Fluid bed dryer are found throughout all industries, from heavy mining to food, fine chemicals and Pharmaceuticals and sugar industry. It is stationary equipment, provided with FD and ID pans, with various capacities from 15T/hr to 50T/hr along with dust catching system. They provide an effective method of drying relatively free flowing particles with a reasonably narrow particle size distribution. In general, fluid bed dryers operate on a through-the-bed flow pattern with the hot air passing through the product perpendicular to the direction of travel. The dry product is discharged from the same section.
Advantages of FBD:
- High rate of heat transfer is achieved with almost instant evaporation.
- Batch/continuous flow material is possible.
- Moisture reduction from l.5% to 0.02-0.03%.
- In fluid bed drying, the heat and mass transfer rates are faster by a magnitude of one.
- Sugar temperature should be close to wet bulb temperature of air. This allows gentle drying without caramelisation of sugar.
- The gentle drying and cooling process brings with it an excellent product quality, especially with regards to brightness of the product.
- The enlarged cross-section above the fluid bed reduces dust discharge.
- Stationary type / No hopper movement reduces crystal breakage.
- Lower maintenance due to absence of moving parts.
