ABSTRACT
Modeling is a vital activity across the life cycle of processes and products. It plays an important role in decision making around aspects of experimentation and the use of fundamental physicochemical phenomena that inform design and operational decisions. Of importance is a structured approach to modeling which establishes the end-goals that can determine the types of models that might be most appropriate for those uses. This chapter deals with a structured modeling methodology and the use of models primarily for design and control purposes. It introduces the importance of population balances as a basis for describing the dynamics of granulation systems. A range of phenomena including nucleation, growth, layering, agglomeration, and breakage is discussed. An extensive discussion on coalescence kernels, as well as the complexity of the models and how they can be solved efficiently, is presented. A wide range of options is discussed and evaluated. The final section considers how the resultant “fit-for-purpose” models can be used in design and control applications to improve operational performance.
