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

© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 27

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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