Oslo Crystallizers

The OSLO Crystallizer consists of five basic components:

• The crystallizer vessel. Provides most of the active volume dictated by the residence time requirements and enables a proper disengagement of process vapors.
• The baffle. Controls the crystal population by separating fine crystals (to be dissolved by heating or dilution) from coarse crystals (to further growth). 
• The circulation pump. Provides sufficient circulation rate to operate the crystallizer under optimal supersaturation and superheating conditions. Typically, axial-flow propeller pumps are used.
• The heat exchanger. Supplies the required thermal energy to the crystallizer for the desired evaporation rate.
• The fluidized bed. Bed of crystals fluidized by the circulating brine releasing its supersaturation to the suspended crystals.

In a similar way that with a DTB Crystallizer, a clarified solution containing fine crystals of a specific size, is withdrawn from the baffle zone. By superheating the solution within the external heat exchanger, the fines are dissolved. This superheating is relieved through the evaporation of a solvent which is either conduced to the subsequent process steps or is internally reused by applying a recompression system of choice.

The supersaturated solution is then guided down the draft tube, gently fluidizing a crystal bed where the supersaturation is relieved to the suspended crystals through crystal growth.