An extended cell-average technique for a multi-dimensional population balance of granulation describing aggregation and breakage

This paper focuses on obtaining the numerical solution to a three-dimensional population balance model (PBM) of granulation using the cell-average technique first proposed by [22]. Conventionally, linear grids are used for the solution of PBMs, but the ability to incorporate non-linear grids would be more advantageous given that a larger size range can be covered using fewer number of grids, thus reducing computational overhead. Furthermore, the use of linear representation of grids in PBMs to represent industrial granulation processes that span a wide granule size range is computationally prohibitive and results show that a non-linear grid representation is computationally more efficient with comparable accuracy. Parallelization of the PBM via a multi-core strategy has also been incorporated in order to reduce the simulation time of the model. Incorporating the cell average technique along with parallelization of the overall model lends credence to the overall use of the model for effective granulation process design and analysis.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► An extended cell-average technique for a multi-dimensional population balance model is developed. ► Qualitative model validation integrating key granulation mechanisms is performed. ► Parallel computing is implemented to mitigate computational overhead.