With the continuous advancement of manufacturing
technology, many domestic homogenizers have been widely
adopted in industries such as food and chemical. The core
component of the high-pressure homogenizer, the
high-pressure homogenization chamber, cannot meet the
technical standards of the pharmaceutical industry.
High pressure homogenizers are mainly used in fields such as
biology, medicine, food, and chemical engineering, for cell
lysis, beverage homogenization, fine chemical engineering,
preparation of liposomes, milk fat emulsions,
nanosuspensions, microemulsions, lipid microspheres,
vaccines, emulsions, dairy products, large capacity infusion
solutions, dyes, graphene carbon nanotubes, conductive
coatings, and nano oxide dispersion. The international
market size in this field exceeds 10 billion yuan. Among
them, the production of pharmaceutical emulsions must use
ultra-high pressure homogenizers with a pressure of at least
20000 psi, and high-quality diamond spaced homogenization
chambers must be used to ensure the uniform and safe
distribution of pharmaceutical grade particles.
The high-pressure homogenizer mainly consists of two parts:
the high-pressure homogenization chamber and the
pressurization mechanism. Inside the high-pressure
homogenization chamber, there are specially designed diamond
micropores. Through the action of the pressurization
mechanism, the high-pressure solution will pass through the
homogenization chamber at supersonic speed, while being
subjected to mechanical forces such as high-speed shear,
high-frequency oscillation, cavitation effect, and
convective impact, as well as corresponding thermal effects.
These mechanical forces and chemical effects induce changes
in the physical, chemical, and particle structure of
material macromolecules, resulting in more uniform particle
size and distribution in the solution, ultimately achieving
homogenization.
In high-pressure homogenization equipment, the high-pressure
homogenization chamber is the central component of the
equipment, and its special geometric structure inside is the
key factor determining the homogenization effect. The
pressurization device provides the required pressure,
allowing fluid materials to quickly pass through the
homogenization chamber. The level and stability of pressure
have a significant impact on product quality. According to
their position on the production line, high-pressure
homogenization equipment can be divided into upstream and
downstream homogenizers. Upstream homogenizers are often
used before sterilization, while downstream homogenizers are
used after sterilization. In general, a regular homogenizer
is sufficient for the upstream homogenizer, while a sterile
homogenizer is required for the downstream homogenizer. The
sterile homogenizer isolates the active sealing leakage
point at the homogenizer plunger and the static sealing
leakage point at the inlet and outlet, using steam or
superheated water to isolate from the atmosphere, ensuring
that it can be used as a sterile equipment after
sterilization.
The high-pressure homogenizer has a history of over 100
years since its exhibition at the Paris World Expo in 1900.
Homogenization equipment has also undergone multiple stages
of development, from low-pressure homogenizers to
high-pressure homogenizers and then to ultra-high pressure
homogenizers; Gradually evolved into homogenization valves
and homogenization chambers, and finally developed into
homogenization chambers with temperature control functions.
Its power drive mode gradually shifted from mechanical
conversion type to boost drive type and multi pump constant
pressure boost type. With the advancement of high thrust
linear power systems, future ultra-high pressure
homogenizers will use high thrust low-speed linear motors.
With the increase of pressure, real-time cooling has become
one of the main technical challenges faced by ultra-high
pressure homogenizers. The future development direction will
focus on homogeneous chambers that are temperature
controlled, not easily clogged, and have ultra-high pressure
resistance.
