Coated Detergent Particle Manufacturing via Concentrated Slurry
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for manufacturing coated particulate detergents are inefficient and energy-intensive, particularly when using sodium carbonate coatings, as they require high water evaporation and careful control of fluidization processes to achieve significant coating levels without dissolving the core particles or causing them to stick together.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the use of an aqueous slurry with sodium carbonate and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, sprayed at elevated temperatures within a fluidized bed, to coat extruded surfactant particles, which improves coating efficiency and prevents particle stickiness and deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a solution of sodium carbonate is sprayed onto detergent particles in a fluidized bed, then a coating is formed, but the process is slow and energy intensive due to high water evaporation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the concentration parameter of the coating solution from typical low concentrations (e.g., 10-20 wt%) to a highly concentrated sodium carbonate solution (45-60 wt%). This parameter change reduces the water content that needs to be evaporated, thereby increasing coating rate and reducing energy consumption while still achieving uniform coatings on detergent particles
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the phase transition of water from liquid to vapor during the drying process. By using a highly concentrated solution with less water, the amount of phase transition required is reduced, decreasing the energy input needed for evaporation and improving overall process efficiency
2Productivity
If the fluidization process is operated at high flux to increase coating efficiency, then coating rate improves, but the bed must be very closely controlled to avoid quenching
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the operational parameters of the fluidized bed process by using the highly concentrated sodium carbonate solution, which allows for more robust operating conditions. The reduced water content provides a larger margin before quenching occurs, making the process easier to control while maintaining high coating efficiency
3Reliability
If a low concentration sodium carbonate solution is used, then the core particles are less likely to dissolve, but coating levels remain low (2 wt %) and the process is slow
Solution Approach 1:
The invention dramatically changes the concentration parameter of the sodium carbonate solution from low (e.g., 10-20 wt%) to high (45-60 wt%). This enables achieving high coating levels (>20 wt%) rapidly while the short exposure time and optimized process conditions prevent excessive core dissolution, thus maintaining core stability
4Quantity of substance
If more water is evaporated to achieve higher coating levels, then coating quantity increases, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the initial water content parameter by using a highly concentrated sodium carbonate solution (45-60 wt%). This reduces the amount of water that needs to be evaporated to achieve significant coating levels, thereby reducing energy consumption while still achieving high coating quantities (>20 wt%)
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
This process significantly increases coating rates and reduces energy consumption by maintaining the slurry as a monohydrate, preventing crystal formation, and ensuring stable suspension and atomization, resulting in faster production of high-quality, free-flowing detergent particles with excellent detergency.
Implementation Method 1
maintaining the slurry as a monohydrate, preventing crystal formation
Implementation Method 2
suspending uncoated core particles in a fluidised bed
Implementation Method 3
spraying onto the core particles an aqueous slurry and drying to form the coated particles
Data Source
AI summary
A process to manufacture large coated detergent particles having perpendicular dimensions x, y and z, wherein x is from 0.2 to 2 mm, y is from 2.5 to 8 mm, and z is from 2.5 to 8 mm the particles being substantially the same shape and size as one another and the uncoated core particles comprising at least 50 wt % of soluble surfactant, the process comprising the steps of suspending uncoated core particles in a fluidized bed and spraying onto the core particles an aqueous slurry of sodium carbonate in admixture with 0.6 to 3 wt % sodium carboxy methyl cellulose and drying to form the coated particles.