Modeling and scale-up of supercritical fluid processes. Part II: Supercritical drying of gel particles

•Experimental investigation of supercritical drying kinetics was carried out in 0.25 L apparatus.•Previously proposed CFD model was improved for particles’ supercritical drying.•Detailed concentration fields were obtained by supercritical drying simulation at different scale.•Scale up of particles’ supercritical drying process was performed for 500 L apparatus using CFD model.•Basic recommendations were given for scale up of supercritical drying process of particles. [Display omitted] In the present research a model of the supercritical drying process of gel particles was developed. This model is based on the provisions of continuum mechanics. CFD method allows to consider the course of the process of supercritical drying under arbitrary selected initial and boundary conditions. The model was verified using own experimental data on the kinetics of the process of supercritical drying of alginate gel particles. The developed model was used to scale-up the supercritical drying process. For this, the geometry of a 500 L apparatus was proposed and the course of the supercritical drying process was studied with varying geometry of the indicated apparatus, changing process parameters: carbon dioxide consumption and the size of the particles. Based on the results of the work, the main recommendations were issued. That can be used in the development of new equipment for supercritical drying of gel particles.