Control of Granulation Process using Seeded Granulation

About the Project

The Chemical and Pharmaceutical sector delivers a significant contribution to the world economy and the population as a whole. Granulation of powders is a key unit operation in many chemical industries and in particular, the detergent and pharmaceutical processing industries, where uniform granular products are essential for optimum operation of the active ingredients contained within the particles. Seeded granulation was recently introduced. In this process large particles present in the feed act as seeds in the granulation. It has been shown that seeded granulation (Rahmanian et al. 2011) produces granules with narrower distributions of granule size, uniform strength, and density. The potential application of the seeded granulation process in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry requires a detailed study of the analysis of the wet granulation process to discover the best operation window for process control of the seeded granulation process.

The aim of this project is to develop a process-product relationship to produce functional chemical and/or pharmaceutical products. The particular goal is to develop and enhance understanding of the mechanism for seeded granulation by identifying the key parameters responsible for controlling the process in the continuous granulation process and set-up a process control for the available continuous granulators. Applications include high-added-value materials with a significant commercial impact, such as pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and detergent powders.

The project is focused mainly on experimental work; however, use of EDEM or gFP software is also recommended to get insight into the process, discover the process-product relationship and develop a regime map of the process.

How to apply

Formal applications can be submitted via the University of Bradford web site; applicants will need to register an account, select 'Postgraduate Research' as the course and then use the keywords 'chemical engineering'. Applicants should then specify the project title in the 'Research Proposal' section.

About the University of Bradford

Bradford is a research-active University supporting the highest-quality research. We excel in applying our research to benefit our stakeholders by working with employers and organisations world-wide across the private, public, voluntary and community sectors and actively encourage and support our postgraduate researchers to engage in research and business development activities.

Positive Action Statement

At the University of Bradford our vision is a world of inclusion and equality of opportunity, where people want to, and can, make a difference. We place equality and diversity, inclusion, and a commitment to social mobility at the centre of our mission and ethos. In working to make a difference we are committed to addressing systemic inequality and disadvantages experienced by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff and students.

Under sections 158-159 of the Equality Act 2010, positive action can be taken where protected group members are under-represented. At Bradford, our data show that people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic groups who are UK nationals are significantly under-represented at the postgraduate researcher level.

These are lawful measures designed to address systemic and structural issues which result in the under-representation of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic students in PGR studies.

Funding Notes

This is a self-funded project; applicants will be expected to pay their own fees or have access to suitable third-party funding, such as the Doctoral Loan from Student Finance. In addition to the university's standard tuition fees, bench fees may apply to this project.

References

1. Behjani, M.A., Rahmanian, N., Abdul Ghani, N.F., Hassanpour, A. 2017. An investigation on process of seeded granulation in a continuous drum granulator using DEM, Advanced Power Technology, 28, 2465-2564.
2. Rahmanian, N., Ghadiri, M., and Jia, X., 2011. Seeded granulation. Powder Technology, 206, 53-62.
3. Rahmanian, N., Naji, A. and Ghadiri, M. 2011. Effect of process parameters on the granule properties made in a high shear granulator. Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 89(5), 512-518.