Product design based on discrete particle modeling of a fluidized bed granulator

• Published in: Particuology 2014-02, Vol.12 (1), p.13-24
• Main Authors: Fries, Lennart, Antonyuk, Sergiy, Heinrich, Stefan, Niederreiter, Gerhard, Palzer, Stefan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agglomeration; Collision dynamics; Computer simulation; Discrete element method; Fluidization; Fluidized beds; Fluidizing; Food powder; Granulation; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Product design; 产品设计; 制粒机; 实验室规模; 流化床; 碰撞动力学; 离散颗粒模型; 粒子模型; 颗粒相互作用
• ISSN: 1674-2001; 2210-4291
• DOI: 10.1016/j.partic.2013.10.004

Fluidized bed agglomeration is a process commonly used to construct powdered food or pharmaceuti cal products to improve their instant properties. This works analyzes the influence of a wide range of operating parameters （i.e., fluidization air flow rate, temperature, and liquid injection rate） on growth rate, process stability, and product particle structure. Different granulator configurations （i.e., top spray, Wurster coater, spouted bed） are compared using identical process parameters. The impacts of both pro cess variables and granulator geometry on the fluidization regime, the particle and collision dynamics, and the resulting product structure and corresponding properties are studied in detailed simulations using a discrete particle model （DPM） and labscale agglomeration experiments with amorphous dextrose syrup （DE21）. The combination of numerical and experimental results allows to correlate the kinetics of micro scale particle interactions and the final product properties （i.e., agglomerate structure and strength）. In conclusion, detailed DPM simulations are proven as a valuable tool for knowledgebased product design.