ABSTRACT
Understanding bulk behavior of particles is of strategic importance in the processing of particulate solids such as mixing, granulation, compaction, size reduction, šow out of storage vessels, šuidization, dosing of small quantities of powder in capsules and dispersion, and sedimentation of particles in šuids. Common problems encountered in understanding these processes include the following: the parameters (e.g., internal šow and stresses) that cannot be readily measured or quanti’ed experimentally, scale-up of particulate processes from laboratory to pilot plant and industrial scales requiring extensive trial and error, insuf’cient availability of material at early stages of development (e.g., pharmaceuticals), and dif’culty in carrying out sensitivity analysis of process conditions as well as material properties. For all the aforementioned examples, modeling can provide an enhanced understanding of the process. However, rigorous analysis of these processes is scienti’cally very challenging, due to the heterogeneous nature of particles.
