PSE Releases Major Update of gCRYSTAL Process Modelling Software
Process Systems Enterprise (PSE) at the ACHEMA exhibition in Frankfurt announced the release of gCRYSTAL 2.0 for increased R&D efficiency and optimisation of crystallisation process design and operation.
gCRYSTAL provides an integrated, easy-to-use, drag & drop graphical environment for R&D personnel, process engineers and scientists engaged in characterisation, design, scale-up and operation of crystallisation processes. The software has been developed in conjunction with several leading companies from industries where crystallisation processes -- including precipitation -- play an integral part, such as pharmaceuticals, fine and bulk chemicals, agrochemicals, food processing, consumer goods sectors and minerals and mining.
Building on gCRYSTAL 1.0's capabilities for batch crystallisation, including capabilities for estimating growth and other kinetic parameters from experimental data, gCRYSTAL 2.0 adds a number of features important for modelling industrial-scale crystallisers. Examples are multizonal modelling, with integration to Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models for full hydrodynamic modelling, and new unit operations such as classifier, dissolver, mixer and splitter for modelling crystallisation processes that include recycles.
gCRYSTAL 2.0 brings a step change to the capabilities available to industry for continuous crystallisation processes, allowing for fewer and more-targeted experiments, more reliable scale-up, better operations and improved quality. This is particularly important for the pharmaceuticals industry, where the potential benefits of utilising continuous crystallisation technology in a traditionally batch processing industry are a major current driver. It also takes a step towards integration with downstream handling processes, and provides an unprecedented ability to combine modelling and experimental approaches.
Dr Sean Bermingham, VP of PSE's Solids business, says "Our Advisory Board and close collaboration with leading research consortia such as the Solid State Pharmaceutical Cluster (SSPC) in Ireland enable us to incorporate the latest developments rapidly and facilitate knowledge transfer between academia and industry. The advances in usability brought by gCRYSTAL 2.0 now make these transformational benefits accessible to a growing community of engineers and scientists."
