GRK Mikro-Makro-Wechselwirkungen in strukturierten Medien und Partikelsystemen "Population Balance Modelling by the Discrete Element Method (DEM) in Fluidized Bed Spray Granulation"

In a fluidized bed, particle growth is governed by different mechanisms; granulation, coating agglomeration, attrition and breakage. The agglomeration of particles is a process in which particles collide and stick together to form new large particles. This process is described by population balance equations for a time dependent particle size distribution function. The decisive quantities determining the process are integral kernels describing the collision frequency and intensity, adhesion probability and agglomeration rate. The aim of this project was to simulate these quantities using the Discrete Element Method (DEM). From these microscopic simulations the kernels werel be derived by averaging to a coarser scale. The project was completed with doctoral thesis of N.N. Rao.