Process Systems Enterprise Limited
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We were able to develop a state-of-the-art model for a complex crystallisation process with minimum time and effort

Steve Pietsch,
BP Chemicals

 

Process optimisation and scale-up are key challenges for companies operating crystallisation processes. An increasingly competitive market has intensified the need to improve the efficiency of existing processes, design new processes and quickly bring lab-scale processes to large scale whilst, at the same time, ensuring product quality.

PSE’s gCRYSTAL® is a powerful yet user-friendly software tool for scientists and engineers, developed in close co-operation with lead users in the Pharmaceutical, Chemicals and Food industries.

    Crystallization modeling: Particle size distribution (PSD) on start-up
Particle size distribution (PSD) on start-up

gCRYSTAL helps companies reduce capital cost through crystallisation design and operational analysis, including activities such as detailed kinetic modelling, scale-up and design, process optimisation and monitoring of product quality.

 

gCRYSTAL overview

DOMO uses gCRYSTAL to reduced batch time by 44%, increasing plant utilisation and process throughput for pharmaceutical grade lactose

    Crystallization modeling: Particle size distribution (PSD) on start-up

Challenges

Specific challenges facing designers and operators of crystallisation processes include (see more detail):

  • Processing of experimental data to estimate key quantities such as kinetic parameters
  • Designing targeted experiments that provide maximum information at minimum cost
  • Optimising operating conditions such as cooling profiles, where significant cost savings can be achieved with little or no capital expenditure
  • Determining the impact of geometry changes on crystalliser design and performance
  • Reliable scale-up of crystallisers to industrial scale
  • Risk analysis, to quantify and manage the risks associated with activities such as scale-up.

Solutions

gCRYSTAL helps scientists and engineers responsible for the design and operation of crystallisation processes address these challenges, through (see more detail):

  • population balance modelling (including multiple population balances) to represent the crystal size distribution
  • representation of key phenomena such as primary and secondary nucleation, growth, attrition, agglomeration and breakage with detailed first-principles models
  • a built-in capability to link with CFD models to capture hydrodynamic effects for reliable scale-up
  • model validation and model-based data analysis capabilities including the ability to estimate model parameters from multiple, dynamic experiments simultaneously and report of statistical significance of parameter estimates
  • experiment design capabilities to assist in targeted experimentation
  • design and process optimisation capabilities for batch and continuous processes.

The key differentiators of gCRYSTAL are its capability to address true dynamics and go beyond just simulation to model validation, process optimisation and scale-up.

Benefits

gCRYSTAL's model-based engineering and optimisation techniques can deliver significant productivity enhancement and competitive advantage, through:

  • increased throughput, helping to maximise return on assets
  • improved product quality, ensuring that premium products can be delivered and that customers are satisfied
  • reduced scale-up risk, ensuring that plants will work correctly on start-up
  • reduced time-to-market, through better integration of experimentation and process design and faster scale-up
  • enhanced operations, including improved downstream solids handling
  • improved controllability, reducing batch-to-batch variability and ensuring product quality
  • optimised recipes that minimise energy use and increase overall throughput.
  • enhanced process knowledge and understanding.

The gCRYSTAL product

gCRYSTAL is implemented within PSE's powerful gPROMS steady-state and dynamic flowsheeting environment.

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