Basic Theory

Drying/Cooling| Conveying/Feeding | Elevating | Discharging

The Basic Theory of Fluid Beds, Media Slurry Dryers, Flash Dryers, and Tornesh Dryers

Fluid Bed Dryers, Coolers, and Dryer/Coolers

Fluid bed processing has a number of applications. The most common in process industries are drying and cooling, agglomeration, and air classification. To understand more about fluid bed systems, you should first be familiar with fluid bed operation.

Fluid bed processing passes a gas directly through a bed of solid material via a perforated plate, nozzles, ceramic grid or other fluidizing media, lifting and mixing the solids. As the velocity of the air increases, so does the pressure drop across the bed until at a certain flow rate, the frictional drag on the particles equals the material bed’s effective weight. At this fluidizing velocity, the material bed attains fluid-like properties and expands beyond the size of the fluid bed. When the air velocity in the free cross-section is further increased, the bed expands until particles are carried over by the air. By fluidizing the bed, each particle is enveloped in the process gas creating an extremely efficient heat transfer device.

Media Slurry Dryers

The Media Slurry dryer is a cost-effective method in the production of super fine powders from liquid phase reaction or wet grinding operations. High viscosity materials can be pumped directly into unit without mixing or atomization.

Flash Dryers

The Flash dryer is an inexpensive solution to drying powders and granular materials. The dryer can use higher gas temperatures than most other type dryers because the material retention time is very short. Unit is capable of processing high capacities in a relatively small amount of space. Often used as a pre-dryer to expand production capacity on existing lines.

Tornesh Dryers

The Tornesh dryer is an innovative drying device combining many of the benefits of fluid bed and flash drying. The unit can process wet solids ranging in size from 1 micron up to 1/2 inch diameter.

Materials to be dried fall to the bottom plenum of the unit and begin to swirl in a cyclonic pattern like a tornado. As moisture is removed from the product, it becomes lighter and eventually is entrained in the upward hot gas stream.

Basic Theory -Drying/Cooling | Conveying/Feeding | Elevating | Discharging