Selection of Dryers

Professor Arun S. Mujumdar NUS, Singapore 2006 http://serve.me.nus.edu.sg/arun

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Outline
     

ClassificationClassification-general ideas Why so many dryer types? Key criteria for classification Criteria for dryer selection Dryers for pharma products Some discussion of spray and fluid bed dryersdryers- classification and selection Closure
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Why so many dryer types?



Over 500 reported in literature studies; over 100 commercially available Over 50,000 materials are dried commercially at rates of a few kg/hr to 30 T/hr or more Temperature and pressure range from below triple point to super-critical superWide range of feeds (liquid, solid, semisemisolid, particulate, pasty; sludge-like; sludgesticky etc); wide specs on dried product
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Why so many? More



 

Different sources of energy input( conduction, convection, radiation, MW,RF etc) Energy input continuous or intermittent Batch, continuous or semi-continuous semioperation Quality is key parameter for many products Limited number used in pharma industry
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this is why..


Drying times (residence times within drying chamber) can range from 1/3 sec. to 5 months Numerous constraints on physical/chemical properties of feed as well as dried product require a bewildering array of dryer designs Over 500 dryer types reported in literature; over 100 commercialized! Again, a much smaller number used in the pharma industry!
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Criteria for selection of dryers

 

Numerous criteria , with different weights Many dryers can typically meet specs; hence several dryers can do a given job in general. Choice depends on mode of operation, physical form of feed and dried product desired; heat sensitivity; quality requirements; production rate; whether non-aqueous solvents are present nonin feed; whether material is toxic/inflammable or friable etc Key criterion- dryer must be able to handle the criterionproductproduct- move it from feed to exit! Other criteria follow. For pharma products -quality is NO 1 criterion!
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More on criteria for selection

 

 

In view of tremendous diversity of dryers, buyer must know more about dryers and drying Most vendors specialize in selected dryer types; so buyer needs to make choice Multiple choices are possible and can make selection process complex Expertise needed to make right choice! Energy, environment, safety and cost are important considerations in selection. Special care needed when handling nonaqueous solvents in wet material
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Why select dryer carefully?

   

Can affect bottomline.. Product quality , energy usage affected by choice Choose right drying system-not jut dryer systemWeakest link decides ultimate goodness of system choice Survey of 10 largest pharma and chemical companies in Europe in 1990s identified dryer selection as main problem facing industry! Expert systems exist for selection. Different expert systems give different selections Know product and process well before choosing drying system; imitation can cause problems!
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Some notes


Do not copy dryer or dryer system used elsewhere without critical evaluation from square 1! Nickel ore concentrate is dried in different places using spray, fluid bed, rotary and flash dryers/ Which one do you COPY? Local fuel availability and relative costs of different energy sources, environmental requirements as well as legislation can change selection of dryer for same application
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Tabulated Criteria for Classification and Selection



 

Following few slides list criteria used for classifying dryers and selecting them for a given application Please review these on your own later (no time to discuss each criterion in detail) Use these tables as a check-list checkNote several different dryers can be used for a given application.
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Table 1 Classification of dryers

Criterion Mode of operation Heat input-type inputTypes Batch yContinuous*
y

Convection*, conduction, radiation, electromagnetic fields, combination of heat transfer modes yIntermittent or continuous* yAdiabatic or non-adiabatic nony

State of material in dryer Operating pressure Drying medium (convection) Drying temperature

Stationary yMoving, agitated, dispersed

y

Vacuum* yAtmospheric
y

Air* ySuperheated steam yFlue gases

y

Below boiling temperature* Copyright2006 - A.S. temperature yAbove boiling Mujumdar Selection of Dryers I yBelow freezing point
y

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Relative motion between drying medium and drying solids Criterion

CoCo-current yCounter-current CounteryMixed flow

y

Types

Number of stages

Single* yMulti-stage Multiy

Residence time

Short (< 1 minute) yMedium (1 60 minutes) yLong (> 60 minutes)

y

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Table 2 Typical checklist for selection of industrial dryers

Physical form of feed Granular, particulate, sludge, crystalline, liquid, pasty, suspension, solution, continuous sheets, planks, odd-shapes odd(small/large) ySticky, lumpy
y

Average throughput verage Expected variation in throughput (turndown ratio) Fuel choice

kg/h (dry/wet); continuous ykg per batch (dry/wet)

y

Oil yGas yElectricity

y

PrePre- and post-drying postoperations (if any)

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For particulate feed products

Mean particle size ySize distribution yParticle density yBulk density yRehydration properties
y

Inlet/outlet moisture content Chemical/biochemical/microbioloChemical/biochemical/microbiological activity Heat sensitivity Sorption isotherms (equilibrium moisture content) Drying time

Dry basis yWet basis

y

Melting point yGlass transition temperature

y

Drying curves yEffect of process variables

y
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Drying time

Drying curves yEffect of process variables

y

Special requirements

Material of construction yCorrosion yToxicity yNon-aqueous solution NonyFlammability limits yFire hazard yColor/texture/aroma requirements (if any)
y

Foot print of drying system

Space availability for dryer and ancillaries

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Table 3 Spray drying of emulsion-PVC. Effect of selection of atomizer on spray dryer performance: A Comparison between different atomizers
Parameter Rotary disk Two-fluid Two(sonic) TwoTwo-fluid (standard) TallTall-form Cylindrical H/D5 H/D5 1600 kg/h

Dryer geometry

Conical/cylindrica Tall-form Talll Cylindrical H/D1.2H/D1.2-1.5 H/D4 H/D4 1600 kg/h 1600 kg/h

Evaporation v capacity (water)

v
3.5 m 15 m 16 nozzles 4 bar pressure 20 W/kg slurry Medium Low
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v
3m 18 m

Chamber (D H) 6.5 m 8 m (D Number of nozzles 1, 175-mm disk 17515,000 rpm

18 nozzles 4 bar pressure 80 W/kg slurry Medium High

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Power for atomizer 25 W/kg slurry Capital cost Operating cost High Medium

Table 4 Conventional versus innovative drying techniques

Feed type Liquid Suspension Dryer type Drum ySpray
y

New techniques* Fluid/spouted beds of inert particles ySpray/fluid bed combination yVacuum belt dryer yPulse combustion dryers
y

Paste/sludge

Spray yDrum yPaddle

y

Spouted bed of inerts yFluid bed (with solid backmixing) ySuperheated steam dryers
y

Particles

Rotary yFlash yFluidized bed (hot air or combustion gas)

y

Superheated steam FBD yVibrated bed yRing dryer yPulsated fluid bed yJet-zone dryer JetyYamato rotary dryer
y
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Feed type Continuous sheets (coated paper, paper, textiles)

Dryer type
y

New techniques*

MultiMulti-cylinder contact yCombined dryers impingement/radiation dryers yImpingement (air) yCombined impingement and through dryers (textiles, low basis weight paper) yImpingement and MW or RF

*New dryers do not necessarily offer better techno-economic performance for all products Final selection also depends on overall cost and the entire drying system used, including pre-drying and post-drying stages. Further ,it is important to carry out lab and pilot tests before final selection since , even after all the criteria are met, some products may not dry well in the dryer selected. Note that , any dryer selectedCopyright2006operated at -optimal conditions for it to 18 must be - A.S. Mujumdar Selection Dryers I deliver best performance. A good dryerofoperated poorly will a poor dryer!

Notes on dryers for pharmaceutical products

 

These feature highly heat-sensitive products of very high heatvalue; cost is no consideration but quality is Characterized typically (not always) by batch processing and smaller capacity requirements Freeze drying, vacuum drying with indirect heating are often technologies of choice Convective drying poses problems of contamination, product emission/collection etc Presence of organic solvents also causes safety issues, low ppm residual in product etc Filtration/drying often combined to eliminate potential for contamination as product as transferred from one unit to anotheranother- filter dryers Microwave dryers have found some niche applicationsapplicationsoften proprietary in nature

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Pharma dryingcontd
 

Each dryer type as pros and cons Shelf/tray dryers were most common in early days-using convection; now vacuum daysdryers with conductive heating of trays are used Slow drying, crust formation, lumping due to lack of mixing, cumbersome loading/unloading, tedious cleaning procedures are some limitations- good for limitations1 kg scale batches
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Pharma dryingcontd


Double cone vacuum dryers use contact drying under vacuum with mixing induced by slow rotation around a vertical axis Easy to clean, load/unload, operate in closed cycle etc Danger of lumping due to rotation ( snowsnow-balling effect), slow drying , 8810 hrs per batch
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Pharma dryingcontd


 

Paddle dryer-indirect dryer with a dryerlarge paddle rotating ( 10 rpm)around a horizontal axis in vacuum Shorter batch times, good mixing and de-lumping due to stirring deHigher maintenance costs New development- a spherical developmentpaddle dryer (Siegfried, Switzerland)
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Pharma dryingcontd


  

Spherical paddle dryer- stirrer at 25 dryerrpm, heated, under vacuum Can be washed with hot solvent Drying times 2-6 hrs 2Vertical loading/unloading using HEPA filtered air to minimize environmental contamination New design no reported data
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Pharma dryingcontd


 

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (API): API drying with filter/dryer Product isolation (separation form mother liquor) and drying in one unit simplifies operation, cleaning, maintaining, loading/unloading, reducing risk of contamination etc Batch process; complex equipment Centrifugal filter/dryer-recent filter/dryerdevelopment
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Centrifugal filter/dryer


 

Employs sintered metal-no cloth-as filter metalclothmedium, can be made of Hastelloy C22 (corrosion(corrosion-resistant) for centrifuge; drying in hot nitrogen stream in fluidized mode at 5.5 bar pressure at 25 C to 150 deg.C. Fully automated operation Basically a horizontal centrifuge with 1.3 m basket (Siegfried) Product down to 10 micron, batches up to 4oo kg/ 800 litres Shortest batch time claimed in Centrifuge Dryer ( 6hrs) compared with centrifuge/paddle (17 hrs) and centrifuge/spherical dryer (11 hrs)
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Nonaqueous solvents
 

 

See Pakowski and Mujumdar ( Handbook of Industrial Drying for a chapter on the subject Many products require removal of organic solvents to low ppm range Single or multi-component solvents need to be multiremoved and recovered Closed cycle operation is necessary Traces of solvents in exhaust stream maybe incinerated Asceptic conditions must be maintained in dryer

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Other dryer types also used..

          

Spray with closed cycle operation Fluidized beds ,including low pressure Conical dryer with screw mixer (indirect) Fluid beds Pulsed fluid beds Vibrated deck beds Spouted beds (tablets coating) Flash dryers SpinSpin-flash Turbo dryer (continuous tray) Vortex/Cyclone dryers
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Selection of Novel Dryers

 

Many are not available in most parts of the world More R&D needed to make the new technologies mature No disruptive drying technology on horizon yet Superheated steam, heat pump-assisted pumpdryers and pulse combustion dryers may become popular in certain industries Intelligent combinations of existing drying techniques and optimized operation are still in vogue.
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Pulse Combustion Drying An Example



Pulsed combustion in valved or valveless combustors is thermally efficient and eco-friendly eco; tailpipe gives high temperature, highly turbulent shear flow in which a liquid stream atomizes and dries in a fraction of a second. High combustion efficiency; no need for atomizer or compressor unlike spray dryer. Can dry heatheatsensitive materials as well. Noise ,scale-up etc are problem areas due to lack ,scaleof adequate R&D. Available commercially in USA, Japan, Canada etc. R&D also in Poland, Singapore, Canada, Japan etc.
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Pulse combustion dryer

 

Not common technology Lab/pilot tests show suitability to dry highly heat-sensitive products like heatyeast, vitamins, foodstuffs etc. Following slides provide some relevant data and comparison with conventional spray dryer

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Pulse Combustion Drying -Compare with conventional Spray Drying

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Pulse CombustionCombustiondried powder: SEM

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SpraySpray-dried powder SEM Structure is different in PCD

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Pulse Combustion Dryers Note the high heat transfer rates possible

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Comparison Pulse Combustion Dryer vs. Spray Dryer

Dryer Characteristics Atomization Feed Pump PCS Spray Dryer Gas Dynamic No shear Low Pressure (1 psi) Typical Nozzle-Type NozzleSpray Dryer High Pressure Orifice High shear High Pressure Typical Rotary Disk Spray Dryer Moderate shear Low Pressure

Feed Delivery to Dryer Evaporative Heat

Open Pipe At Point of atomization

Precision Orifice Remote, ducted to drying chamber

Various Wheel Types Remote, ducted to drying chamber

Mixing of heat & droplets Heat transfer rate

Rapid and complete High

Slow Relatively low

Slow
35 Feed pump, rotary drive unit

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Some final words



Know product well; list all specs carefully- do not carefullyignore even minor detail and potential change in formulation etc Minor changes can affect drying characteristics significantly e.g. whole vs skim milk drying Presence of nonaqueous solvents must be carefully considered Very low moisture content or solvent content in dried product must be considered carefully Extremely heat-sensitive materials are freezeheatfreezedried; some can be vacuum-dried or dried in vacuumdehumidified air
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Closure


Make a coarse selection based on general understanding of drying principles and dryer classification/selection Consult appropriate vendors to carry out lab scale tests Drying times can be scaled well but not product quality; watch quality and see if it can be scaled. Pilot testing often required for new products. Consult Handbook of Industrial Drying and other tests/references for further guidance.
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THANK YOU

The End
Questions?? Visit : http://serve.me.nus.edu.sg or Google search Arun Mujumdar
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