Modelling the unsteady growth state population balance for a nonlinear growth model in an MSMPR crystallizer

The precipitation of zirconium and other metal species as hydroxides (hydrous oxides) from simulated nuclear waste process solutions has been investigated as a potential method to reduce radioactive waste volumes. The reaction of ammonium hexaflourozirconate was used to simulate these waste streams. Studies were conducted to investigate the unsteady state response of crystallization in mixed suspension, mixed product removal (MSMPR) crystallizer. Size distributions below 40 μm from laboratory batch and MSMPR data indicate size-dependent growth may be occurring because they may fit the Abegg, Stevens and Larson (ASL) model. However, these distributions also may fit a transient growth model based on the Method of Lines numerical solution to the unsteady state population balance equation. The development of the Method of Lines solution as well as experimental agreement with both models were studied