Fluidized Bed Granulation of Amino Acid Broths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fluidized bed spray granulation processes for amino acid-containing fermentation broths face challenges in producing high-quality granules with optimal bulk material properties, such as dust-free, stable, and high bulk density, while maintaining throughput capacity, as existing methods often result in granules with high residual moisture, stickiness, and poor abrasion resistance due to increased throughput.
Innovation Solution
A process involving fluidized bed granulation followed by downstream fluidized bed drying, where the oversize fraction is comminuted and reintroduced into the drying step, allowing for intensive mixing and mechanical stress to improve granule morphology and density, without recycling into the granulation step, thereby enhancing bulk density and abrasion resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the throughput in fluidized bed spray granulation is increased to meet industrial production requirements, then productivity is improved, but the quality of granules deteriorates with higher residual moisture, stickiness, and poor abrasion resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The process is divided into two distinct stages: a fluidized bed spray granulation step for rapid granule formation, and a separate fluidized bed drying step for quality improvement. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently - the granulation step maximizes throughput while the drying step eliminates moisture and improves granule properties without limiting production capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The drying gas stream acts as an intermediary medium that transfers granules from the granulation chamber to the drying chamber. This intermediary transport mechanism enables the coupling of two process stages while maintaining their independence, allowing high-throughput granulation to be followed by quality-enhancing drying treatment
2Manufacturing precision
If oversize granules are comminuted and reintroduced into the fluidized bed spray granulation to maintain particle size distribution, then manufacturing precision is improved, but the throughput capacity decreases due to high content of reintroduced particles
Solution Approach 1:
The particle size control function is separated from the granulation function. Oversize granules are removed after granulation, comminuted separately, and reintroduced into the drying step rather than the granulation step. This segmentation allows the granulation process to operate at high throughput while particle size distribution is controlled in the subsequent drying and classification stages
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of reintroducing comminuted oversize into the granulation step as in conventional processes, the invention introduces these particles into the drying step. This inversion of the recycling point allows particle size adjustment without interfering with the granulation throughput, as the drying step operates independently and can handle variable particle inputs
3Device complexity
If a one step fluidized bed spray granulation process is used for rather pure crystalline material, then device complexity is reduced, but the process becomes unsuitable for amino acid containing fermentation media which are hygroscopic and tend to caking
Solution Approach 1:
The process is segmented into granulation and drying stages to address the specific challenges of fermentation media. The separate drying step provides the extended residence time and controlled atmosphere needed to remove moisture from hygroscopic amino acid products, preventing caking while maintaining the relatively simple fluidized bed technology
Solution Approach 2:
The drying step operates under different parameters than the granulation step - with lower temperatures and extended residence time - to specifically address the hygroscopic nature of fermentation media. This parameter adjustment in the second stage makes the process adaptable to amino acid-containing broths without requiring complete process redesign
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process achieves improved bulk density and abrasion resistance of granules, with a 5-15% increase in bulk density and significant enhancement in abrasion resistance, producing granules with desired particle size distribution and stability, suitable for industrial use.
Implementation Method 1
drying of the discharged granules in a fluidized bed drying step
Implementation Method 2
fluidized bed drying step
Implementation Method 3
fluidized bed spray granulation
Implementation Method 4
fluidized bed granulation chamber
Implementation Method 5
oversize fraction is removed from the discharged granule mixture and then comminuted
Data Source
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AI summary
Process for fluidized bed granulation of amino acid-containing fermentation broths for the production of animal food comprising the steps - Introduction of a drying gas with a temperature of 100°C-450°C into the fluidized bed granulation chamber - Spraying of the amino acid-containing fermentation broth into the fluidized bed granulation chamber - Discharge of the granules granulated in the fluidized bed granulation chamber with the drying gas stream, and - drying of the discharged granules in a fluidized bed drying step, wherein the discharged granulated granules are a granule mixture with various particle sizes and contains an oversize fraction, wherein the oversize comprises the particle sizes which lie above a desired particle size, an wherein the oversize fraction is removed from the discharged granule mixture and then comminuted and the comminuted oversize and the granule mixture from which the oversize was separated are fed into the fluidized bed drying step.