ensuring that the dryer serves you for many years without any physical damage.

I hope that these reasons are enough to convince you top clean your fluid bed dryer.

What Tools Will I Need to Clean FBD

If you want to clean an FBD manually, you will need only a few basic tools. They include;

-Sponge

-Distilled/ purified water

-Wipers

-Clean pieces of cloths

How to Clean a Fluidised Bed Dryer: Step by Step Procedure

How do you go about with the process of cleaning a fluid bed dryer? Here are the steps that you should follow.

1. Turn off the electrical supply to the fluid bed dryer. This is to ensure that you do the cleaning without being at risk of electrocution or other electricity-related accidents.

2. Cover the electrical components of a fluid bed dryer with insulators. This can be polythene materials, plastics among other insulators.

3. Wipe all the residue from the chamber of the fluid bed dryer. Start by using a piece of clean and dry cloth to remove that non-sticky residue. You can then use a piece of wet cloth to remove the sticky residue.

4. Remove the finger bag which is on the ring then clean this ring using portable water. Rinse it using enough purified water.

Dip the fluid bed dryer bag that you had removed from the ring into the water for at least one hour. After that, wash it thoroughly both on the inside and outside.

You can now rinse the bag using purified water.

5. Wipe the residue that is on the FBD bowl then again rinse it using portable water.

6. Disengage the ball mesh from the trolley of the fluid bed dryer. Clean and rinse it using water and a special solution. Do this twice or more until the bowl mesh is clean devoid of any residue.

7. Rinse the mesh with enough purified water.

8. Now turn your attention to the bod of the fluid bed dryer chamber. Wash the FBD chamber using a combination of water and Teepol. You can then rinse it using 1oo liters of purified water.

9. Dry the chamber by wiping it using a lint-free cloth. Do this for all other FBD parts that are still wet.

10. Once you have done everything, start assembling the FBD parts back into their original state.

Record all the cleaning procedures that you have used. Remember to mark the dates when you did the cleaning for future reference.

Automatic Cleaning of Fluid Bed Dryer

If you don’t want to go through all that manual cleaning process, then you should consider automatic cleaning. This cleaning is done by the CIP/WIP system.

WIP system has a pneumatic or high-pressure connection with water, detergent, and other cleaning chemicals.

The pressure of this system ensures that they clean the FBD thoroughly. The system is powered by electricity and has a controller to control the cleaning operation.

Precautions to Take When Cleaning FBD

Just like other pharmaceutical equipment, you need to be extra cautious when cleaning a fluid bed dryer.

There are several precautions that you need to take. They include but not limited to;

-Ensuring that the FBD is not connected to any live electrical power. Turn the power source to the equipment off before commencing with the cleaning process.

-Ensure that the fluid bed dryer is cool before you start cleaning it.

-Use distilled and deionized water that is free of chemicals and minerals.

-Check the manufacturer’s recommended temperature of the water that you will use for cleaning.

-Ensure that all the components of the FBD are completely dry before you enclose them back.

– Once you are done with cleaning, record all the procedures that you have followed.

How Often Should I Clean a Fluid Bed Dryer?

Usually, there is no fixed time-frame in which you are supposed to clean a fluid bed dryer.

The cleaning period is not fixed because several factors will determine how frequently you should do the cleaning. One of these factors is the ingredients that are being processed.

If you are drying different ingredients sequentially, you will have to clean the dryer immediately after you are done with one ingredient.

However, it is always advisable to clean your FBD regularly for safety.

I hope that this article has equipped you with enough information on how to clean FBD. Alternatively, you can use an automated system to clean your fluid bed dryer.

In case you need any clarification about a fluid bed dryer, contact us. We are experts in everything that entails a fluid bed dryer for sale.