A nozzle for converting or separating a liquid/gaseous CO.sub.2 into a dry ice includes a housing, a spherical chamber configured in the housing, and a first tangential inlet configured on the housing to tangentially inject the liquid CO.sub.2 into the spherical chamber. The tangential injection creates a helical flow of the liquid CO.sub.2 inside the spherical chamber causing flocculation at a desired pressure and temperature to ensure optimum phase transformation to create the dry ice. Further, a second tangential inlet is configured adjacent to the first tangential inlet to transfer a first secondary material into the spherical chamber to achieve highest possible degree of mixing, and resulting in the highest possible utilization of sub-cooling potential. Furthermore, one or more inlets are configured in the housing to receive a second secondary material to support expansion-based flocculation by thermally insulating the housing to achieve precooling of the spherical chamber.

A device and to a process which can be carried out using the device, for the production of fine particles from a liquid which solidifies upon cooling, in particular from liquid fat. The process has the advantage of producing fine particles of very small size, preferably with narrow size distribution. The device has the advantage that a solidifying liquid can be supplied at a temperature above its solidification temperature, without cooling gas leading to solidification of the liquid in the supply line, which cooling gas is used in the production of the particles.