Drying of drops is also a multi-step process, involving surface evaporation and transfer of moisture from the bulk to the surface, and the transfer of heat from the ambient to the drop. The drop size and morphology depend on the bulk transport and surface drying, and the enhancement of convective transport processes due to turbulent fluctuations.

To predict and control final particle properties this project implements a fully coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian approach that integrates direct numerical simulations (DNS) of gas-phase turbulence with Lagrangian tracking of slurry parcels. A multi-stage, kinetics-based drying model and binary droplet collisions and coalescence in intense turbulent fields will be included in the droplet phase dynamics. Experimental validation will be conducted using a lab-scale spray dryer. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) will be used to characterize the velocity field and droplet size distributions. 
Pfizer has expressed interest in the proposed project, which could open an avenue for a long-term collaboration.