Characterization of a small-scale crystallizer using CFD simulations and X-ray CT measurements
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Date
2022-07-20
Publication Type
Journal Article
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yes
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Abstract
Although small-scale crystallizers have gained increasing importance in recent years, their hydrodynamic properties have not yet been thoroughly studied. The purpose of this work is to characterize an intensively stirred small-scale crystallizer and to analyze whether its fluid mechanics behavior deviates from being homogeneously well-mixed. To this aim, single and multiphase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations have been conducted. Two types of stirrers, including one overhead stirrer (OS) and one magnetic stirrer (MS), were compared. The single-phase CFD simulations showed that the mixing characteristics of the two stirrers differ significantly, thereby leading to variations in the distribution of solids. The MS is an axial flow type impeller, which is better at handling solid suspensions than the OS. The simulations were complemented by X-ray computed tomography measurements, which confirmed that spatial variations in solid distribution occur and that assuming a homogeneous suspension might lead to errors when modeling crystallization processes.
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published
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Journal / series
Volume
256
Pages / Article No.
117697
Publisher
Elsevier
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Edition / version
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Date created
Subject
Crystallization; CFD; Validation; X-ray computed tomography
Organisational unit
03484 - Mazzotti, Marco (emeritus) / Mazzotti, Marco (emeritus)
Notes
Funding
788607 - Studying Secondary Nucleation for the Intensification of Continuous Crystallization (EC)