An Experimental Study of Crystal Size Distribution in a Continuous, Backmixed, Gas-Phase Reactor

One of the most important aspects of a process producing a solid-phase product is the particle size distribution obtained in the process. Although much has been done on liquid-phase crystallization, and on single crystal growth from the gaseous phase, little work has been reported in the area of particle size distributions from a continuous, gas-phase process. Discussed in this paper will be the efforts of the authors in designing and utilizing a single-stage, backmixed reactor to study crystal size distribution (CSD) and growth-nucleation rate kinetics in a continuous, gas-phase crystallization system. A specific motivation for such gas-phase studies is the evaluation of the isothermal backmixed reactor as a kinetic tool in the study of other combustion systems which produce particulate products.