Rapid evaluating caking tendency of nonspherical crystals by developing a shape-based crystal bridge growth model

Abstract

Crystal caking is a decisive factor affecting the quality of high-end fine chemicals, whereas lack of shape-to-caking understanding results in considerable waste of time, severely delaying high-end fine chemical development. On this basis, a morphology-based caking evaluation model is developed with 74% and 96% time savings compared to previous modeling and non-modeling experiments, respectively, while guaranteeing superior accuracy. The crystal morphology is expressed as a function of the aspect ratio and the particle size distribution. The quantitative relationships between these parameters and the caking tendency are deduced, firstly achieving morphology anti-caking criterion establishment. For D-allulose crystals, considering humidity, and particle size, an aspect ratio is below 3 is the standard for combating caking, which has not been reported previously. Herein, the specific effect of crystal morphology on caking behavior is quantitatively described. The knowledge obtained can be applied to rapidly and quantitatively design anti-caking storage systems for products in warehouses.