Mathematical modeling and experimental validation of continuous slug-flow tubular crystallization with ultrasonication-induced nucleation and spatially varying temperature

Continuous slug-flow tubular crystallization has been explored by several research groups in academia and industry as a way to produce crystals while having low capital equipment costs. In this crystallization type, slugs of slurry and gas consecutively travel through a tube, with a high degree of mixing and temperature uniformity within each slug. This article presents an experimental system for slug-flow tubular crystallization that employs a spatial temperature profile and directed non-contact ultrasonication to induce primary nucleation to enable the generation of a wide variety of crystal size distributions. The crystal size distributions are compared for data collected from a full-factorial experimental design (27 experiments in total) to predictions from a population balance model that includes the effects of ultrasonication on primary nucleation. This population balance model for…