| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/M73156/01 |
| Title: |
MICRO-MECHANICS OF AGGLOMERATIVE CRYSTALLIZATION PROCESSES |
| Principal Investigator: |
Jones, Professor A |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Department: |
Chemical Engineering |
| Organisation: |
UCL |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 October 1999 |
Ends: |
31 December 2002 |
Value (£): |
310,081
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Chemical Structure |
Surfaces & Interfaces |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Manufacturing |
Chemicals |
| Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology |
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Within industrial crystallisers, secondary events such as crystal aggregation and particle breakage can have a dominant effect on the product particle size distribution (PSD), especially of precipitation processes, but the mechanics of formation is not yet fully understood. Of key importance, however, is aggregate bond strength both during formation and subsequently in comparison to the imposed forces due to turbulent motion. We have recently found that crystal agglomerates appear to both aggregate at a faster rate at high supersaturation and become more difficult to disrupt, suggesting that the strength of the crystal agglomerates appears to be a function of supersaturation. We propose to investigate this by direct measurement of the force of attachment of crystals within agglomerates in a supersaturated solution using a micro-force balance and to compare the results with data from MSMPR crystallisers. In order to understand the dependence of the adhesion force on the nature of the crystals surfaces at the interface between aggregating crystals, we will model the surface structures, crystal morphology and the energetics of the interaction between each specific surface and the solute and solvent molecules, and between other surfaces. Thus we intend to develop a molecular based model of crystal agglomeration.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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