Designing continuous pans for narrow crystal size distributions and improved cost performance

An important requirement for the design of a continuous pan is the necessity to produce a crystal population with a narrow spread of sizes. This influences the ability of the continuous pan to operate successfully, starting from seed crystals of small mean size while satisfying the marketing specification requirements for the crystal size distribution. This latter aspect largely determines the crystallisation yield per unit volume and as such is the major factor defining the performance efficiency of a continuous pan relative to a batch pan. This paper describes several features of a continuous pan system which enhance the production of a narrow crystal size distribution.