Unwanted agglomeration: How it happens and how to prevent it
When the topic of agglomeration comes up, it's natural to think first of the unit operation of size enlargement -- causing particles to adhere to each other -- and the benefits this process provides for many dry bulk products. Yet agglomeration isn't always a positive thing. Unwanted agglomeration is a natural phenomenon that can occur under certain conditions during many bulk solids processing and handling operations, causing a host of problems. This article looks at the sources of unwanted agglomeration in some common operations and describes ways to prevent it.
If you're like many bulk solids producers, you pay a high price in lost production and reduced profits if material forms agglomerates, cakes, or builds up in processing and handling equipment. To prevent this kind of unwanted agglomeration, you need to understand how it happens.