Crystallization kinetics of MgSO₄·12H₂O from different scales of batch cooling scraped crystallizers

For reliably scaling up of crystallizers, a full kinetic model is required in addition to heat, mass and population balances. A method for extracting nucleation and growth kinetic parameters for scaling-up seeded batch cooling crystallization was developed and demonstrated with a 15 L and in a 115 L scraped crystallizer using MgSO₄·12H₂O as the model system. The method includes fitting the time resolved measured solute concentration and the crystal size distributions with a dynamic population-based model. The kinetic parameters extracted from the bench-scale crystallizer agree with those obtained from the pilot scale, confirming that they can be employed for design purposes.