Mathematical Modelling of Granulation Processes

This thesis studies wet granulation on three
different levels. First, micro-level investigations
of liquid bridges between two and three particles are
performed. For the two-particle case, the fluid
profile of static (stationary) and dynamic (moving)
liquid bridges are investigated. Static liquid
bridges between three equally sized primary particles
are then studied; the symmetry of the problem is used
to obtain a numerical solution to the Young-Laplace
equation. Secondly, a model to estimate the
stickiness (fractional wet surface area) of
agglomerates is proposed. The model includes
parameters to control the inter-particle separation
distance and the fluid saturation state.
Computational geometry is used to obtain results
which relate the number of particles and the volume
of binder fluid to the stickiness of the
agglomerates. Finally, a population balance model for
wet granulation is developed by extending an earlier
model to incorporate the effects of binder fluid. The
model is solved numerically for a range of
coalescence kernels and results are presented which
show the effect of binder volume and the drying rate.

Autorentext

Patrick completed BSc(Hons) and PhD degrees in MathematicalPhysics at Massey University, New Zealand and later worked as aPostdoctoral Fellow in the Institute of Fundamental Sciences,Massey University. Patrick has a range of technical expertise inthe areas of parallel/high performance computing and scientificsoftware.

Klappentext

This thesis studies wet granulation on threedifferent levels. First, micro-level investigationsof liquid bridges between two and three particles areperformed. For the two-particle case, the fluidprofile of static (stationary) and dynamic (moving)liquid bridges are investigated. Static liquidbridges between three equally sized primary particlesare then studied; the symmetry of the problem is usedto obtain a numerical solution to the Young-Laplaceequation. Secondly, a model to estimate thestickiness (fractional wet surface area) ofagglomerates is proposed. The model includesparameters to control the inter-particle separationdistance and the fluid saturation state.Computational geometry is used to obtain resultswhich relate the number of particles and the volumeof binder fluid to the stickiness of theagglomerates. Finally, a population balance model forwet granulation is developed by extending an earliermodel to incorporate the effects of binder fluid. Themodel is solved numerically for a range ofcoalescence kernels and results are presented whichshow the effect of binder volume and the drying rate.