Spray drying systems are widely used in food & beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, and many other industries to produce fine and uniform micron size particles. Spray Dryer requires large quantities of hot air for drying. The quality of the final product (powder) is affected by the quality of inlet air entering the dryer.
The Spray Dryer mixes hot air with an atomized (sprayed) liquid stream in a drying chamber/atomizer which leads to evaporation and produces free-flowing dry powder. The inlet air has to be fresh and dry, free of contamination and odourless. Since the ambient air changes throughout the year, the humid air can also enter the Spray Dryer affecting its process. Thus, the drying temperature and time inside the dryer needs close monitoring to restrict loss due to varying humidity levels. These varying inlet conditions need to be monitored by an experienced operator to adjust the parameters for consistent output.
Effects of uncontrolled humidity
Due to high humidity, the powdered material tends to stick to the hopper conveyors and packing machine, leading to frequent breakdowns in the conveyor drive mechanism. This hinders the free flow of powders/granules, making many downstream operations (e.g. packaging, filtering, and handling) difficult and expensive.
Some of the common problems faced by powder manufacturers are:
- Inconsistent powder quality
- Powder sticks to spray dryer walls
- Frequent breakdown of the spray drying system
- Increased drying cycle time
- Inconsistent powder quality
- Reduced throughput
Bry-Air Solutions
Bry-Air has specially developed high-performance dehumidifiers for supplying controlled and consistent dehumidified air to the inlet point. This enables higher performance and output from spray dryers and improves the quality of the powder. Moreover, it reduces dependence on the operator for a constant adjustment of parameters on account of varying outside environment. It also reduces the energy consumption for heating the inlet air up to the required temperature. Dehumidifying the inlet air also increases its temperature, as a result of which the heater has to do less work to heat the air to the required temperature.
Dehumidification of the air helps slurry to dry fast and allows smooth and free flow operations.
Bry-Air Dehumidifier is recommended for humidity control as it continuously feeds dry air to the chamber, regardless of the ambient conditions, at a very low dew point. Bry-Air Desiccant Dehumidifier has successfully achieved the throughput in coffee powder spray drying unit. Bry-Air range of Dehumidifiers provide optimum drying at low temperatures for all powder. It should also be installed during the packaging and storage of powder to increase its shelf life.
Some of The Typical Spray Drying Applications
- Food Powder – Coffee, Spices and Seasoning, Fruits & Vegetables concentrate, Herbal Food, Milk, Tea, Spray Dried Eggs, etc.
- Industrial – Ceramic Material, Paint Pigments, Chemicals, etc.
- Pharmaceuticals – Antibiotics, Encapsulation, Enzymes, Vitamins, etc.
