Use of focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) and process video imaging (PVI) in a modified mixed suspension mixed product removal (MSMPR) cooling crystallizer

The FBRM instrument is a 'powerful' tool developed by Lasentec as an 'in situ' particle monitoring technique for in-line real-time measurement of particle size. This technique was successfully used to monitor steady-state operation in a modified MSMPR crystallizer. The FBRM technique was also used to estimate crystallization kinetics. The FBRM particle size measurements were complimented by an in-line process video imaging (PVI) system developed 'in-house' (Microscopy and Microanalysis, 6 (Suppl. 2) (2000) 996-997), to visualize habit and crystal behaviour within an MSMPR crystallizer. A comparison of the steady-state crystal size distributions measured by low angle light scattering (LALLS) and FBRM was made, showing poor sensitivity of the FBRM technique to particles of less than 1 μm hence the technique was not suitable for the measurement of crystallization kinetics for this organic system.