DRYER

Drying
The removal of relative small amounts of water or other liquid from the solid
material to reduce the content of the residual liquid to an acceptably low value.

Note:
Drying medium maybe the product of combustion from oil, gas, or coal fired
furnaces or waste gases from plant boiler houses, or it may be air or other gas
heated by indirect steam heaters or indirect coal-fired heaters.

Modes of Drying:
1. Material could be either be direct or indirect contact with the heating
medium.
2. Processing of materials could either be in batch or continuos supply.
3. The flow of material with respect to drying medium could either be
concurrent or counterflow.

Three Methods of Drying System Based On Heat Treansfer:

1. Direct or convection drying
2. Indirect drying
3. Infrared or radiant heat drying

Types of Dryers based On Movement of Materials:

1. Continuous dryer
2. Batch dryer

Types of Dryers Based On Heat Source

1. Steam heated
2. Oil fired, coal fired
3. Electric

Classification of Dryer:
1. Rotary Dryer (granular, materials, cement)
2. Tray Dryer (granular materials-sand)
3. Conveyor Dryer (papers, textiles)
4. Tower Dryer (copra, palay, flour)
5. Drum or Roller Drier (variety of fluids or suspension)
6. Spray Drier (solution and suspensions)
7. Hearth Dryer
8. Centrifugal Dryer
9. Infrared Ray Dryer

HYGROSCOPIC MATERIALS:

Hygroscopic Materials – are substances which are particularly variable in the

moisture content which they can posses at different times.

Bone Dry Weight (Btw) – or dry weight is the final constant weight reached by a
hygroscopic substance after being dried out.

DRYER 164
 Regain – is the hygroscopic moisture content of a substance expressed as a
percentage of the bone-dry weight of the material.

weight of moisture
regain 
Bone  dry weight

Moisture Content = is expressed as a percentage of the gross weight of the

body, and may refer to both hygroscopic and purely surface moisture.

weight of moisture
Moisture Content 
Gross weight
Gross Weight  Bone  dry weight  weight of moistuere

TYPICAL LAYOUT OF DRYING

Humid Air

Steam
4

Drying m4
Fresh Air 2
Chamber Bdw4
ma Wet
1 Heated Air Feed
kg/s
Heater m5 5
Bdw5

Dried
Product

Dry Bulb Temperature

Isothermal Dryer
Adiabatic Dryer
3 Non-adiabatic Dryer
3
3

●
1 2

Dry Bulb Temperature

DRYER 165
1. Moisture removed from materials = Moisture absorbed by air
= ma (W 3 - W 2) kg/s
= m4 – m5 kg/s

2. Bone dry weight of wet feed = Bone dry weight of dried product
Bdw4 = Bdw5

3. Heat Supplied in Heater = ma (h1 – h2)

4. Efficiency of Dryer = Heat absorbed by materials

Heat Suppplied

DRYER 166
SOLVED PROBLEMS

1. 3287 kg of moisture per hour is being removed from a material by adrier and the
air leaving it has a humidity ratio of 0.02343 kg moisture per kg of dry air. The outside
air is initially at 15ºC dry bulb and has a relative humidity of 50%. The air is heated to
a temperature of 69.1ºC by steam coils and between the heater and the drier air inlet
a drop of 9.1ºC occurs in the air temperature. How much steam is required in kg/s if
the steam supplied is at 135 kPa and 0.98 quality?
A. 1.55 B. 1.26
C. 1.02 D. 1.66
Solution:
Humid Air
Steam (135 kPa) W4 = 0.02343
0.98 quality 3

ms hs hf Heated 4
Outside Air
2 Drying m4
Air
Chamber Bdw4
69.1ºC 60ºC Wet
m 1
15ºC db Fee
50% RH Heater
m5 5
Bdw5

Dried
Product

3
W3

1
● W1 = W 2
2

(The values of the air and steam properties should have been given in the problem)

From Psychrometric Chart, at 15ºC db and 50% RH:

W1 = W 2 = 0.0054 kJ/kg
h1 = 28.5 kJ/kg dry air

From steam table, at 69.1ºC: hg = 2625.3 kJ/kg

Where: h2 = Cpt + Whg
= 1.0(69.1) + 0.0054(2625.3)
= 83.3 kJ/kg

From steam table, at 135 kPa:

hf = 453.83 hfg = 2235.0 hg = 2688.8
where: hs = hf + xhfg
= 453.83 + 0.98(2235)
= 2644.1 kJ/kg

Solving for the mass flow flow rate of air, ma:

DRYER 167
 Moisture removed from materials = Moisture by air
= ma(W 3 – W 2)
3287 = ma(0.02343 – 0.0054)
ma = 182,307 kg/hr
= 50.64 kg/s

By heat balance in the heater:

Heat absorbed by air = Heat rejected by steam
ma(h2 – h1) = ms (hs – hf)
50.64(83.3 – 28.5) = ms(2644.1 – 453.83)
ms = 1.267 kg/s

2. Copra enters a dryer containing 60% water and 40% of solids and leaves with 5%
water and 95% solids. Find the weight of water removed based on each:
a. pound of original product
b. pound of final product
c. pound of bone-dry material

Solution:
a. Consider 1 lb of original product or wet feed
Bone-dry weight (Bdw) = Gross weight (1-Moisture Content)
Bdw = GW x (1-MC) = GW x (Solid Part)
Bdw1 = Bdw2
(1) 0.40 = m2 (0.95)
m2 = 0.421 lb (gross weight of dried products)
Weight of water removed = m1 – m2
= 1 – 0.42 = 0.579 lb of water removed

b. Weight of water removed per lb of final product

Bdw1 = Bdw2
m1 (0.40) = (1) 0.95
m1 = 2.375 lb (gross weight of original product)
Weight of water removed = m1 = m2
= 2.375-1 = 1.375 lb of water removed

c. Weight of water removed per lb of bone-dry material

Bdw1 = Bdw2 = 1 lb
m1(0.40) = 1
m1 = 2.5 lb (gross weight of original product)
Bdw1 = Bdw2
1 = m2 (0.95)
m2 = 1.053 lb (gross weight of final product)
weight of water removed = m1 – m2
= 2.5 – 1.053 = 1.447 lb of water removed

DRYER 168
Board Problems

1. Copra enters a dryer containing 60% water and 40% of solids and leaves with
5% water and 95% solids. Find the weight of water removed based on pound of final
product and pound of bone dry material.

a. 1.3375 lb/lb; 1.4475 lb/lb c. 1.846 lb/lb; 2.2233 lb/lb

b. 1.193 lb/lb d. 1.472 lb/lb; .9763 lb/lb

2. Copra enters a dryer containing 60% water and 40% if solids and leaves with
5% water and 95% solids. Find the weight of water removed based on pound of
original product.

a. .579 lb/lb c. .386 lb/lb

b. .795 lb/lb d. 1.037 lb/lb

3. When 100 kg/min of outside air at 32C dry bulb and 200 kg/min recirculated
air at 22C dry bulb are mixed with air conditioning system, the resulting dry bulb
temperature will be:

a. 25.33C c. 35.44C
b. 46.33C d. 26.88C

4. The amount of water carried by air in a cooling tower is 15 lb/min. The

change in humidity ratio in outlet and inlet is .025 lb/lb. Determine the volume flow of
air needed is specific volume is 13 ft3/lb.

a. 6,000 ft3/min c. 7,800 ft3/min

b. 7,500 ft3/min d. 5,000 ft3/min

5. The sensible heat load and latent heat load in an air conditioning system is
120 KW and 47 KW, respectively. What is the sensible heat factor?

a. 65.34% c. 29.45%
b. 76.54% d. 71.86%

6. The moisture remove from a materials is 250 lb/hour and change of humidity
ratio in dryer is .0175. Determine the fan capacity if specific volume of air entering is
35 ft3/lb.

a. 400,000 ft3/hr c. 450,000 ft3/hr

b. 500,000 ft3/hr d. 550,000 ft3/hr

7. The change of enthalpy in a heating chamber of dryer is 25 Btu and the mass
of air supplied is 30,000 lb/hr. What is the supplied heat in the heater?

a. 560 KW c. 450 KW
b. 350 KW d. 220 KW

DRYER 169
Solution:

1. Consider 1 lb of wet feed

Let x = weight of original product per lb of wet feed
Solid in wet feed = Solid in dried product
.95x = .40(1)
x = .421
Weight of water removed = 1 - .421
= .579 lb/lb of orig. product
Weight of water removed per lb of final product
= .579 / .421
= 1.375 lb/lb of final product
Weight of water removed per lb of bone-dry material
= .579 / .40(1)
= 1.4475 lb/lb bone dry material
The answer is A

2. Consider 1lb. of wet feed:

Let x = weight of original product per lb of wet feed
Solid in wet feed = Solid in dried product
.95 x = .40(1)
x = .421 lb
Weight of water removed = 1-.421
= .579 lb/lb of original product

The answer is A

3. mo to = mm tm
mm = mo + mr = 100 + 200 = 300 kg/min

100(32)+ 200(22) = 300 tm

tm = 25.33C

The answer is A

4. mw = ma (w2 – w1)
15 = ma (.025)
ma = 600 lb/min

Va = ma V = 600 (13) = 7,800 ft3/ min

The answer is B

5. SHF = Qs / Qs + QL = 120 / (120 + 47)

SHF = 71.86 %

The answer is D

6. Moisture removed = ma (w2 - w1)

250 = ma (.0175)
ma = 14286.7 lb/hr

Va = ma va = 14,285 (35) = 500,000 ft3/hr

DRYER 170
 The answer is C

7. Heat Supplied = ma (h2-h1) = 30,000 / 3,600 (25 x 1.055)

= 219.79 KW

The answer is D

DRYER 171
DRYER 172