Dryers & Ovens
Pulse Control:
Adding Velocity to
Fluidised Drying Beds
Instead of an undifferentiated stream of air, a new
design approach to fluidised bed driers
achieves performance gains and time savings via a
targeted treatment of sharp bursts of hot air.
T
O REMOVE surface or bound
moisture from particulate prod-
ucts, fluid bed drying technol-
ogy uses a continuous blast of air to
fluidise the product as it moves through
the machine. The air stream agitates the
product to increase drying ef-
ficiency. The uninter-
rupted and unregulated
stream of air, how-
ever, consumes
much energy
and has lim-
ited ability to
fluidise a
bed of prod-
ucts that vary
in size.
It thus
makes sense
to develop a
system whereby the air
stream can be controlled, di-
rected and applied at will to suit the na-
ture and desired quality of the product
being dried. This technology, a method
known as pulsed fluid bed technology,
was patented in the late 1990s. Using a
rotating valve, this system shoots high
velocity pulses of air through a station-
ary, perforated plate and through the
bed of product. The air pulses can be
adjusted in volume, velocity and fre-
quency to maximise heat transfer rates,
and the pneumatic vibration allows the
product to fluidise using 30-50% less
air than in a conventional fluid bed.
Based on a competitive bid for a
FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA FEB/MARCH 2005
widths are available for handling dif-
commercialisation plan, Aeroglide Cor-
poration received in 2001 the exclusive
global rights to bring the technology to
market, and after three years of devel-
opment work to refine the design and
tests to determine the best applications
for the technology, the Raleigh, North
Carolina-based com-
pany has introduced
the first drying
line based on the
pulsed fluid bed
system. The
AeroPulse was
unveiled at the
PackExpo 2004
exhibition in
Chicago last
November.
Air blast control
yields optimal fluidisation
The AeroPulse delivers sequential
blasts of pulsed air along the drier and
up through a perforated product bed to
provide optimal fluidisation character-
istics and separation of agglomerated
products. Airflow and pulse frequency
are variable to ensure that the product
flows and acts like a fluid. The tech-
nology is unique in that it sequentially
pulses air through the product bed with
control over both pulse frequency and
volumetric airflow.
The pneumatic vibration design
keeps maintenance and operating costs
low, with minimal moving parts. A va-
riety of grid designs and conveyor
ferent particle sizes and densities for
efficient heat transfer and reduced
buildup and downtime.
According to Aeroglide, the
AeroPulse system can accomplish the
same heating, drying and cooling re-
sults in 1/3 to 1/2 the time and using
far less system air volume needed by
conventional conveyor driers. The
rapid heat transfer from the pulsed air-
flow has proven successful in the dry-
ing, cooling, toasting, puffing and roast-
ing of particulate product. Tested ap-
plications include RTE cereals, coco-
nut, snack foods, nuts, beans, seeds,
fruits and vegetables, among a large
range of products. With a maximum op-
erating temperature of 300°C, the
AeroPulse has yielded good results in
half-product pellet expansion, puffing
and toasting.
A variety of applications have been
identified that are well suited to pulsed
fluid bed technology. It can be used up-
stream of an existing drier as a pre-drier
to significantly boost production of an
existing line. It rapidly removes surface
moisture and prevents product agglom-
eration, allowing the product to be
stacked deeper on a conventional con-
veyor drier bed.
When used as a stand-alone system,
it can be configured for batch opera-
tion, semi-continuous batch, or con-
tinuous operation. An optional above-
bed drag conveyor allows precise re-
tention time control, improving on the
retention time distribution variance
found in typical fluid bed systems. Of-
fering high process flexibility, the same
piece of equipment can be used for eve-
rything from drying to expanding,
toasting, roasting or cooling by simply
controlling the operating temperature,
retention time, and process air charac-
teristics.
A pilot plant test drier is available
for product development and process
scale-up work, either on-site or at
Aeroglide’s test facility in Raleigh, NC,
USA.
Enquiry No: 021