At the 10th PDA Pharmaceutical Cold & Supply Chain Logistics conference at Amsterdam Schiphol Oct. 11-12, DuPont Protection Solutions’ Technical Specialist Steve Brabbs will explain why a proper understanding of thermal physics, materials science and product design is important when selecting cargo covers for temperature-sensitive CRT pharmaceuticals.
Brabbs will brief participants on the technology behind the latest generation of thermal cargo covers and how a cover design that gives good protection in one situation may perform poorly in another. He will provide details of the science behind thermal protection and the need for more science-based product evaluations. In particular he will address some of the myths and misunderstandings surrounding the heat physics involved in the thermal protection of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals.
"The aim is to open the eyes of the pharma industry and the logistics profession to the real temperature dynamics at work when we transport sensitive products through changing ambient and climatic conditions," says Brabbs, who will draw on data relating to a recent comparative evaluation of different types of passive covers to support his argumentation.
As part of the study, mathematical models were constructed to represent the physical processes whereby heat transfer occurs to and from a palletized load, and these were used to design test protocols that simulate the transient cold-chain breaks that can occur during typical cargo handling activities and occurrences. A live, multi-leg, transport validation exercise was then carried out to validate the findings in a real case scenario.
"The results demonstrated not only a wide range of performance between different cover types," Brabbs explains, "but also that by using thermal physics, materials science and product design together it is possible to predict trends in cover performance in different situations that would not otherwise be obvious."
Tyvek® Air Cargo Covers are developed to address the heat flow mechanisms that are at work in the fluctuating air temperature scenarios typically found in air cargo logistics.
PDA Europe is a not-for-profit subsidiary of the Parenteral Drug Assn., Inc. PDA’s goal is to promote science and research in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical technology, in the broadest sense.
