冷凍真空乾燥法包含有低溫凍結、低壓抽真空,以及昇華脫水等三個過程。本研究使用40 mm厚之壓克力,以矽膠黏合,製作而成之真空樣品槽。槽體內設置電子秤,調壓加熱線圈,以控制溫度,並連續觀察樣品之重量變化。實驗利用繼電器與計時器,調整抽真空時間,進行間歇調壓實驗,觀察間歇真空調控,與真空槽之溫度,對乾燥速率之影響。實驗結果顯示,冰塊乾燥實驗,間歇抽真空,在第一小時內,乾燥速率增加20% (溫度為35℃)。間歇抽真空之操作範圍為,抽真空時間:60 sec至120 sec;停止抽真空時間:20 sec至120 sec,真空槽內的加熱器之溫度範圍為25℃與40℃。膠態幾丁聚醣之乾燥實驗顯示,間歇抽真空,在40℃之操作溫度時,可加速乾燥時間20%。
Freeze drying, or lyophilization, contains three steps of freezing, vacuuming and dehydration through sublimation of solid water. This research used 40 mm thick acrylic plates, assembled with silicon glue for manufacturing the vacuum sample chamber. In order to investigate the effect of intermittent vacuuming on the dehydration rate, electronic balance was placed in the sample chamber to continuously monitor the time course of drying. A variable voltage heating coils was also used to control the temperature of the sample chamber. Results showed that for ice, the drying rate could be increased by 20% in the first hour. The time ranges for intermittent operation was vacuuming: 60 to 120 sec, and stop: 20 to 120 sec. The temperature was controlled at 25 to 40℃. Experiments of chitosan gel drying showed that the dehydration rate was increased by 20% using intermittent vacuuming operation.