Chemical Engineering & Technology, Vol.29, No.6, 691-695, 2006
Formation and growth of crystal bridges in bulk solids
Solidification and caking of bulk solids often occurs during storage or while being transported to the customer. To investigate the formation and growth of solid bridges between two discrete particles, the modification of the contact region between these two particles stored in a climatic chamber is examined. The effect of load, temperature, relative humidity, and storage time on the formation of a bridge is analyzed. The objective is to describe the behavior of crystalline or salt-like granules under real storage conditions.