Batch Drying

Guide to the Batch Dryer Demo

Aspen Technology
Bedford, MA
2013

© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved

Batch modeling with Aspen Plus
Example - Batch Drying

Fluidization Air, Moisture

& Fines

Wet solids
(batch feed)

Dry solids
(batch)

Dry Fluidization
Air

Commercial Pilot-Scale
Batch Fluid Bed Dryer
(with Cyclone)

© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 2

 How does the model work?

Take very small steps – fixed step integrator

Sensitivity
GASOUT
“Clock”
Moisture out
Step I from 1 to 60

INITIAL Residence time

C ALCULATOR EACHSTEP
C ALCULATOR

Use feed to specify

initial condition
Calculator
DRYER
of the solid stream
“EachStep”
Integrates time and water
FEED PRODUCT removal
Tn = Tn-1 + Tstep
W n = W n-1 + W step

STEPFEED
TR ANS FER

After each time step, the ‘product’

GASIN
solids are copied back to the ‘feed’
Moisture in

© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 3

Open the File “Batch Drying.bkp”

© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 4

Review the Model Setup

1. Calculator “INITIAL” is
called to initialize parameters
counter and time

2. Loop consisting of:

- Sensitivity
- Dryer
- Calculator (each step)
- Transfer block is executed until the defined
counter has reached its upper limit (60 in the
present case)

© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 5

 Review the Model Setup

Calculator
“INITIAL” sets
counter and time
to zero

© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 6

Review Model Setup

Sensitivity is used as “clock”.

Steps parameter I from 1 to 60

Each time step the

controller is called to
calculate:
- The new time
At each time step, the listed - The drying rate
variables are sampled - the cumulative
moisture loss

© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 7

Review Parameterization of
the Dryer

Flow pattern: Cross-flow

Solids Flow: ideal mixed

Mass transfer described by given

Sherwood number
Second drying period
described by normalized Heat transfer coefficient calculated
drying rate based on mass transfer coefficient
using the Lewis correlation.

© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 8

 Review Model Setup

Calculator
“EACHSTEP” is
called to
calculate:
- The new time
- The drying rate
- the cumulative
moisture loss

© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 9

 Review Model Setup

Transfer block
“STEPFEED” is called
to copy the product
of the dryer back to
its solid feed

© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 10

 Run the model

Run the model

Open the layout “plots”

© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 11

Review Results

solids moisture content

as function of time

cumulative water removal

as function of time

gas and solid Drying rate as

temperature function of time
function of time

© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved | 12