PARTICLE GROWTH BY COALESCENCE AND AGGLOMERATION

A dispersed system is considered which will form its condensed phase at high temperatures and is characterized by a high density of very small supercritical nuclei. It is assumed that particle growth is determined by coagulation and (viscous flow) coalescence. The morphology of the final particles depends on the temperature history of the formation process. Compact spherical particles and agglomerates may be formed. Agglomerates result when the process temperature decreases to an extent that coalescence is quenched in the course of the growth process. The average size of the primary particles in the agglomerates is calculated by using the analysis and the approximations described in a previous paper. The growth kinetics of the primary particles are presented in a dimensionless form. The results show that the dimensionless size of the primary particles depends only on the ratio of two characteristic lengths of the system. For small values of this ratio, the size of the primary particles composing the agglomerates, although much greater than the initially formed nuclei, is independent of the volume fraction of the condensed aerosol. For large values of this parameter, the theory merges into the classical theory of perfectly coalescing spheres.