D E S I G N E D AN D D E V E L O P E D U N D E R T H E AE G I S O F

NAHEP Component-2 Project “Investments In ICAR Leadership In Agricultural Higher Education”

Division of Computer Applications
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute
 Course Details

Course Name Dairy And Food Engineering-I

Unit IV

Selection of Drying Equipment

Lesson 8

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judgement. Statement of fact and opinions expressed are those of the presenter individually and are not the opinion or
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completeness of the information presented.

1
Created by

Name Role University

Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal

DR. KARTHIAYANI ARULSELVAM Content Creator
Sciences University, Chennai

Chhattisgarh Kamdhenu
SUDHIR UPRIT Course Reviewer
Vishvavidyalaya, Durg

2
 Objectives

• To study the design aspects of the food dryers

• To study different criteria for selection
drying system
 Introduction
• In view of the enormous choice of dryer types one could possibly
deploy for most products, selection of the best type is a challenging
task that should not be taken lightly.
• Dryer selection has long been practiced as an art rather than science
depending more on prior experience and vendors’ recommendations.
• As drying technologies have evolved and become more diverse and
complex, this has become an increasingly difficult task for the non-
expert not conversant with the numerous types of equipment, their pros
and cons, etc.
• Drying process comprises many important tasks like, it needs to meet
stringent quality specifications of end product, higher production rates,
energy costs and stringent environmental regulations.
• It is necessary a careful selection of a dryer or drying system as the
time and effort well spent since the cost of incorrect selection can be
very high.
 Drying Equipment
• A wrong dryer for a given application is still a poor dryer,
regardless of how well it is designed.
• Although variety of commercial dryers are available in the
market, the nature of the drying problem dictates the type of dryer
that must be used, or at least limits the choice to perhaps two or
three possibilities.
• The final choice is then made on the basis of capital and operating
costs. Attention must be paid, to the costs of the entire drying
system, not just the drying unit alone.
• There are some general guidelines which need to be followed to
select a dryer, but it should be recognized that the rules are far
from rigid and exceptions not uncommon.
• Often batch dryers are used when the production rate of dried
product is less than 150 to 200 kg/h, while continuous dryers
are suitable for production rates greater than 1 or 2 tons/h.

• To handle intermediate production rates other factors must be

considered.

• The dryer must also operate reliably, safely, and economically.

Operation and maintenance costs must not be excessive;
pollution must be controlled; energy consumption must be
minimized.
• As with other equipment these requirements may be conflict with one
another and a compromise needs to be reached in finding the optimum
dryer for a given service.

• As far as the drying operation itself is concerned, adiabatic dryers are

generally less expensive than non-adiabatic dryers, in spite of the lower
thermal efficiency of adiabatic units.

• Unfortunately there is usually a lot of dust carry over from adiabatic

dryers, and these entrained particles must be removed from the drying
gas.

• This often makes adiabatic dryers less commercially attractive than a

“buttoned-up” non-adiabatic system in which little or no gas is used.
• For selection of most appropriate drying system, the minimum required
quantitative information as follows:
 Dryer throughput; mode of feedstock production (batch/continuous)
 Physical, chemical and biochemical properties of the wet feed as well as desired
product specifications; expected variability in feed characteristics
 Upstream and downstream processing operations
 Moisture content of the feed and product
 Drying kinetics; moist solid sorption isotherms
 Quality parameters (physical, chemical, biochemical)
 Safety aspects, e.g., fire hazard and explosion hazards, toxicity
 Value of the product
 Need for automatic control
 Toxicological properties of the product
 Turndown ratio, flexibility in capacity requirements
 Type and cost of fuel, cost of electricity
 Environmental regulations
 Space in plant
 Design Consideration for selection of Dryer

• An industrial dryer is an essential part of most material

processing procedures, but they are typically a large
capital expense and can last for decades.

• The most important part of choosing the right dryer for to

test material on test drying equipment, ensuring that the
tested process takes the wet beginning product and
produces a dry final product at the quality and
requirements you need.
 1. Size & Density
• The starting point should be consider is a particle size of
the product to be dried.
• A fine powder will require a different drying method
than the same size material as a sludge, and large
materials will have their own requirements.
• Additionally, if there are different sizes within the
material, or there are significant fines that will be
removed during the drying process, this needs to be
taken into consideration.
• The density of the material will determine how it moves
through the dryer and whether anything needs to be
done to help it convey.
 2. Moisture Content to Be Dried

• Moisture content of the concentrated product to be dried as well as

moisture content of the final product is essential parameter which
significantly affects the drying process or dryer performance.
• It is commonly overlooked as something to consider when looking at
dryer selection.
• State of the water (i.e. free moisture or bounded water) presented in the
product is also crucial during drying process.
• Amount of water needs to be evaporated is used to determine the size of
the dryer.
• A slight deviation in water evaporation rate calculation may leads to an
inefficient and incorrectly sized dryer.
• Amount and state of the moisture present in the food also affects on
selection of pre-dying needs or different stages of drying to be added in
drying process line.
 3. Reaction to Heat
• Heat is used in most drying methods, but some materials react to heat once it reaches
a certain temperature.
• Some food products are containing heat sensitive nutrients which adversely affected
when exposed to high heat flux.
• In some products it can cause a chemical reaction, especially if the liquid being dried
is a chemical solution.
• Other materials may melt or burn if they reach a certain temperature or are exposed
to high heat for too long.
• It’s also possible that it will only react negatively when exposed to a certain type of
heat source but will be fine with other heat sources.
• These reactions are important to know because they will determine if the dryer needs
to be larger and slower to effectively use a lower temperature to dry the determined
moisture, or if a short residence time at a high heat is the most effective method with
the least product reaction.
• It will also let you know whether direct or indirect heating methods will produce the
best final product, narrowing down the list of potential dryers.
 4. Material Handling
• How the material handles both while wet and while dry is important to think
about when deciding on a dryer.
• Some materials are sludgy or sticky while wet and need to be forced through
the dryer to keep material from plugging and backing up the line.
• Non-stick surfaces can also be used, and weirs or paddles can be built in to
keep materials flowing as needed.
• Clean in place fittings can also be incorporated to keep the system clean and
remove any potential build up.
• The fragility and abrasiveness of the material also needs to be considered
when planning a dryer.
• Some drying methods move the material roughly and can cause the material to
degrade or break so a milder method of drying should be pursued.
• Some materials are very coarse and will quickly wear through surfaces,
reducing the lifespan of the dryer or causing maintenance issues as well as
quality control issues with the material if it not reinforced or made with
abrasive resistance in mind.
 5. Production Requirements

• It’s important to make sure the dryer is sized correctly for

the production amounts that will be expected and to know
whether you plan on running continuously or doing batches.
• If the dryer is undersized it will clog and suffer from upset
conditions when more material is forced through it, causing
the product to not be properly dried and suffer other quality
control issues.
• This will also cause the dryer to burn out sooner than if it
was properly sized.
• If the dryer is too large for the actual production size it will
be a waste of energy and fuel to run it and depending on the
product it could cause it to dry too much or too quickly and
potentially burn.
 6. Efficiency & Cost
• An important part of purchasing an industrial dryer is
the cost, both the upfront capital expense of the
purchase as well as the cost of operation throughout its
lifespan.
• Some options may be less expensive up front but
operate less efficiently and cost more to operate than a
more expensive but efficient dryer.
• Types of fuel being used in air heater for drying need
to be considered, but pricing for that needs to look at
long term trends and predictions and should not be
based on current fuel prices.
• The return on investment goal for the equipment
should be figured out early in the planning and
research stages
 7. Power and Performance Requirements

• Industrial dryers are used in a various industries for

different purposes, so it needs to verify that dryer
design meets performance requirements.
• This includes different substrates, speeds, web sizes,
and varying temperatures.
• Additionally, a dryer design should always support any
expansion plans and growth plans for the future.
 8. Safety
• A persons working on the dryer must keep in mind while design
a dryer.
• The dryer system must be safe to operate and it should follow all
accepted safety regulations, including electrical, gas, and
mechanical requirements.
9. Usability and Functionality
• Not only should your dryer be safe for your employees, but it
should also be relatively easy to clean and operate.
• Dryer should only be handled by trained professionals, having an
industrial-grade dryer that is easy to clean and use will save time
and money.
10. Post-Installation Support
• Even after getting a customized dryer built and installed, it still
need assistance from the manufacturer.
• A manufacturer or supplier should be choose wisely, who offers
support and assistance whenever it required even after installation
of industrial dryer.
THANK YOU