Thermotron has developed the Impactor Test Chamber to improve the accuracy and repeatability of inhaler and nebuliser product testing.
By designing a dual-compartment environmental enclosure, the company is able to precisely control temperature and humidity conditions.
The test chamber includes two separate, independently controlled test spaces: one compartment for conditioning the temperature and humidity surrounding the nebuliser or inhaler and one for cooling the impactor.
Inside the nebuliser/inhaler compartment, temperatures range between 0C and 40C and humidity ranges between 30 per cent and 90 per cent relative humidity (RH).
Temperatures within the impactor test space can be controlled down to 0C.
An adjustable shelf in the impactor compartment enables interfacing with two different types of impactors: the Next Generation Impactor (NGI) and the Andersen Cascade Impactor (ACI).
Proposed revisions to US and European pharmacopeia test standards highlight the negative effect that evaporative loss can have on accuracy.
Impactor-related heat loss can cause evaporation, which reduces droplet size and results in artificially low-particle-size measurement.
The Thermotron Impactor Test Chamber cools the impactor in a controlled environment and/or encloses the inhaler device in a temperature- and humidity-conditioned environment, reducing the potential for the evaporation of aqueous droplets after aerosolisation and improving accuracy.
The chamber can host multiple impactors for pre-conditioning, potentially reducing the time required for receiving Food and Drug Administration approval.
Thermotron representatives will showcase the Impactor Test Chamber on 25-29 April 2010 at the Respiratory Drug Delivery Conference in Orlando, Florida.
