Why choose spin flash dryers

The industry of drying wet material ranging from clay to food products to pharmaceuticals is huge and ever expanding. This means that the production costs are gradually being lowered as the techniques are being both developed and refined. One of the newer techniques within spray dryer IS the spin flash drying.

Advantages of spin flash drying
One could actually say that there are only advantages. Here are at least some of them. One of the major advantages of spin flash is the faster evaporators and the lowering of energy use. Also worth mentioning is several new solutions that prevents deposits. The new techniques are also further automated which means less hands on and thus a saver work environment. The processes can also now be individually optimized and the computer systems for data logging are more advances. Also maintenance of the machines has been improved. Also the chamber has been improved by being further pressure resistant to shocks. Last, but certainly not least, many new spin dryers are GMP approved.

Material which can be used?
Basically any wet material can be used in these drying plants ranging from inorganic chemicals to waste products to pigments, food, ceramics etc.

Spray drying in the milk industry

Spray drying is a very common process for drying any kind of wet material. The technique is mostly used the food and pharmaceutical industry as part of the encapsulation and conservation process. Within the field of spray drying several different applications can be applied so ensure that no harm is done to the product. Thus, the milk industry has developed several processes for drying milk. One of these techniques is termed whey powder process and this technique is described below.

Whey powder process
Whey is another name for the milk plasma, which is a by product of cheese and casein production. Actually it is produced as part of the milk curdling process. It is used in several different food products such as Swiss cheese and cheddar. When using the whey powder process the drying is done by spray dryers also sometimes called flash dryers.

Spray drying the whey
The drying process is done by sending the wet material through an evaporator. The wet material is heated above the boiling point of water and at the same time a hot gas, usually air or nitrogen, is present. The process is fast and cheap and demands for no further processing afterwards. Usually amphipathic components are also added to ensure a even better atomization or in this example a finer whey powder can be achieved.

How spray drying works

Spray drying is the method of drying any wet material, called the liquid feed, by using a hot gas, usually just plain air as we breathe. However, some sensitive materials such as pharmaceuticals and ethanol demands for oxygen-free drying conditions. Here nitrogen gas is used because it is also very cheap.

The drying process
The drying process is usually a very fast one step process and thereby further handling of the material is eliminated. During the drying process the liquid feed is sent through an evaporator (sometimes also called an atomizer), which, as the name clearly states, atomises the liquid feed and produces extremely small droplets, which are further sent into the drying chamber. There are several different drying applications such as ddgs drying, Ring dryers, solids drying and Small scale dryers. Most often the technique is used in the food and pharmaceutical industry as part of the encapsulation process where the product is termed “the load”.

Example of the drying process
An example of a drying process is as follows: A substance (the load) is mixed and homogenized with an amphipathic (having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties) carrier. The mixing suspension is termed “the slurry” and is usually water. Then the slurry is sent into the drying chamber and heated to a temperature above the boiling point of water, thus enabling an efficient atomization. Note that the amphipathic properties of the carrier is extremely important for successfully producing these droplets.

The advantages of Spin Flash Dryers

One of the advantages of spin flash dryers is that the come in a huge size variety ranging from having a capacity profile of 1 kg per hour to up to 40 tons per hour. Thus, if one needs a small scale plant, for research purposes the spin flash dryers are ideal. Furthermore the small scale dryers are very easy to dismantle for cleaning purposes and are also easy to operate.

Suitable product to dry
Basically any wet material can be dried, these products being either of high viscosity or pastes. The important point is to select a proper speed and temperature among other factors.

Fast and cheap
Flash dryers and spin flash dryers are time efficient and therefore often also energy efficient. However, time is very often the most important factor in the preservation of products, because the longer the drying process takes the greater impact it has on the quality of the end product.

Additional features
As for any other spray dryer there are several additional features which can be incorporated onto the spin dryer. Most commonly a variety of filter can be applied for ensuring a finer end product. Also the filter enables a higher production percentage as particles being to big a left in the drying chamber for additional drying and powdering.

R&D is power knowledge for global suppliers

The phrase ‘research and development’ plays a crucial role for the profit of global suppliers. R&D involves both knowledges of culture, man and society and this stock of knowledge may help international companies develop new applications for their products such as tube bundle dryers and spray bed dryers.

Optimise products
It is important to be able to invent systems and product that customers demand. R&D can provide companies with specific knowledge in order for them to match their customer’s needs with products such as fluid beds and fluid bed drying. Also within the pharmaceutical industry there is a need for constant research because the business as to apply to the newest scientific results.

Making a career in the bigger industries

Like most technical devices such as computers, mobile phones etc. there is also happening a lot in companies working with bigger products and technologies, and this is what caught my interest. How do you optimise ring dryers or disc dryers? Hopefully I will succeed in entering this interesting work field and use my attained knowledge both through my practical experience and theoretical fundament. I hope to be able to work with customers who require knowledge of small scale dryers and DDGS drying.

International portfolio
It is good to have an international portfolio, when you are looking for job in the big industries such as chemicals or Food & Beverage, hence I have spend much time overseas during my master degree. It will give me an opportunity to show how much I know about spent grain dryers and other products.

The challenges of technology in a globalised world

As globalisation enters the fields of companies working with technology, there is an increasing demand for effective working processes especially within the larger industries such as those producing dairy processing plants or mechanical dewatering. The large industries are often specialised in many product lines hence they must always keep an eye on development within each field and maybe use knowledge across the different product lines. E.g when you produce yeast powder you may use some of the skills attained doing the whey powder process. You would be amased if you realised how much the companies working with technology is constantly redefining processes to offer customised solutions within e.g. chemical drying.