The hormone estrogen is produced in the ovaries of females and elsewhere in the body in men
Question:
The hormone estrogen is produced in the ovaries of females and elsewhere in the body in men and postmenopausal women, and it is also administered in estrogen replacement therapy, a common treatment for women who have undergone a hysterectomy. Unfortunately, it also binds to estrogen receptors in breast tissue and can activate cells to become cancerous. Tamoxifen is a drug that also binds to estrogen receptors but does not activate cells, in effect blocking the receptors from access to estrogen and inhibiting the growth of breast-cancer cells.
Tamoxifen is administered in tablet form. In the manufacturing process, a finely ground powder contains tamoxifen (tam) and two inactive fillers-lactose monohydrate (lac) and corn starch (cs). The powder is mixed with a second stream containing water and suspended solid particles of polyvinylpyrrolidone (pvp) binder, which keeps the tablets from easily crumbling. The slurry leaving the mixer goes to a dryer, in which 94.2% of the water fed to the process is vaporized. The wet powder leaving the dryer contains 8.80wt% tam, 66.8% lac, 21.4% cs, 2.00% pvp, and 1.00% water. After some additional processing, the powder is molded into tablets. To produce a hundred thousand tablets, 17.13 kg of wet powder is required.
(1) Taking a basis of 100,000 tablets produced, draw and label a process flowchart, labeling masses of individual components rather than total masses and component mass fractions. It is unnecessary to label the stream between the mixer and the dryer. Carry out a degree-of-freedom analysis of the overall two-unit process.
(2) Calculate the masses and compositions of the streams that must enter the mixer to make 100,000 tablets.
Step by Step Answer:
Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes
ISBN: 978-1119498759
4th edition
Authors: Richard M. Felder, Ronald W. Rousseau, Lisa G. Bullard