Impact of a single crystal in solution, on an immersed target, in conditions which simulate impact attrition in crystallizers

In industrial crystallization, attrition due to particle–crystallizer contacts is a primary source of generation of fragments, which greatly affects operating conditions, and the resulting size-distribution and morphology. The objective of this work is to contribute to the understanding of the attrition propensity of crystals in suspension, under conditions of impact at velocities which typically occur in crystallizers. Two types of parameters were studied: those related to the operating conditions (impact velocity, number of impacts, type of target) and those related to the properties of the crystals and of the solution which they are in. The rate of attrition increases with the velocity of impact and depends on the orientation and on the material of the target. An attempt to correlate the data to the impact energy is made.