Chemical Engineering Communications, Vol.203, No.11, 1497-1506, 2016
The Investigation of the Influence of Impeller Blade Inclination on Borax Nucleation and Crystal Growth Kinetics
An influence of impeller blade angle on the crystallization kinetics of borax has been investigated in detail. Its importance was studied in a batch crystallizer equipped with a four-blade turbine, whose angle was varied from 30 degrees to 90 degrees. Heterogeneous nucleation mechanism was dominant at all examined conditions, but the rate of nucleation significantly differed. Kinetic parameters of crystal growth were determined as well. Numerical values of order of crystal growth remain almost unchanged regardless of the blade angle. Different values of crystal growth rate constants are the result of the fluid dynamics in the crystallizer, caused by the different impeller blade inclinations. In all examined systems, crystal growth is integration limited. The transition from axial to radial flow, due to different blade angles, reflects on the crystal size distribution, agglomeration ratio, and crystallization yield.