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Modelling crystal growth between potash particles near contact points during drying processes. Part I: Problem formulation
Author(s) -
Wang Yan,
Evitts Richard W.,
Besant Robert W.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the canadian journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1939-019X
pISSN - 0008-4034
DOI - 10.1002/cjce.20026
Subject(s) - potash , supersaturation , moisture , recrystallization (geology) , crystallization , evaporation , materials science , mineralogy , thermodynamics , chemistry , composite material , metallurgy , geology , physics , potassium , paleontology
Salts and chemical fertilizers, such as potash, have a strong tendency to cake when exposed to humid air. This paper examines the recrystallization process between potash particles as a result of water evaporation after the particles have been previously wetted. A theoretical/numerical model is presented to simulate binary ion diffusion and crystallization near one contact point between two potash (KCl) particles during a typical drying process. The effects of three independent factors are investigated, initial moisture content, evaporation rate, and degree of supersaturation on the surface surrounding the contact point. In part I of this two‐part series of papers, this problem is formulated subject to specific boundary conditions and initial conditions and the method of numerical analysis is presented.