Crystallization

The Balanced Nucleation and Growth (BNG) Model

The BNG Model is a new and powerful Crystallization Theory, where nucleation and growth are linked. 

Temperature, solubility, reactant addition rate, and residence time are quantitatively related to crystal size. The concepts, which were originally derived for semi-batch crystallizations, lead to a new Theory for continuous crystallizations with spontaneous renucleation. Seeded continuous precipitation was modeled for controlled crystal growth using the traditional Randolph-Larsen model. 

The theoretical predictions are confirmed for the effects of crystal solubility, reaction temperature, and reactant addition rate. The effects of growth restrainers and ripening agents on crystal nucleation are first described here, quantitatively modeled, and experimentally confirmed. These are powerful concepts and methods to reduce (restrainers) and increase (ripeners) crystal size without lengthy ripening after the precipitation. The renucleation process during crystal growth is quantitatively modeled, experimentally supported, and used for precision determination of the maximum crystal growth rate.

Click here for a list of related publications and abstracts.