ABSTRACT
Granulation technologies, both wet and dry, are a subset of particle size enlargement production methods. An alternative approach to size enlargement is by agglomeration by compression, or compaction, where the mixture of particulate matter is fed to a compression device, which promotes agglomeration due to pressure. Developing an understanding of these micro-level processes of agglomeration allows a rational, engineering based approach to the design, scale-up, and control of agglomeration processes. The term nucleation is typically applied to the initial coalescence of primary particles in the immediate vicinity of the larger wetting drop, whereas the more general term of coalescence refers to the successful collision of two granules to form a new larger granule. Nucleation is promoted from some initial distribution of moisture, such as a drop or from the homogenization of a fluid feed pumped to the bed, as with high-shear mixing.
