Freeze Drying with FreezeBooster® Controlled Nucleation Technology

The freezing stage of the freeze drying process is considered the foundation to a repeatable and efficient freeze drying process. An improved freezing process has been shown to often provide a better product with a shorter primary drying time due to a better porosity structure created by the frozen ice.

Freezing without controlled nucleation results in random ice crystal formation events that lead to inconsistent pore sizes in the product across the batch, resulting in longer primary drying cycles, which can ultimately affect product quality.

To produce a consistent crystal structure and pore size across a batch, and from batch to batch, a method of control is required that will nucleate all of the product in the freeze dryer at the same temperature, at the same time and at the same rate. This creates a common starting point for the freezing process and creates batch uniformity. Upon nucleating the product, the first 3%-19% of available water is nucleated.

EASILY RETROFIT FREEZEBOOSTER ONTO ANY FREEZE DRYER simply by replacing the door and attaching the FreezeBooster module. Unlike other techniques, FreezeBooster does not need high positive pressures which require expensive ASME-rated pressure rated vessels. FreezeBooster has been demonstrated to work on systems as simple as laboratory style systems with clear acrylic doors and never produces a positive pressure.

Combining FreezeBooster with Millrock’s AccuFlux® heat flow process monitoring and control can significantly reduce freeze drying times. Once nucleated, AccuFlux can control the freezing of the remaining 81%-97% of unfrozen water in your product. This results in a more efficient and repeatable freeze drying process.