Glatt as a project partner in the “Fluidized bed-based granulating technology WIGRATEC+” cluster
Further industrial development of the fluidized bed granulation process for the optimal production of particulate products with desired properties
WIGRATEC+ stands for “fluidized bed-based granulating technology” and was already a driver of innovation for the traditional drying process as a regional research alliance. Now WIGRATEC is making a name for itself as an international cluster.
The “Innovative Regional Growth Core WIGRATEC+” for fluidized bed-based granulation technology, which has received multiple funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), created the technological basis for the further development of industrial drying processes that are used to produce granulates or powders with special particle structures and properties from liquid starting materials.
After the funding came to an end in 2017, the WIGRATEC partners, first and foremost the plant manufacturer IPT Pergande in Weißandt-Gölzau, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and Glatt Ingenieurtechnik GmbH in Weimar, decided to continue their collaboration beyond the end of the project. They looked for new partners, also outside Germany, such as Nestlé Netherlands, the Dutch technology supplier Bodec and the food producer Agglomix. WIGRATEC+ has grown into an international cluster and has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research since 2019 as part of the “Internationalization of Leading-Edge Clusters, Future Projects and Comparable Networks” programme.
The “WIGRATEC+ Fluidized Bed and Granulation Technology” growth core is committed to the industrial further development of the granulation process using fluidized bed technology, which can be used to optimally produce particulate products with desired properties. The growth core has set itself the task of transforming the potential of the technology into practicable solutions in its projects. This potential results from the requirements for high-quality products with high product capacities, reliable process control and wide pressure and temperature ranges.
Targets of WIGRATEC+
The cluster focuses its investigations on equipment and operational aspects. These include the development of new fluidized bed processes. These are processes for coating finely dispersed particles while avoiding agglomeration. There is a high international demand for such functionalized particles. However, no technology is currently capable of reliably implementing this process on an industrial scale.
Multi-stage fluidized bed apparatuses, which are also widely used, are another focus of the work. These apparatuses are currently only designed empirically, i.e. with possibly too much leeway. Overall, the operating range of fluidized bed granulation systems, e.g. for pressure and temperature, is to be significantly extended. To this end, high-temperature filtration in fluidized beds and fluidized bed processes under reduced pressure for applications with thermolabile ingredients are being investigated.
Further objectives of the WIGRATEC+ growth core are the development of automation of fluidized bed granulation for targeted process control of product properties and the development of a PAT system for inline quality control in batch and continuous coating applications.
Projects
The objectives of the growth core require work in the following areas:
- Development of a control system for particle size and particle moisture in fluidized bed granulation
- Development of an apparatus solution for high-temperature filtration in fluidized beds
- Coating of finely dispersed particles
- Trough and column apparatus for continuous, multi-stage fluidized bed coating
- Vacuum granulation of thermolabile ingredients
- Development of a PAT system for inline quality control in coating applications
Current projects:
• COAGG – Combined Agglomeration Technology for Food
• ADMIX – Advanced Processing of Mixed Ingredient Food Particles
Cluster “WIGRATEC+”. Networking science and business regionally and internationally
The regional cluster “WIGRATEC Fluidized Bed and Granulation Technology” is an alliance of primarily small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or companies with an SME-like structure. The starting point of the alliance was an innovation forum on the topic of “Fluidized Bed Technology” held in 2006 with the support of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), as a result of which joint research projects were formulated and worked on under the name WIGRATEC in the period from 2009 to 2016 as part of the BMBF program “Enterprise Region – Innovative Regional Growth Cores”. The technological basis and thus the foundation for the business area of the WIGRATEC cluster lies in the field of industrial granulation and drying technology using fluidized bed technology.
The cluster’s core competencies lie in the development, construction, operation and marketing of turnkey production plants and the associated technologies for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, as well as in part for food technology, which function according to the fluidized bed principle.
The alliance is characterized by plant construction projects ranging from basic process engineering development, feasibility studies, basic and detailed engineering to plant construction and commissioning. In addition to the core competencies in the field of process engineering plant construction, the development and commissioning of process control and automation are also represented by partners.
The innovation alliance builds on the experience of the predecessor growth core WIGRATEC, which was also funded by the BMBF with 7.2 million euros from August 2009 to October 2012. The aim is to further improve fluidized bed technology and, among other things, to focus on plant engineering for the industrial use of fluidized bed technology.
In the fluidized bed process, liquid or powdery starting materials are converted into granulates, whereby the latter are far easier to process industrially. The properties of the granules produced, such as size, moisture or exact composition, are precisely adjusted using the fluidized bed process. This plays a major role in the production of pesticides, detergent granules or medicines, for example.
Publications
article “Die nächste Generation der Wirbelschichtanlage”
article “Die Pulver-Macher auf Erfolgskurs”
article “Wirbelschichttechnologie hat viel Potential. Bündnis “WIGRATEC+” erhält BMBF Millionenförderung”
article “Neue Initiative will Sachsen-Anhalt zum Weltmarktführer der Wirbelschichttechnologie machen”
article “Technologietransfer aus der Uni Magdeburg erhält Millionenförderung”
Project partner
The WIGRATEC+ alliance, which emerged from the BMBF-funded WIGRATEC growth core, consists of 12 small and medium-sized companies and two research institutes. With their comprehensive expertise in fluidized bed and granulation technology, they represent all the know-how in the value chain – from the development to the construction and operation of fluidized bed systems.
Companies:
- IPT Pergande GmbH, Weißandt-Gölzau, Germany (Coordination)
- VTA Pergande GmbH, Weißandt-Gölzau, Germany
- Glatt Ingenieurtechnik GmbH, Weimar, Germany
- Anhaltinische Verfahrens- und Anlagentechnik GmbH, Magdeburg, Germany
- Salutas Pharma GmbH, Barleben, Germany
- Parsum GmbH, Chemnitz, Germany
- M+R GmbH, Köthen, Germany
- fzmb GmbH Forschungszentrum für Medizintechnik und Biotechnologie, Bad Langensalza, Germany
- Dr. Weigel Anlagenbau GmbH, Magdeburg, Germany
- Elamont GmbH, Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany
- Dr. Wernecke Feuchtigkeitsmesstechnik GmbH, Berlin, Germany
- Magdeburger Industriearmatur-Manufaktur GmbH, Magdeburg, Germany
- Bodec, KZ Helmond, Niederlande
- Agglomix B.V., BH Tilburg, Niederlande
- Nestlé Netherlands BV, JC Nunspeet, Niederlande
Research institutions:
-
- Otto-von-Guericke-Universität, Magdeburg, Germany (Scientific project management)
- Hochschule Anhalt, Bernburg Köthen, Germany
Project management organization: ptj Projektträger Jülich
The WIGRATEC+ alliance has been funded with 2 joint projects for a total period of 3 years as part of the BMBF-funded programme “Internationalization of Leading-Edge Clusters, Future Projects and Comparable Networks”. The aim of the project funding is the cooperation of leading international networks to bundle their complementary competencies.
Funding of “WIGRATEC”: August 2009 – Oktober 2012 with 7,2 Millionen Euro by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Funding of “WIGRATEC+”: November 2013 – Oktober 2016 with 6,2 Millionen Euro by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Further funded Projects:
• COAGG – Combined Agglomeration Technology for Food
• ADMIX – Advanced Processing of Mixed Ingredient Food Particles
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