Granulation
Guide to the Granulator Demo
Aspen Technology
Burlington, MA
2013
© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved
Granulation
Growth of particles due to deposition of solid material on
primary particles (seeds)
– Granulation: Seed particles and deposited solids are made of
the same material
– Coating: Seed particles and deposited solids are made of
different material
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Agglomeration
Agglomeration: Aggregation of two or more primary particles
– Agglomeration by use of a binder
Binder could be water, a suspension, solution or melt
Particles are ‘glued together’
– Agglomeration by use of mechanical forces
No binder is added
Particles are ‘pressed together’
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Modeling Agglomeration and Granulation
The Aspen Plus Granulator allows to model:
– Granulation and Coating
Drum Fluidized Bed Plate
– Agglomeration
using binder
Drum Fluidized bed Plate
using mechanical forces
Compacting Press
Roller Aggl
omerator
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Granulation - Model
Particle Growth
– Population balance
– Mixed
Ideal mixing in radial and axial direction
Growth rate proportional to
– Surface, Volume or Diameter
– Plug flow
Ideal mixing in radial direction
No mixing in axial direction
Drying of particles
Define solids moisture content at the outlet
Entrainment in Fluidized Beds
Upstream gas velocity
Terminal velocity of the particles
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Modeling Granulation in Aspen Plus
- Granulator Input Form
Model Specifications Tab
Total mass
of bed
Set outlet solids
moisture content.
Active if a mositure
component is specified
in the “Solids“ tab
Wet or dry basis
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Thermodynamic effect of the moisture definition
After the granulator calculations are completed a equilibrium
calculation is performed
– If the moisture is in the MIXED
substream (Liquid components)
Some liquid may evaporate
– If the moisture is in the CISolid
substream (Solids Moisture components)
Liquid trapped within the solid is not
evaporated
SMC is considered with its enthalpy during
the equilibrium calculation
Effect on the solids density and heat
capacity is considered
Shortcut drying model allows to define the amount of liquid
that is “stored” within the particles (CISolid substream)
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Modeling Granulation in Aspen Plus
- Granulator Input Form
Model Specifications Tab
Mixed or Plug
Flow model
Surface, diameter or
volume proprotional
particle growth.
Only active for
mixed flow.
Model entrainment
of fine particles in
fluidized bed
granulators.
Only active if vapor
streams are
attached.
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Modeling Granulation in Aspen Plus
- Granulator Results Form
Results tab
Seed and Product particle
size measures.
Additional details
available on the stream
results solids tab.
Entrainment of fine
particles with vapor
stream in a fluidized
bed granulator.
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Modeling Granulation in Aspen Plus
- Granulator PSD Plot
PSD Plot
Plots: particle size
distributions of seed,
product, and offgas
streams.
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Granulation Example
The following example will demonstrate how an industrial
granulation process can be simulated and optimized with
Aspen Plus
– Simulation of a granulation process with external
classification/grinding circuit and product cooling
– Optimization study to increase throughput
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Open the File Granulation_Example.bkp
Urea solution is
sprayed on a bed Middle fraction from
of seed particles. the screen is cooled
Particles grow by in a fluidized bed
pure granulation cooler and leaves the
process as product.
Product from
the granulator
is cooled in a
fluidized bed
cooler
Cooled particles are classified on
a double–deck screen:
- Coarse particles are milled,
mixed with the fines from the
screen and recycled as seed
particles back to the granulator
- Middle fraction is product
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Review the Model for the Granulator
In the current case the granulator has three chambers
– First two chambers for granulation
– Third chamber of drying
Described by use of a hierarchy block
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Review the Model for the Granulator
Granulator parameterization (chambers 1 and 2)
Particles grow by granulation
Outlet moisture is Vessel is assumed to be
set to be 0.5 wt-% adiabatic (heat duty = 0).
Temperature of gas and solids
is the mixing temperature of
Growth is proportional
all inlet streams.
to the particles surface
Entrainment of solids from
the bed is considered (air
streams connected to the
block).
Cross-section of the vessel
needs to be defined in order
to calculate the upstream
velocity of the gas.
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Review the Model for the Granulator
Dryer parameterization (chamber 3)
Shortcut dryer is used
Specify outlet moisture (no drying kinetics)
Convective dryer will allow for that if
needed.
No additional heat
provided by the dryer
Pure convective drying
Outlet moisture content
is defined on wet basis
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Review the Model for the Cooler
The fluidized bed cooler is
described by a hierarchy
block
– It is assumed that gas and
solids reach thermodynamic
equilibrium
mix gas and solids stream
results in the mixing temperature
– Fluidized bed cooler will
entrain particles with the
exhaust air
Use of a Classifier (uses
classification function) that
classifies the particles
according to their settling
velocity
Controller is used to set the
cut velocity in the classifier
according to the gas volume
flow and the cross-section of
the cooler
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Run the Model
Run the model
Ignore Warnings Open the layout
“ProductResults-BaseCase”
It is a reminder
that the PSD in
the granulator
outlet has been
normalized
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Review results for the Base Case
Custom table allows to:
• Enter values for key
parameters (spray rate, energy
input of mill)
• Review the key result
parameter (product flow rate,
recycle flow rate, product D10
and D90)
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Review results for the Base Case
Plot shows the
development of
the PSD along
the granulator
Granulation in the 1st
and the 2nd chamber.
Drying in the 3rd
chamber.
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Process Optimization – Task Definition
Base Case:
– Spray rate 5 kg/s (97 wt-% Urea, 3 wt-% Water)
– Energy input to the mill 2 kW
Objective
– Increase throughput by at least 60%
– Keep product within specifications
Constraints:
– Keep product within specifications
D10 > 1.2 mm (base case: D10 = 1.35 mm)
D90 < 2.9 mm (base case: D90 = 2.89 mm)
– Maximum recycle mass flow 3 kg/s (base case 2.23 kg/s)
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Process Optimization – Change flow Rate
Open the layout “Flowsheet-Optimization"
Change urea spray rate to
8 kg/s (5 kg/s = 60%)
and run the model
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Process Optimization – Review Results
Changing the urea spray rate to 8
kg/s increases the product flow
rate by 60%
BUT
- Recycle flow rate above limit of 3
kg/s
- D90 above limit of 2.9 mm
Idea: Adjust energy input to the mill in order to fulfill
the constraints
First test: Set energy input to 3 kw and run the model
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Process Optimization – Review Results
Increasing the energy input to the mill For explanation
of warnings,
– decreases the recycle flow rate see appendix
– decreases D90
Question: What is the necessary energy input?
Idea: Use sensitivity to see how the energy input of the mill
influences the recycle flow rate and the D10 and D90 of
the product ( find optimal value for the energy input).
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Process Optimization – Setup Sensitivity
Activate the pre-defined sensitivity task
Open the layout “SensitivitySetup”
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Process Optimization – Setup Sensitivity
Recycle flow rate, D10,
and D90 of the product
will be saved for each
step of the sensitivity
Energy input of the mill is analysis
varied from 2 kW to 5 kW
in 10 steps
Recycle flow rate,
D10, and D90 of the
product will be
tabulated as function
of the energy input
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Process Optimization – Run the Sensitivity
Run the model
Open the layout “SensitivityResults”
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Process Optimization – Review the Results
Energy input of 4.2
kW fulfills all
constraints
Energy input of ~5
kW produces so
much fines that the
recycle flow rate
jumps to ~8.9 kg/s
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Process Optimization
- Run with Optimized Values
Deactivate the sensitivity task
Switch to layout Flowsheet-Optimization.
Enter optimal value (4.2 kW) for the
energy input and run the model
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Process Optimization – Review Results
With the optimized energy input, it is possible to increase
the product flow rate by 60%
All constraints are fulfilled
– D10 > 1.2 mm
– D90 < 2.9 mm
– Maximum recycle mass flow 3 kg/s
Base Case Optimized Case
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Appendix- Warnings
When running the second
variation of the base case,
you may have come
across a warning stating
that the given moisture
content is not possible.
In the second granulator,
the moisture content at
the outlet was set to
0.005 kg/kg dry. The
moisture content
calculated was 0.00495
kg/kg, which is slightly
lower than what was
specified.
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Appendix- Warnings
Sensitivity Analysis
Warnings are a result of
the previous warnings and
also can be ignored.
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