Case Studies
Digital twin case studies translate complex process behavior into clear, measurable outcomes, from early risk detection to optimized operating setpoints.
Each case study follows a consistent structure (i.e. challenge, digital-twin findings, and impact) to show what changed, why it worked, and the quantified trade-offs. These examples are used to benchmark operations and identify where the digital twin can deliver the fastest value.
Download our case studies below after filling in your details.
Side Stream -
Static Vibro Priller
What is the Side Stream - Static Vibro Priller?
Traditionally, prilling has depended on large-scale tower systems. Robust, reliable solutions designed for high-capacity production. But not every operation needs to run at that scale. With the Side Stream Prilling Installation you achieve the same level of precision, efficiency, and product quality, but on a much smaller scale.
The Side Stream - Static Vibro Priller is designed for production capacities ranging from just 20 to 480 tonnes per day. This compact unit is ideal for smaller operations or pilot plants. With the Static Vibro Priller, you transform molten materials into uniform, monodisperse prills. Controlled vibration technology is used to ensure precise jet breakup and perfect prill formation, without the complexity of a full-scale tower.
To ensure the continuous production capabilities of your existing prilling installation, the Side Steam - Static Vibro Priller can help debottleneck any excess melt flow during production.
With the design of our tower and additional equipment, you benefit from a relatively small footprint, compared to other solidification technologies.
With no moving parts and minimal space requirements, our modular system grows with your needs.
The Side Stream is designed for production capacities ranging from just 20 to 100 tonnes per day. This compact unit is ideal for smaller operations or pilot plants.
Small scale, efficient investment, big possibilities
Our Side Stream delivers similar economic efficiency, precision and quality as our original Prilling Tower but without the high investment. This means you can achieve cost-effective results on a smaller scale, keeping your budget low while maintaining the same high-quality results. It’s the perfect balance between flexibility, affordability, and proven results.
Discover how our Static Vibro Priller works and and why it delivers the best results. Watch the video to see the process.
Industries We Serve
Static Vibro Prilling is used in:
Results with the Static Vibro Priller
- Uniform particles
- Rapid heat transfer
- Fast solidification
- Dust free productions
- Narrow Particle Size Distribution
- Precise droplet control
Easily scalable to your needs
With no moving parts and minimal space requirements, our modular system grows with your needs. Your solution for debottlenecking of your current prilling installation to ensure continuous production capabilities. The side stream is also ideal for safe and reliable sample run productions, helping to diversify your product range.
Produced with lower CAPEX and OPEX, thanks
to efficient heat transfer and clever design.
Side Stream - Static Vibro Priller
Small scale, big possibilities
Ready to explore a new dimension of Prilling?
Let’s shape the future of Prilling together.
Digital Twin,
as a Service!
Unlock up to 25% more capacity from your existing Prilling Tower.
Smarter prilling. Same process. Greater control.
Book feasibility call here!
Prilling towers have been installed worldwide. Many are over dimensioned by today’s standards. With the right setpoints tuned to the actual ambient and process conditions, a substantial increase in production capacity and quality is achievable.
Why this matters
Small shifts in weather conditions, melt properties, or equipment condition can push performance off target, resulting in more off-spec prills, increased dust levels, and more cleaning stops. Trial-and-error approach can result in an average setpoint recommendation, for average production results, but it won’t reveal the ideal operating window on a daily basis.
A path to better performance
Pre-scan (data specified by customer)
A quick assessment based on the customer's unique tower dimensions, operating data and melt properties. These data sets are used to estimate:
- Maximum capacity potential (often up to +25%)
- Expected Particle Size Distribution (PSD) of the product
- Sensitivity to variances in current ambient and process conditions
- Expected scaling on the tower wall and tower bottom
- Operational window of the Priller
When to use: You want to see quickly if your current or new operational parameters will improve production.
Digital Twin as a Service (DTaaS)
A bespoke, validated model of your tower that replicates every minute of operation and lets you test any change without risk.
What we validate:
- Exact dimensions of the tower and sensor positions (on-site survey)
- Physical properties of the melt (Kreber laboratory testing)
- Process model calibration against real plant data (on-site)
What this unlocks:
- Minute-by-minute replay of production runs
- Setpoint recommendations for capacity, PSD, dust reduction, scaling avoidance
- What-if scenarios for product specs, ambient shifts, and operating modes
- Virtual trials of OEM upgrades (IR cameras, bucket clogging detection, flow monitoring - PrillTech) before you invest
When to use: You want a validated, ongoing performance engine. Not a one-off study.
Prefer classic training? We offer on-site operator training & support. However, where operator skills decay and staff rotations create variability, DTaaS will reinforce best practices continuously with data, not with operator specific experience.
How our Digital Twin Service works
Feasibility (remote, from Pre-scan)
We model the expected current performance from the client based data and project your capacity/PSD potential.
On-site survey & lab validation
We capture the real-life tower geometry and sensor layout, calibrate the process model data, and validate melt and prill properties in our lab.
Build & validate your Digital Twin
A plant-specific twin mirrors your tower and baseline production. We prove it by computing a production run and match outcomes.
Operate as a service
Kreber hosts the twin and provides simulations, with clear, actionable guidance. You get the insights; we handle the modeling.
What you receive
For whom
Stable plants starting with DTWhat's included
- Hosting
- Annual model update
- 2 Scenarios / yr
- Monthly email summary
SLA
Response in 2 business daysFor whom
Most plantsWhat's included
- Hosting
- Semi-annual updates
- Monthly bottleneck report
- 5 Scenarios / yr
- 2 review calls
SLA
Next-business-dayFor whom
High-volume / variable sitesWhat's included
- Hosting
- Proactive monitoring
- Monthly bottleneck report + OEM roadmap
- 10+ Scenarios / yr
- Quarterly reviews
- Priority support
SLA
Same-day (business hours)For whom
Groups / corporateWhat's included
- Centralized support across towers
- Shared credits
- Corporate reporting
SLA
Agreed programAdd-ons: Operator dashboard & training, on-site workshops, OEM sensor intergration (IR cameras, bucket-clogging detection, flow monitoring), Pilot Plant tests and Emergency technical support on site upon request.
OEM innovation, de-risked
- Infrared cameras temperature & wetting control
- Prilling bucket clogging detection flow stability
- Flow monitoring & control --> tighter PSD and capacity
We provide impact forecasts and a prioritized upgrade roadmap inside your monthly report.
From DTaaS to PrillTech (the next step)
Once your team is comfortable with simulation-guided changes, PrillTech can intervene in real time—closing the loop faster than DTaaS. The prilling production will increase to new and improved levels. DTaaS proves the gains and builds trust; PrillTech scales them minute-to-minute.
FAQ
Many towers are structurally capable of more. The achievable gain is site-specific and depends on melt properties, ambient conditions, internals, and current constraints. The Pre-scan shows the potential with the existing process; DTaaS validates and operationalizes it.
No. Modeling is offline. On-site measurements are planned to avoid interference with the typical production schedule.
No. Kreber hosts your twin; you receive the reports and recommendations.
PrillTech
Real-time optimization for your Prilling Tower
Unlock hidden capacity, stabilize PSD, and cut dust without overhauling your plant. Talk to an expert and see how it works!
What is PrillTech?
PrillTech is closed-loop setpoint optimization for Prilling Towers. It continuously reads your plant sensors, runs model-backed checks, and recommends or applies optimized setpoints to hold capacity, PSD, and dust within target windows. No major installation or downtime required.
How It Works
1. Sense: IR temperature & wetting, bucket-clog detection, flow, tower conditions (OEM integrations available).
2. Simulate: The Kreber Digital Twin predicts outcomes under current/near-future conditions.
3. Optimize: PrillTech computes best-fit setpoints for capacity, PSD, dust/fouling risk.
4. Act: Recommendations (or supervised automatic adjustments) feed your control room with audit trail and guardrails.
Already using Digital Twin as a Service (DTaas)? PrillTech is the next step. Moving from scenario advice to continuous, real-time optimization.
Operator prompts or supervised auto-tuning
Top constraints, root causes, actions
Modeled impact of OEM add-ons before you buy
Response times and escalation paths that match your site
PrillTech layers on top of your existing DCS/SCADA to sense, simulate, and adjust setpoints in real time. Turning variability into stable, higher-throughput operation. Built on Kreber’s Digital Twin, upgraded for live intervention.
• Since 1960: hundreds of towers designed
• In-house lab & pilot
• OEM sensor integrations (IR cameras, clogging
detection, flow monitoring)
PrillTech Outcomes
Higher capacity from the same tower (often significant headroom)
Tighter PSD; more on-spec prills
Lower dust & fewer cleaning stops
Reduced OPEX via fewer interventions and stable operation
Why PrillTech vs. traditional training?
Operator training helps but skills fade and shifts vary. PrillTech reinforces best practice every minute, with data-driven guidance that doesn’t forget at 3 a.m.
Integration & rollout
• Works with existing DCS/SCADA
• Minimal installation, planned to avoid downtime
• Optional OEM sensors (IR, clogging detection, flow) for richer signals
Start with a Pre-Scan, upgrade to Digital Twin as a Service and go live with PrillTech!
Ready to stabilize and scale your Prilling output?
Start with a Pre-Scan
Contact us today to start your journey
The first fertilizer Prilling machine we built in the 1960s is still in operation today and continues to deliver a positive cash flow for our client. The proof of this track record is our ever-growing prilling reference list.
Types of Prilling machines
Kreber Prilling Machines are characterized by high reliability, low operational expenses, and ease of operation.
Depending on the type of product, the required quantity, and the prilling tower conditions, we offer one of two types of prilling machines: the Kreber Static Prilling System or the Kreber Rotary Prilling System.
Prills for bulk properties offer significant advantages:
- Excellent 'free-flowing' properties
- Low tendency to stick and agglomerate
- Distinguished for air lifting
- Highly resistant to abrasion and damage
- Minimal dust formation
- Excellent for starage in silo installations
- Precise dosage
- No additives needed; pure materials
Static Prilling
We offer the Kreber Static Prilling System for the conventional method of Prilling. This type of system can contain one or more Prilling heads and is very suitable for capacities ranging from 5 to 500 metric tons/day.
Rotary Prilling
The Kreber Rotary Prilling System has two rotary Prilling buckets. This allows for quick changeover of Prilling buckets, this ensuring continuity of production. This type of system is suitable for capacities ranging from 75 to 5000 metric tons/day and comes in a number of standard models to which various applications can be flexibly added.
Vibro Prilling
Thanks to our innovative facilities, the R&D team is able to take Prilling technology and customer solutions to the next level. One of our major developments is ‘Vibro Prilling’. Applying vibration to the melt results in more uniform Prills with a narrowly defined prill size distribution. This principle can be applied to both static Prilling and rotary Prilling.
Pilot-Scale Test MicroPrilling
Testing 'prillability' on a larger scale.
At Kreber, we have two testing facilities available to determine whether MicroPrilling is feasible for a product: the Kreber Laboratory Facility and the Kreber Pilot Facility.
Kreber Pilot Facility
Next to Lab Scale Testing, we use Pilot Facility Testing to investigate feasibility in the Industrial stages. At the Kreber Pilot Facility, we study ‘prillability’ on a larger scale. Both facilities are operated at an industrial location, which makes it possible to safely test a wide variety of materials.
It allows us to pursue several goals, such as generating an industrially representative sample in batches, mapping dust formation rates, and gaining new insights that enable the optimization of industrial prilling tower design.
The Pilot-Scale Test consists of:
We look forward to providing you with advice and a solution tailored to your needs.
Pilot-Scale Test Prilling
Testing 'prillability' on a larger scale.
At Kreber, we have two testing facilities available to determine whether prilling is feasible for a product: the Kreber Laboratory Facility and the Kreber Pilot Facility.
Kreber Pilot Facility
Next to Lab Scale Testing, we use Pilot Facility Testing to investigate feasibility in the Industrial stages. At the Kreber Pilot Facility, we study ‘prillability’ on a larger scale. Both facilities are operated at an industrial location, which makes it possible to safely test a wide variety of materials.
The Kreber Pilot Facility is a modular prilling tower which is 24 meters in height. It allows us to pursue several goals, such as generating an industrially representative sample in batches, mapping dust formation rates, and gaining new insights that enable the optimization of industrial prilling tower design.
The Pilot-Scale Test consists of:
We look forward to providing you with advice and a solution tailored to your needs.
MicroPrilling
Advanced Particle Technology for Modern Manufacturing
What is MicroPrilling?
MicroPrilling, also known as Spray Congealing, is a highly efficient process for producing solid powders from melts. It transforms liquid feed into uniform, spherical solid particles using a combination of precision atomization and rapid cooling.
How It Works
Atomization: The melt is heated to a specific temperature and then atomized using a high-pressure nozzle system. This creates fine, consistently sized droplets.
Rapid Cooling & Solidification: These droplets are introduced into a temperature-controlled chamber, where they encounter a cold gas stream or cooling medium. The sudden temperature drop causes the droplets to rapidly solidify into uniform particles.
MicroPrilling enables the production of spherical particles with precise and uniform sizes. This uniformity enhances product quality and performance, making spray congealing ideal for applications where consistency is critical.
Our equipment is easy to operate, due to our well defined process operating parameters. Furthermore, the low amount of rotating and intricate parts result in a reliable process, giving the client an overall low operational and maintenance cost.
The MicroPrilling process produces highly uniform, spherical particles. This geometry enhances flowability, dosing precision, and packing density. Key advantages in applications where consistency and handling efficiency are critical.
MicroPrilling operates without the use of solvents. This eliminates the risk of residual solvents in the final product and removes the need for additional drying or purification steps, resulting in a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable process.
Thanks to a constant stream of technical innovations, such as state-of-the-art air inlet filtration and closed loop operation, emissions can be cut to virtually non existing.
Industries We Serve
MicroPrilling is used in:
Watch MicroPrilling in Action
Watch our animation to
understand how MicroPrilling
works step-by-step
Unique oppurtunity: Pilot-Scale Test
Try It With Your Own Product
Wondering if MicroPrilling is suitable for your material? Our specialized R&D team and laboratory offers you the unique opportunity to make a test batch MicroPrills of your product, tailored to your application.
Lab-Scale Feasibility Tests:
Your substance is tested on prillability
Pilot-Scale Production:
If feasible, we produce a batch to simulate industrial performance..
Discover. Create. Exceed.
Whether you’re developing a new process or improving an existing plant, MicroPrilling is the finishing solution trusted worldwide. Let us help you discover what’s possible.
We go from discover to create to exceed.
Discover the different stages here.
Our Services
Explore our services and let your new or existing plant benefit from the most frequently used finishing technology in the world.
We go from discover to create to exceed. Discover the different stages. In what stage can we help you?
Discover
Finding the best solution for you.
Testing on lab-scale.
Prilling: Testing on a larger scale.
MicroPrilling: Testing on a larger scale.
Create
Custom engineered prilling plant design.
Fully in-house, quality guaranteed.
Ensuring maximum production reliability.
Exceed
Increase capacity, optimize product quality and reduce costs.
Up to 25% more capacity with Digital Twin as a Service.
Real-time optimization for your Prilling Tower.
Preventive or exactly when you need us.
Available on demand.

