Patent ID: 7637966

Claim:
A process for obtaining finished granules of a predetermined substance in a granulation fluid bed, said granulation fluid being formed and maintained by a respective flow of fluidification air, the process comprising the steps of: obtaining granules of said predetermined substance of a predetermined size by growing granule seeds in said granulation fluid bed in a flow of a growth substance; transferring finished granules of said predetermined size to a pressurized space below said granulation fluid bed by allowing said finished granules to fall through suitably sized opening in a base plate on which said granulation fluid bed is formed; and recovering said granules from said pressurized space, wherein said recovery step comprises: a) collecting said finished granules in said pressurized space in a collection fluid bed, said collection fluid bed being formed and maintained through at least part of said fluidification air; and b) extracting said finished granules in a continuous flow from said collection fluid bed to the outside of said pressurized space though a well arranged outside said pressurized space and in fluid communication with said collection fluid bed, fed with the finished granules of said collection fluid bed.