Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)


Print Feedback Export to File
6939480 
Journal Article 
Influence of separation properties and processing strategies on product characteristics in continuous fluidized bed spray granulation 
Mueller, D; Bueck, A; Tsotsas, E; , 
2019 
1 
Powder Technology
ISSN: 0032-5910 
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV 
AMSTERDAM 
342 
572-584 
WOS:000454375100057 
The realization of continuous operation in fluidized bed spray granulation raises issues of process stability and product specification. It requires an appropriate process control strategy and a suitable granulator design. In previous work, a two-zone population balance (PB) model was developed and simulated product size distributions were evaluated by experiments in a Wurster granulator with external straight-duct air classification, however only regarding the process stability. The present contribution extends this population balance model with further equations for the purpose of product size control whereby the parameter setting of the former investigation serves as basis of the shown simulation study. Three process control strategies have been developed, implemented into the PB-model and investigated for diverse desired particle growth ratios and various separation sharpnesses. The simulation results show that only one of these strategies is able to provide the targeted requirements of both, process stability and product specification, but only for sufficiently good separation performance. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V. 
Continuous spray granulation; Fluidized bed; Wurster equipment; Process control; Population balances; Simulation; Straight-duct air classification