Monday, June 21, 2021

Stages or Process of Crystallization? process of crystallization takes place in three stages: nucleation, crystal growth,

Crystallization is a process where the liquid materials are solidified or converted into a solid or crystals or can be said that materials are expedited out of gas or liquid. It can be produced by a chemical change such as acidity or by a physical change. The process of crystallization is directed by the shapes, sizes, and chemical properties of the molecules. It can be formed out of different species of ions, single species of an atom, or even large molecules such as proteins. The crystallization process for some large molecules has a hard time undergoing the process as their internal chemistry among them is not very symmetrical or interacts with itself to prevent crystallization. Crystallizers are used by different industries for food processing, pharmaceutical, or other purposes.

A unit cell is the smallest unit of the crystal which is the base form of molecules and atoms upon which supplementary or additional units can be attached. The great variation in the colour, shape, and size of various crystals is due to the materials. ALAQUA is a crystallizer supplier in the USA, along with other processing equipment supplies to fulfill various industrial requirements.

Stages of Crystallization

The process of crystallization takes place in three stages: nucleation, crystal growth, and laboratory uses of crystallization.

·       Nucleation: The first stage or step in the process of crystallization is nucleation. Among the atoms, the first to form a crystal becomes the center of the nucleation and more atoms are formed around that nucleus. During this process, around the nucleus more unit cells assemble and the formation of a small crystal seed takes place. In the whole process of crystallization, nucleation is most crucial as it determines the structure of the entire crystal. Seed crystal and imperfections in the nucleus can lead to severe rearrangements as nucleation takes place in a supersaturated solvent and supercooled liquid.

Any liquid on the edge of solidifying is known as a supercooled liquid for which an initial nucleus must form. The process of crystallization will continue to revolve around this nucleus. The nucleus forms when atoms or molecules in a cooling liquid lose their capacity to bounce off each other. Instead, they start interacting and forming solid crystal structures. Larger molecules may be difficult to crystalize at normal temperatures and pressures, although pure elements usually form a crystal structure.

The solvent containing the desired crystal is full in a supersaturated solution. The solubility of the atoms or molecules in the solution decreases when the temperature drops or the acidity rises, and the solvent can hold fewer of them. As a result, they "fall out" of the solution and collide. This can also cause nucleation and subsequent crystallization.

·       Crystal Growth: Other molecules and atoms that surround the nucleus branch off from the established symmetry, adding to the seed crystal. Depending on the circumstances, this procedure can occur very rapidly or slowly. Water may turn into ice in seconds, whereas rock crystals like quartz and diamonds take millennia to create. The entire crystal structure is determined by the basic formation set up around the nucleus. From the uniqueness of a snowflake to the purity of a diamond, variances in crystal formation account for the disparities in crystals.

Crystals can only accept a limited number of geometric shapes determined by the bonds and interactions of the molecules. Different bond angles of atoms based on the initial nucleus cause various forms. Impurities in the solution or the material will cause the pattern to deviate from the expected one. Even minor imperfections in the nucleus can result in wholly distinct and unique designs, as seen in snowflakes.

·       Laboratory uses of Crystallization: The method of crystallization is a frequent and helpful one in the lab. It may be used to purify chemicals and coupled with sophisticated imaging methods to learn about the crystallized substances' composition. Material can be dissolved in a suitable solvent in laboratory crystallization. Heat and acidity changes can aid in the dissolution of the substance. The components in the solution precipitate out at various rates when the circumstances are reversed. Pure crystals of the required material can be obtained by carefully controlling the environment.

Alaqua is the crystallizers supplier in the USA along with other processing equipment used to process foods and beverages, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, etc. Contact for more information!

Friday, June 18, 2021

Spray Dryer Problems processing equipment suppliers such as the evaporator, crystallizer

A spray dryer is a machine used for drying utilizing a spray. To achieve evaporation and create a free-flowing dry powder with regulated average particle size, a spray dryer combines a heated gas with an atomized (sprayed) liquid stream within a vessel (drying chamber). ALAQUA is a spray dryer supplier along with other processing equipment suppliers such as the evaporator, crystallizer, solvent recovery systems, etc.


Some of the worldwide problems of the spray drying powder and their solutions are:

  • Powder Consistency or low-quality powder creating Bulk Density Issue:

  • The reason for the powder build-up could be dryer configuration, powder formulation and wider spray angle use, and in a lot of cases the design of the nozzle. Scorched particle deposits and product build-up on the chamber compromise the quality of the powder. The solution to this could be a flat cap profile as it provides a lower outer face profile that reduces the build-up.

  • Another reason could be the wear part alignment. The designs of the traditional nozzles have problems in alignment between orifice and swirl chamber. This decentralization of parts creates problems in the consistent performance of the spray through drying operations. The spray performance can be increased by the concentric clasp technology.

  • Low Productivity

  • Another reason could be nozzle bearding, this can also be caused due to dryer configuration, wider spray dryer usage and powder formulation, and occurs mostly due to nozzle design deficiency. These things increase the frequency of clean-up and lead to a production delay. Stopping production in the short run and cleaning could be a big reason for lower productivity. The solution again is the flat cap profile as its design provides a lower outer face profile that reduces bearding. It also means that fewer cleanup dryers shut down, the bearding process slows down providing a longer run of nozzles. For more Information Please visit on Site - https://www.alaquainc.com/

Monday, June 14, 2021

What is a Spray Dryer and How does a spray dryer work?

Spray drying is a method of rapidly drying a liquid or slurry into a dry powder with a hot gas. Many heat sensitive products, such as foods and medicines, favour this technique of drying. AlaquaInc is a spray dryer supplier for various industries such as food processing and pharmaceutical industries.
A spray dryer separates the solute or suspension as a solid and the solvent as a vapour from a liquid stream. In most cases, the material is gathered in a drum or cyclone. The liquid input stream is sprayed into a hot vapour stream and evaporated using a nozzle. As the liquid in the droplets evaporates, solids form. To maximise heat transmission and the rate of water vaporisation, a nozzle is frequently utilised to make the droplets as tiny as feasible. High-pressure single-fluid nozzles and two-fluid nozzles, with one fluid being the liquid to dry and the other being compressed gas, are the two primary types of nozzles.
When compared with other methods of drying, a spray dryer works faster than other methods of drying. The spray dryer can also turn a solution into a dried powder just through a single step that helps to improve the profit margins and makes the process more simple.
Spray drying is used in pharmaceutical production to produce Amorphous Solid Dispensation by evenly dispersing Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients into a polymer matrix. This condition causes the active chemicals (drug) to be at a greater level of energy, which enhances drug spice dispersion in the patient's body.
How does Spray Dryer work?
The spray drying process consists of five key processes, regardless of the factory's level of sophistication:
  1. Wet Process: The materials to be dried are in liquid condition prior to spray drying. The procedure before the spray drier seeks to prepare the materials in such a way that spray drying is achievable and yield is maximised.
  2. Atomization: It is vital to atomize the influx of liquid in extremely minute droplets in order to provide very quick drying. The exchange surface where humidity may escape the particles is greatly increased as a result.
  3. Contact between the dry substance and the air: Dry air contacts the sprayed droplets, causing them to dry. By heating the air before it reaches the spray drying chamber, the ability of the air to absorb moisture and so dry the particles is boosted. It has a low relative humidity at the entrance and high relative humidity at the exit, as well as a lower temperature. Air can be blown to the product either co-currently from the top of the tower or counter-currently from the bottom. Counter-current is favoured in many processes, but for spray drying, co-current offers a major advantage: the air at the higher temperature touches the particles with the highest humidity first, sparing the particles from overheating.
  4. Drying: Drying occurs over the length of the spray drying chamber, following the movement of the solid particles inside. Moisture is gradually removed from the particle through a mass and heat transfer between the particle and the air.
  5. Solids Separation: It is vital to gather the particles once they have dried. Such separations are frequently carried out in cyclones, which may be outfitted with filters to improve their effectiveness. The powder is gathered in the spray dryer's bottom and pneumatically delivered to a cyclone, where it is separated from the air. The air from the drying chamber is also directed to another cyclone, which separates any fines that may have been carried over by the air and returns them to the main product stream. Humid air is normally rejected, but because it is still hot, it can be utilised for pre-heating in specific cases. 

We provide the latest technology evaporators, crystallizers, spray dryer, distillation system, solvent recovery systems, and heat exchangers. Contact us today to get amazing processing equipment for various industries.

Monday, June 7, 2021

The Advantage of Mixed Salt Crystallizers in Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) Wastewater Treatment Systems | Alaqua Inc

True ZLD wastewater treatment is required by environmental requirements in a variety of industries, including electricity, manufacturing, refining, mining, pulp and paper, and chemical processing. This means that all industrial effluent at a location is converted to dry solids before being recycled or disposed of. The factory recycles any usable water collected during the waste treatment process. A falling film evaporator, a membrane technique like reverse osmosis, or both are frequently used to preconcentrate large volumes of wastewater. Concentrated wastewater contains 100,000-300,000 mg/l total solids and flows at a rate of 3 to 100 gpm (0.01 to 0.38 m3/minute). A forced circulation crystallizer is then used to decrease the volume to dry solids.


Crystallization has long been employed in the production of common compounds like sodium chloride and sodium sulfate. Unlike commodity manufacturing, when just one salt crystallizes, industrial waste is often reduced to dryness by crystallizing numerous salts. To prevent difficulties like extreme foaming and quick scaling, this sort of mixed salt crystallizer necessitates drastically different design settings. Furthermore, when sizing vapour compressors for mechanical vapour recompression (MVR) cycle, mixed salt solutions have considerably large boiling point increases, necessitating careful consideration to design factors. 

Finally, to lower the cost of smaller crystallizer systems, new filtering techniques have been devised. Typical functioning crystallizer systems will be examined, including steam and MVR cycles, various solids separation devices, and low-flow-rate systems. Even with synthetic waters, the crucial use of testing will be examined.

Mixed Salt Crystallizers

A two-pass horizontal or one-pass vertical external heater, in which the solution is heated by steam in the shell, is typical of crystallizers. The heated solution is then sprayed into a huge container known as a vapour body. Boiling water in the heater tubes is suppressed by the liquid elevation in the vapour body, thus the tubes are inundated (submergence). Crystals are removed from a slipstream that is pulled into a solids separation equipment (usually a centrifuge or automated pressure filter). Various energy sources are employed.


  • Steam Driven: The amount of evaporation per pound of steam used is around one pound, which might result in high running expenses. The vapour created must also be condensed, which necessitates the use of cooling water.
  • Thermocompressor Driven: A thermocompressor can be used to reduce the amount of steam required if greater pressure steam is available. The thermocompressor's suction recycles a part of the vapour that has evaporated in the vapour body. The motive steam is typically between 150 and 200 psig. Steam use is often reduced by 20% to 30% while using this arrangement. The rest of the vapour that isn't returned to the thermocompressor must be condensed, therefore a condenser is still necessary.
  • Vapour Compression Cycle: A system in which the energy for the crystallizer is supplied by a vapour compressor powered by electricity or a gas or steam turbine. The evaporated water is squeezed to elevate its condensation temperature slightly over the boiling point of the recirculating brine inside the tubes. The discharge steam from the compressor condenses on the tubes' outside. For bigger flows, a single-stage centrifugal compressor can be utilised instead of a positive displacement rotary blower.
  • Calandria Crystallizer with Salt Basket: A calandria crystallizer can be utilised for minor flow applications. The heater is housed inside the vapour body, resulting in a compact design. Low-pressure steam is used to power the calandria crystallizer. The vapour is either condensed or released into the environment. The condensing steam (shell side) gives up its latent heat to the rising liquid via a propeller pump placed in the bottom half of the crystallizer. The heated liquid (brine) loses its vapour and returns to the propeller suction when it reaches the surface. During crystallizer operation, the unique salt basket is a vertical tank used to collect solids. The following procedures are done to dewater and discharge the salts from the basket:

  1. The vapour body and the basket are separated (calandria).
  2. The salt basket's brine is emptied.
  3. The solids in the basket are dewatered using steam.
  4. The salts are discharged by opening the flanged cover. The salt basket is ideal for mixed salts with big crystal salts like sodium sulphate or sodium chloride that are quickly dewatered. Instead of a salt basket, the calandria crystallizer can be equipped with a pressure filter or centrifuge for more challenging filtering applications.

W
aste savings using mixed salt crystallisation has been proved. A successful system, on the other hand, necessitates design characteristics and characteristics that differ significantly from those found in traditional single salt commodity crystallizers.

Alaqua is a crystallizer supplier in the USA along with other processing equipment such as the evaporator, solvent recovery system, distillation equipment and heat exchangers for various industrial purposes. We also provide the system with the necessary size tanks, pumps, and pipework to ensure proper operation. This will allow the customer to have a fully functional system when it has been installed. PFD, PID with pump specs, pipe size, control loops, instruments and controls, and GAD with loads will all be included in Alaqua's scope.

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

What equipment is needed for distillation? | variety of alternative multi-effect distillation techniques,

Distillation is a process for separating chemical components in a boiling liquid combination based on variations in their volatilities. Distillation is sometimes referred to as a unit operation since it is normally done as part of a larger chemical process. Alaqua is a distillation equipment supplier along with other processing equipment suppliers to serve various industrial machinery requirements.

Distillation has a variety of commercial applications. It's used to separate crude oil into different fractions for different applications including transportation, power production, and heating. To eliminate contaminants such as salt from seawater, water is distilled. For industrial applications, the air is distilled to separate its constituents, most notably oxygen, nitrogen, and argon.



THE PROCESS OF DISTILLATION

Distillation is a method of separating components or compounds from a liquid using the boiling and condensation process. To enable the successful separation, each element's boiling point must be distinct. The more complicated the distillation process is, the closer the boiling points of the components within the liquid are.

Batch distillations are the most common type of distillation used in laboratories. There are three pieces of distillation equipment that are required to complete the process:

  • The source liquid is heated in a reboiler or a pot.
  • The heated vapour is cooled back to a liquid condition in the condenser.
  • The device into which the concentrate/distillate is collected is called a receiver flask.

DISTILLATION TYPES

Distillation can take several forms, and the one employed will be determined by the substances being dealt with. The following are three of the most popular approaches:

  • Distillation in Fractions - This is a method of removing distinct compounds from a combination by distilling the same liquid many times at higher temperatures.
  • Distillation of Steam - Used to extract temperature-sensitive chemicals that may decompose if extracted using procedures with higher boiling points.
  • Distillation in Vacuum - The boiling point of some substances is exceptionally high. In certain instances, it may be more beneficial to reduce the pressure in the column above the material, allowing lower vapour pressure components in the combination to evaporate.
Doctor blades with certain designs can mix the waste solvent being distilled, resulting in a powder or flake being discharged from the distillation system. The trash would be reduced to a thick syrup or paste if the doctor blades were not used. Distilling to a powder or flake typically results in a non-hazardous substance that may be disposed of. If your distillation waste is a thick syrup, you'll almost certainly have to dispose of it as a hazardous item.



Multi-effect distillation

The purpose of multi-effect distillation is to improve the process’s energy efficiency, which can be used in desalination or as one stage in the creation of ultrapure water in some situations. When compared to single-effect distillation, the number of effects is inversely related to the kWh/m3 of water recovered figure and relates to the volume of water recovered per unit of energy. Approximately 636 kWh/m3 is one consequence.
  • With thermal energy input, multi-stage flash distillation may create more than 20 effects.
  • Vapor compression evaporation – According to manufacturers, commercial large-scale machines can generate about 72 effects with electrical energy input.


There are a variety of alternative multi-effect distillation techniques, including one known as simply multi-effect distillation (MED), which employs numerous chambers with intervening heat exchangers.
We supply made in USA distillation equipment to all the industries that require distillation equipment. Contact us today for more information!!!