Analyses of stability and dynamic patterns of a continuous crystallizer with a size-dependent crystal growth rate

The effect of a size-dependent crystal growth rate on the stability and dynamics of an isothermal mixed suspension-mixed product removal (MSMPR) crystallizer is investigated. A linearized stability analysis has been performed to determine the stability boundaries in terms of dimensionless parameters that depend only on physical properties and operational variables. As in prior studies of crystallizer dynamics, the instability is always oscillatory and accompanied by a limit cycle. Numerical solutions of the actual nonlinear system equations are carried out to follow the cyclic behavior and to compute the amplitude of the limit cycle.