The repose angle measurement is an essential test in the pharmaceutical field. However, the way to measure the heap angle hasn’t changed for years, and the need for a more precise and repeatable measurement method rose-up in pharmaceutical companies. The GranuHeap instrument is fulfilling this need with a repeatable, fast, and user-independent measurement.
This measurement can be correlated with the tableting process and with many other pharmaceutical processes. GranuHeap measurement allows a really accurate measurement so you can precisely compare your powders.
GranuHeap instrument is an automated heap shape measurement method based on image processing and analysis. The principle of the GranuHeap is to create a powder heap on cylindrical support with a strict initialization protocol.
The user fills an initialization of the tube by hand and then the tube goes up at a constant speed. Thereby, the powder is flowing from the tube to form a heap on the cylindrical support. This support rotates with a controlled rotation and a camera takes snapshots from different orientations.
The Granutools custom heap recognition algorithm determines the position of the powder/air interface. The repose angle refers to the angle of the isosceles triangle with the same surface as the powder heap projected image. This isosceles triangle corresponds to the ideal cohesiveness heap shape.
In general, the lower the angle, the better the flowability. The deviation between the real heap shape and the isosceles triangular heap provides the static cohesive index which is computed for each image. This static cohesive index is close to zero for a non-cohesive powder and increases when the cohesive forces inside the powder strengthen.
GranuHeap is the right tool for several key applications. You will be able to classify your powders based on a well-known test. API, excipients & blends can be differentiated easily.
The GranuHeap provides a universal test used by many to qualify your powders and quantify their flowability before using them in the process. A process as tableting, die filling, direct compression, roller compaction, dry & wet granulation. This test is used for QC before these processes.
