SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF AGGLOMERATES OF MILK POWDER IN WET GRANULATION PROCESS IN A VIBRO-FLUIDIZED BED

Results of experiments on the influence of technological parameters (intensity of vibration, granulation of the liquid feed, temperature of fluidization agent) on the change of size distribution, as well as mass mean diameter of the milk powder particles subjected to the wet granulation process (agglomeration) in a vibro-fluidized bed granulator are shown in this paper. Using water as a granulation liquid and air as a fluidization agent, it was found that mass mean diameter increases with increase of water feed, intensity of vibration, and decrease of air temperature. Increasing the intensity of vibration and decreasing the air temperature, primarily induces the increase of the dimensions of the initial nuclei. This can be explained on the basis of different influences that these changes (velocity of particle motion, intensity of particle collision, drying rate) have on the coalescence of particles with smaller and/or bigger dimensions.