UNIT 13 ENGINEERING ASPECTS OF

ROLLER DRIER, SPRAY DRIER,

FLUID BED DRIER AND TRAY
DRIER
Structure
13.0 Objectives
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Roller driers
• Classification
• Description and steam flow
• Flow of product
• Factors affecting production

13.3 Spray driers

• Spray drying process
• Classification
• Atomization
• Movement of air
• Basic drying installations

13.4 Fluid bed driers

• Back-mix flow fluid beds
• Plug flow fluid beds
• Vibrating fluid bed dryer
• Contact fluidizers
• Batch fluidized bed dryer
• Multi-tier fluid beds

13.5 Instantization process

• Peebles process
• Cherry-Burell process
• Blow-Knox process
• Niro/Anhydro agglomerator

13.6 Tray Drier

13.7 Let Us Sum Up
13.8 Key Words
13.9 Some Useful Books
13.10 Answers to Check Yours Progress

13.0 OBJECTIVES
After reading this unit we should be able to:
• know different parts of roller drier, their variation and function.
24 • identify different parts of spray drier, their variation and function.
• understand different types of fluid bed drier and their function. Engineering Aspects of
Roller Drier, Spray
• explain the functioning of tray drier. Drier, Fluid Bed Drier
and Tray Drier

13.1 INTRODUCTION
On an industrial scale, milk is commonly dried by application of roller drying or
spray drying. There are various modifications of both systems. Atmosphere roller
drier or drum drier was first introduced in 1855 in Great Britain and was most
popular drying process till the middle of 20th century. Vacuum drum driers were
designed between 1889-1909 in Ekenbery (Sweden), Passburg (Germany) and
Govers (USA). Roller drying with two rolls, invented in 1902 by John A. Jost of
USA, was the first method used for drying milk and milk products. Spray drying
process was developed during the early part of this century. Because of its relative
advantages over roller drying process, spray-drying process has now almost
completely replaced roller drying for the production of milk powder.

2.2 ROLLER DRIERS

i. Classification of Roller Driers
Roller driers (also known as drum driers) may be classified in a number of ways viz:
i) Number of hollow drums and direction of turning of drums
(a) Single drum (b) Twin drum (Turn away at the top) (c) Double drum (Turn
together at top towards centre)
ii) Pressure surrounding the product
(a) Atmospheric (b) Vacuum
iii) Method of placing the product on the drum surface
(a) Trough or reservoir above for top feed (b) Spray or splash feed (c) Trough
below for pan feeding d) Sump below for dip feeding.
iv) Method of obtaining vacuum (For a vacuum drier)
(a) By steam ejector (b) By vacuum pump
v) Material of construction of drum
(a) Steel (b) Alloy steel (c) Stainless steel (d) Cast iron (e) Chrome or nickel
plated steel.
Note: i) Cast iron is usually used. The wear is excessive on stainless steel
drum and the double drum atmospheric drier is most commonly used
in the dairy industry.
ii) Vacuum drum driers are essentially the same as atmospheric units
except that the drums are enclosed so that a vacuum can be
maintained on the product during drying. The single drum with top
feed is more commonly used for vacuum drying. A thicker film is
obtained with top feed.
ii. Drum Description and Steam Flow
The drums are normally horizontal, hollow cylinders, 2 to 4 ft. in diameter and 3 to
12 ft in length. Drums are carefully machined both from inside and outside so that 25
Dried Milks the thickness of the drum throughout its length is same. This assists uniform heat
transfer and drying. The most used construction in the dairy industry is a double
drum drier, which works under atmospheric pressure. Drums are mounted parallel
to each other, about 0.5-0.75 mm (0.02-0.03”) apart. Care is taken to properly
align the drums. Further, one drum is mounted on a stationary bearing, while the
other on a flexible one, so that it can be moved to provide the desired clearance
between the drums. The speed of drums is adjustable and usually kept between 14-
19 rpm depending on concentration of milk and on the pre-set moisture content in
the resulting milk powder. The product is removed after 3/4 to 7/8 of a revolution by
a scraper knife. The blade of the knife (also called the Doctor blade) forms an angle
of 15-30o with the roller surface. The metal used for the knife should be softer than
the drum. The product is in contact with the drum for about 3 sec or less.
The drums are heated internally by feeding steam at about 60-70 psi (150°C) into
the centre of the drum at one end of the shaft through the hub. The requirement of
steam is 1.2-1.3 kg per kg water evaporated. The condensate, that moves to the
bottom of the drum, is removed by pump or siphon continuously.
In atmospheric driers, drying takes place at atmospheric pressure. In vacuum driers,
however, the drier is enclosed in a vacuum chamber, which is maintained at 27-29
inch Hg vacuum. A better quality product is obtained in vacuum driers, but besides
being costly, the process becomes complicated.
iii. Flow of Product
The milk may be placed on the rollers in the natural form or pre-concentrated in an
evaporator before it is fed to the drum drier. The degree of concentration varies with
the design of the dryer. The milk is usually preheated and placed in a reservoir
between the upper portions of the drums. Milk level between drums must be uniform
for control of the moisture in the dried product. The general rule is that a single-drum
dryer can handle milk of higher concentration than a double-drum dryer. The scraper
blade scrapes the dried material from the drum. The film of dry milk forms a continuous
sheet from knife to the auger trough, which is about level with the bottom of the
drum. The broken film is subsequently milled, sized and packaged. Usually quality
difficulties are encountered briefly while starting the drying operation. A common
practice is to exclude the initial dried product from the lot until the product is
satisfactory in appearance and the drum operation is normal. Water vapours above
the drier are continuously removed by providing a hood above the drums.
iv. Factors Affecting Production
Following factors affect the rate of drying on drum dryer:
Pre-concentration of milk: Increased pre-concentration of milk up to 18% T.S.
increases rate of drying.
Milk Feed Temperature: Increased milk feed temperature up to 160oF increases
drying rate
Height of milk in the trough: Increased height of milk in the trough over the drum
increases capacity.
Drum gap: If drums are farther apart, leakage may occur. The thickness of the film
on the drum is directly related to the distance between the two drums.
Drum speed: Only slight increase in drying rate occurs as drum speed is increased.
As speed increases the film becomes thinner so the amount of water evaporated
26 and amount of powder produced remains approximately the same.
Steam Pressure: With increase in steam pressure, the drying rate increases. Too Engineering Aspects of
Roller Drier, Spray
high a steam pressure results in scorching of the film. An increase in steam pressure Drier, Fluid Bed Drier
from 55 to 65 psi results in approximately 10% increase in production. and Tray Drier

Check Your Progress 1

1) What are the main bases for classification of roller drier?
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
2) Describe briefly the constructional features of roller drums?
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
3) Describe scraper knife on roller drier
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
4) What are the basic operational parameters for roller drying process?
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................

13.3 SPRAY DRIERS

i. Spray Drying Process
Spray drying is a gentle drying method. The material to be dried is suspended in the
air, and drying time is very short. Air inlet temperature up to 215°C are used for
drying of milk, but due to evaporation, the temperature drops immediately in drying
chamber, and the milk solids do not reach a temperature approaching the air inlet
temperature. The temperature in the drying chamber is equal to the air outlet
temperature, which is approximately 95°C (single stage) and lower (multiple-stage 27
Dried Milks drying). The product temperature will be 20-30°C below the air outlet temperature.
Spray drying process takes place in three major stages:
• Atomization: Dispersion of the hot liquid into a fog like mist.
• Mixing of the hot fog like mist into a stream of hot air which quickly evaporates
the water.
• Separation and collection of powder from the drying air
ii. Classification of Spray Driers
i) Method of Atomization
a) Rotary wheel atomizers (Centrifugal disc) b) Pressure nozzle single-fluid
atomizers (pressure spray nozzle) c) Pneumatic two fluid nozzles (compressed
air)
ii) Method of heating air
a) Direct (gas or fuel oil) b) Indirect (Utilizing heat exchanger plate or coils)
iii) Method of furnishing heat
a) Steam b) Gas c) Fuel oil d) Electricity
iv) Position of drying chamber
a) Vertical b) Horizontal
v) Number of drying chambers
a) One (Main only) b) Two (Main and subsidiary)
vi) Direction of air-flow in relation to product flow
a) Counter current b) Parallel (concurrent) flow c) Right angled
vii) Pressure in drier
a) Atmospheric (usually a very slight pressure) b) Vacuum
viii) Method of separation of powder from air
a) Cyclone separators b) Multi-Cyclone separators c) bag filters d) Liquid
dust collector e) Electrical dust collector f) Electro-static precipitators
ix) Treatment and movement of air
a) Recirculation of air ii) Dehydration of air iii) Conventional- atmospheric air
received and exhausted after use
x) Method of removal of powder from drying chamber
a) Conveyer b) Vibrator c) Sweep conveyor d) Air conveyed to the
cyclone
xi) Method of heat transfer
a) Convection b) Radiation
xii) Kind of atmosphere in drying chamber
a) Nitrogen b) Air c) Other gas, usually inert
28
xiii) Position of fan providing Engineering Aspects of
Roller Drier, Spray
a) Pressure in chamber b) Suction in chamber Drier, Fluid Bed Drier
and Tray Drier
xiv) Direction of air-flow in chamber
a) Updraft b) Downdraft c) Horizontal d) Mixed
xv) Space of drying chamber
a) Silo or cylindrical b) Box like c) Square cross section d) Tear drop
xvi) Product being dried
a) Milk b) Other milk products c) Other food products d) Detergents
Check Your Progress - 2
1) How spray drying is the gentle drying method?
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
2) What are the three major stages of spray drying?
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
3) What are different methods of atomization?
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
4) What are different methods for the separation of air from powder?
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
29
Dried Milks iii. Atomization
Atomization is the most important operation in the spray drying process. The atomizer
produces fine particles, uniform in size, having a diameter of 20-150 ηm (most of
which are in the range of 50-80 ηm) with a high surface area to mass ratio, thus
enabling quick heat transfer with a high evaporation rate. The type of atomizer not
only determines the energy required to form the spray, but also the size and size
distribution of the drops, on which the final particle size depends. The chamber
design is also influenced by the choice of the atomizer. The drop size establishes the
heat transfer surface available and thus the drying rate. Three general types of
atomizers are available. The most commonly used are the centrifugal (rotary) atomizer
and the pressure (nozzle) atomizer. Pneumatic two fluid nozzles are used only rarely
in very special applications.
A centrifugal atomizer is designed as a disk with vanes. The milk is transported to
the atomizer under normal pressure and sprayed into fine droplets by centrifugal
atomizer at rotating speeds of 10000-20000 rpm. A centrifugal atomizer is
advantageous in drying viscous materials and suspensions.
A pressure nozzle, sometimes called a single fluid nozzle, creates spray as the liquid
passes through an orifice of several millimeters in diameter under pressure within the
usual range of 5-7 MPa. The liquid enters the nozzle core tangentially and leaves
the orifice in the form of a hollow cone with an angle that varies from 40° to 140°.
When larger feed rate is to be processed, several nozzles are used in the drying
chamber. Owing to their smaller spray angles, the drying chamber can be narrower
and taller. With this type of nozzle, it is generally possible to produce the droplets
within a narrow range of diameters, and the dried particles are usually hollow spheres.
Pressures nozzles are not suitable for highly concentrated suspensions and abrasive
materials because of their tendency to clog and erode the nozzle orifice.
Pneumatic nozzles are also known as two-fluid nozzles since they use compressed
air or steam to atomize the fluid. In this case, the feed is mixed with the air outside
the body of the nozzle. The spray angle ranges from 20° to 60° and depends on the
nozzle design. Approximately 0.5 m3 of compressed air is needed to atomize 1 kg of
fluid. The capacity of a single nozzle usually does not exceed 1000 kg/h of feed.
Sprays of less viscous feeds are characterized by low mean droplet sizes and a high
degree of homogeneity. With highly viscous feeds, larger mean droplet sizes are
produced but homogeneity is not as high. Pneumatic nozzles are very flexible and
produce small or large droplets according to the air-liquid ratio.
iv. Movement of Air
The ambient air is filtered, heated to 150-300oC and introduced into the drying
chamber at a velocity of up to 50 m/sec. Air cleaning is usually performed by dry
filters that are cleanable or disposable. Presently in use are filter constructions,
where material that serves as a filter is supplied automatically from one roll and
collected on another roll after use. Because of considerable air-flow, filter regeneration
is constantly carried out using cleanable filters.
a) Method of heating air: Air can be heated by mixing with combustible gases
in a direct gas fired heater, where burning products (of gas or oil fuel), together
with hot air, enter the chamber. Although this method of air heating has high
heat efficiency (100%) and low investment and maintenance costs, it is not
commonly used in the dairy industry. The main problem is the contamination of
milk powder with nitrogen oxides that are contained in combustion gases.
30 Coming into contact with amines, they could produce nitrosamines, which are
 known to be carcinogenic. The indirect way of air heating is understood as Engineering Aspects of
Roller Drier, Spray
heating by steam in a tubular or plate heat exchanger (radiator), liquid face Drier, Fluid Bed Drier
heating, or indirect oil or gas heating. and Tray Drier

b) Direction of air-flow in relation to product flow: The air stream moves

either through the spray drier in the same direction as the milk (concurrent
flow), in the opposite direction (counter current flow), or under an angle (mixed
flow). Concurrent flow mix pattern is used where low product temperature is
needed. Both horizontal and vertical chambers usually have concurrent flow.
The essential advantage of counter current flow is that the hottest (incoming)
air comes into contact with the already partially dry product, and this enhances
heat and mass transfer, reducing energy consumption. However, the resulting
milk powder is heated to a higher degree during the last stage of drying, when
casein, at high concentration, becomes especially susceptible to denaturation.
Mixed flow with integrated fluid bed pattern is commonly used for producing
agglomerated powders. Yet another type of mixed flow pattern (fountain type)
is for coarse sprays in small chambers for non heat-sensitive products. Counter-
current flow and mixing pattern is used for products, which withstand high
temperatures, have coarse particles and for high bulk density powders. In spite
of the inferior heat economy, concurrent flow is predominantly used in the dairy
industry because it enhances product solubility.
c) Method of separation of powder from air: Dry product is taken away
immediately after drying, preventing further contact between powder and hot
air. Powder can be separated from the air inside or outside of the drying chamber.
Regardless of the way it is separated, additional special equipment is needed.
In drying chamber with conical bottom, a greater portion of the powder is
separated internally by gravity and is discharged. Only fines remain suspended
in the air. In chambers with flat bottom, all of the powder has to be separated
from the drying air. In both cases, cyclone separators are the most commonly
used separation systems, when low cost, efficiency and cleanliness are the
criteria. The principle of cyclone separation is based on centrifugal force; the
air enters the cyclone with high velocity through the entering duct, the diameter
of which is approximately four times smaller than the diameter of the cyclone
cylinder. The air velocity decreases, allowing powder to fall by gravity to the
bottom of the cyclone, where it is continuously removed. Today, there is in
application a system of several cyclones with large diameter and one cyclone
with small diameter at the end, which serves to separate fines
For a medium cost operation with high efficiency and high running cost, bag
filters are used for powder separation. When dealing with separation of large
air volumes, electro-static precipitators are used. A combination of cyclone
and wet scrubber is used for better product and fines recovery.
v. Basic Drying Installations
a) Single Stage drying: Single-stage drying is the simplest installation for making
spray dried powder. It works in a single-stage drying principle, which means
that removal of all moisture from the feed to the required final moisture of the
powder takes place in the spray-drying chamber itself. The subsequent pneumatic
conveying system serves only to collect the powder leaving the chamber.
b) Two Stage Drying: In the middle of the 1970s a two stage drying system with
external vibrating fluid bed was developed and in 1980, stationary fluid bed
integrated in the drying chamber was invented. Although both processes may
produce agglomerated (instantized) as well as non-agglomerated powders, the
dominating ones are those with the characteristics of instant powders. 31
Dried Milks The two stage drying consists of spray drying as the first stage and fluid bed drying
as the second stage. The moisture content of the powder leaving the chamber
is 2-3 per cent higher than the final moisture content. In the second stage the
powder is discharged into the vibrating fluid bed dryer and cooler. The fluid
bed consists of a stainless steel perforated plate through which air is blown
upwards. The powder is ‘fluidised’ by the air, and high turbulence occurs
which provides excellent conditions for heat transfer between air and powder.
In the first section, the powder is dried to its final moisture content by air at
100-120°C, and in the second section the powder is cooled by air at about
10-15°C.
c) Three Stage Drying: Three-stage drying has been introduced in order to
further improve the thermal efficiency of the drying process by transferring a
greater portion of the evaporation from the first stage to the second and third
stages. In three-stage drying the second stage is a fluid bed at the outlet of the
drying chamber. This fluid bed is static (non vibrating), and the semi-dry powder
drops over an adjustable weir into an external fluid bed for final drying and
cooling. A low outlet temperature from the drying chamber can be used, as the
powder is delivered from the first drying stage to the integrated fluid bed at high
moisture content.
d) Integrated Belt Spray Drying System (Filtermat Dryers): In this, the
drying chamber is rectangular with a number of vertical pressure nozzles in
ceiling. As the height of the chamber is insufficient for drying to the final moisture
content, the moist product builds up into a mat on a porous moving belt. The
drying air goes through this layer of powder, which acts as a filter for the exhaust
air. The moist product is moved on the belt into following sections for further
drying and cooling. Compared with a fluid bed, the air moves in the opposite
direction in the Filtermat dryer. This results in a compact cake of the product,
which breaks off at the end of the moving belt. Milling of the product is necessary
to get powder.
This type of drier is required for some dairy products, foodstuffs and food
ingredients that are difficult to spray dry due to their carbohydrate, fat or protein
contents. Continuous powder production of this type of product in conventional
one or two stage spray dyers is often associated with product quality
deterioration, deposit losses and frequent cleaning procedures, and is, therefore,
not acceptable. Successful drying of sticky, hygroscopic, thermoplastic and
slowly crystallizing products into free-flowing agglomerated powders requires
powder temperatures to be maintained at much lower levels than those possible
in conventional spray dryer layouts. Completion of drying under these conditions
also requires the powder to be held within the dryer for much longer times too.
A specially designed integrated belt spray dryer fulfills all these criteria. Its
design combines a co-current nozzle tower dryer with a built-in conveyor belt.
The transport time while powder moves with the belt is several minutes offering
sufficient time to complete powder drying, agglomeration and cooling while
maintaining the required powder temperature.
Check Your Progress - 3
1) Describe centrifugal atomizer briefly.
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
32
 ................................................................................................................... Engineering Aspects of
Roller Drier, Spray
................................................................................................................... Drier, Fluid Bed Drier
and Tray Drier
...................................................................................................................
2) Describe pressure nozzle type of atomizer briefly.
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
3) Describe the principle of cyclone separator.
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
4) Name different important spray drying installations.
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
5) Describe two-stage spray drying briefly.
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................

13.4 FLUID BED DRIERS

Fluid bed processing involves drying, cooling, agglomeration, granulation, and coating
of particulate materials. Uniform processing conditions are achieved by passing a
gas (usually air) through a product layer under controlled velocity conditions to
create a fluidized state. In fluid bed drying, the fluidization gas supplies heat, but the
gas flow need not be the only source. Fluid bed drying offers important advantages
over other methods for drying of particulate materials. Particle fluidization gives
easy material transport, high rates of drying at high thermal efficiency while preventing
overheating of individual particles. Fluid bed drying is suitable for powders, granules, 33
Dried Milks agglomerates and pellets with average particle size normally between 50 and 5,000
microns. Very fine, light powders or highly elongated particles may require vibration
for successful fluid bed drying.
Fluid bed drying is an efficient method of drying milk for production of instant milk
powder. The fluid bed is connected to the bottom of the drying chamber and consists
of a casing with a perforated bottom. The casing is spring mounted and can be
vibrated by a motor. The powder from the drying chamber is admitted to the first
section of the fluid-bed dryer where it is humidified by steam. The vibrator conveys
the powder through the drying sections, where air at a gradually decreasing
temperature is admitted through the powder bed. Agglomeration takes place in the
first stage of drying when the particles adhere to each other. Subsequently water is
evaporated from the agglomerates during their passage through the drying sections.
In fluid bed for cooling, cold gas (usually ambient or conditioned air) is used.
Conditioning of the gas may be required to achieve sufficient product cooling in an
economically sized plant and to prevent pick up of volatiles (usually moisture). Heat
may also be removed by cooling surfaces immersed in the fluidized layer.
Agglomeration and granulation may be performed in a number of ways depending
upon the feed to be processed and the product properties to be achieved. Fluid
bed coating of powders involves the spraying of a liquid on to the fluidized layer
under strictly controlled conditions.
There are two basic types of fluid bed designs according to the solids flow pattern in
the dryer.
• The back-mix flow design for feeds that require a degree of drying before
fluidization is established
• The plug flow design for feeds, those are directly fluidizable on entering the
fluid bed
i) Back-mix flow fluid beds: These are applied for feeds that are non-
fluidizable in their original state, but become fluidizable after a short time
in the dryer, e.g. after removal of surface volatiles from the particles. The
condition of the fluidizing material is kept well below this fluidization point.
Proper fluidization is obtained by distributing the feed over the bed surface
and by designing the fluid bed to allow total solids mixing (back-mix flow)
within its confines. The product temperature and moisture are uniform
throughout the fluidized layer.
ii) Plug flow fluid beds: These are applied for feeds that are directly
fluidizable. Plug flow of solids is obtained by designing the fluid bed with
baffles to limit solids mixing in the horizontal direction. The volatile content
and temperature vary uniformly as solids pass through the bed, and the
plug flow enables the solids to come close to equilibrium with the incoming
gas.
In plug-flow fluidized bed dryers, the bed usually has a length-to-width
ratio in the range of 5:1 to 30:1; the solids flow continuously as a plug
through the channel from the inlet to the exit. This ensures approximately
equal residence time for all particles, regardless of their size. The main
operational problems occur at the feed end where wet feedstock must be
fluidized directly rather than mixed with drier material as in a well-mixed
unit.
34
 iii) Vibrating fluid bed dryer: Vibrating fluid bed dryer is basically of the Engineering Aspects of
Roller Drier, Spray
plug flow type. It is especially applied for drying and cooling products Drier, Fluid Bed Drier
that fluidize poorly due to a broad particle size distribution, highly irregular and Tray Drier
particle shape, or require relatively low fluidization velocities to prevent
attrition. The vibro-fluidizer operates with a shallow powder layer of less
than 200 mm. This gives a much lower product residence time per unit
bed area than non-vibrating beds, which can have powder layers up to
1500 mm.
iv) Contact fluidizers: This is a rectangular fluid bed dryer incorporating
back-mix and mix flow sections. A rotary distributor disperses the wet
feed evenly over the back-mix section equipped with contact heating
surfaces immersed in the fluidized layer. The heating surfaces provide a
significant portion of the required energy, and therefore, it is possible to
reduce both the temperature and the flow of gas through the system. This
is particularly important for heat sensitive products. Subsequent plug flow
sections are used for post drying and cooling, if required.
v) Batch fluidized bed dryer: Batch fluidized bed dryers are used for low
throughput (normally <50 kg/h and for 100 kg/h) and multi-product
applications. Drying air is heated directly or indirectly usually to a fixed
temperature. The drying air flow rate is also usually fixed. However, it is
possible to start drying at a higher inlet gas temperature and flow rate and
lower it since the product moisture content falls below the critical value.
Mechanical agitators or vibration may be needed if the material is difficult
to fluidize.
vi) Multi-tier fluid beds: These fluid beds consist of two or more stacked
fluid beds. The upper tier (back-mix or plug flow) is for pre drying and
the lower tier (plug flow) for post drying. The drying gas travels counter-
current to the solids. The gas leaving the lower tier contains sensible heat,
which is transferred to the upper tier. Furthermore, each fluid bed may be
provided with immersed heating surfaces. These designs result in a low
gas throughput and high thermal efficiency, which are of great importance
in closed cycle drying systems. Various possibilities of combining fluid
beds are presented in Table 13.1.
Table 13.1 Multi stage fluidized bed dryers

Type Remarks
Similar FBD stages stacked one Reduce floor area/bed depth of each
below the other stage, low product moisture content
possible
Flash dryer stage preceding FBD Fast removal of surface moisture,
stage reduced stickiness leads to easy
Spray dryer stage followed by Significantly reduce spray dryer size
FBD stage
Well-mixed FBD followed by Ease of fluidization for high moisture
plug-flow

13.5 INSTANTIZATION PROCESS

The principal purpose of instantizing is to improve the rate and completeness of
reconstitutability of dried milk. During the spray drying process, the aim is to produce
particles with a big surface/mass ratio, i.e., small particles. The reconstitution of
small particles of powder in water is, however, difficult and requires intensive mixing 35
Dried Milks for their dispersion. One of the major objectives of new innovations in the area of
spray and fluid bed drying is to produce instant powders by effecting agglomeration.
Agglomeration means getting smaller particles to adhere to each other to form a
powder consisting of bigger conglomerates/agglomerates, which are essential for
improving certain reconstitutional properties of powders such as wettability, sinkability,
dispersibility, although the net solubility does not improve. The agglomerates in the
size range of 100-150 microns are recovered as final product.
The production of instantized whole milk powder was not successful until 1970s.
The presence of free fat hindered the easy wetting of the powder particles. This
problem was overcome and instant properties were achieved by treating the
agglomerated powder with lecithin.
Major systems of instantization of milk powders are Peeble process, Cherry-Burrel
process, Blow-Knox process and Niro agglomerator. Each varies in equipment and
details. The general features in common are:
• Wetting of the surface of powder particles with steam, atomized water or a
mixture of both.
• Agglomeration whereby the particles collide due to turbulence and adhere to
each other forming clusters.
• Redrying with hot air
• Cooling and sizing to eliminate the very small particles and very large
agglomerates.
i) Peebles process: The powder pneumatically enters the agglomeration
chamber. The particles are wetted to 10-15% moisture in the turbulent
air-stream zone and form agglomerates. These fall into the next zone or
chamber which re-dries them by means of filtered air at 110-121oC. The
product is cooled, sized with rollers, screened and packaged. The fine
particles are returned to be recycled through the agglomeration process.
ii) Cherry-Burrel process: This process consists of delivering dried milk
at a uniform rate by air, screw or vibrator to a horizontal tube. Wetting
and agglomeration takes place in the most rapidly moving air-product
mixture, which passes into the cyclone. During wetting, the moisture of
milk powder increases to 6-8%. Air returns from the top of the cyclone
to recycle and the clusters drop into a filtered hot-air stream at 132-
149oC. The product, while moving into the second cyclone, is dried by
this air. The air is exhausted from the top of the cyclone and the product
clusters descend into a horizontal shaker through which cooling reduces
the temperature from 71-82oC to 37-38oC. The sifter removes the fine
particles. The clusters pass through sizing rolls and are sifted and packaged.
iii) Blow-Knox process: Dried milk is measured by a rotary-feed valve into
a line and fed pneumatically into a small agglomerate tube. An alternative
system uses a vibrating trough to control product entry into the
agglomerating tube. Steam wets the particles to about 7% moisture as
they fall between two jets. Ambient air entering through radial slots in the
agglomerating tube maintains the turbulence necessary for the formation
of aggregates. The agglomerated product drops onto a conveyer belt for
conditioning and transport to deck-type vibrating re-driers. Dried
agglomerates are screened after they pass between sizing rolls. Fine
36 particles are reprocessed through the system.
 iv) Niro/Anhydro agglomerator: It is an attachment fixed to the bottom of Engineering Aspects of
Roller Drier, Spray
the vertical-type drying chamber. Milk is dried to about 9% moisture Drier, Fluid Bed Drier
content in the drying chamber. A vibrator transports the product from the and Tray Drier
drier to the inlet of the Niro agglomerator that consists of three sections.
In the first section, agglomeration takes place; in the second section,
redrying with hot air; and in the third, the product is cooled to room
temperature. Very fine mesh screens convey the product through the three
sections. Air that passes up through the screens goes out carrying the fine
particles from the top of the agglomerator. Fine particles are returned to
the drying chamber.

13.6 TRAY DRIERS

Tray driers are widely used in food and agro based industries for drying of grainy
food and dairy products like casein that can’t be spray or roller dried. This method
of drying is employed for small to medium capacity requirement. The process of
drying is relatively slow. The process of drying also requires more energy as compared
to other improved techniques of drying.
The grainy product of uniform small grain size may be spread on trays by hand or
mechanically, should be spread evenly and not more than 0.9 to 1.1 kg of grains
should be placed on each standard tray of 75 by 75 cm. The bottom tray on each
truck should be of finer mesh than the others, or should be covered with a cloth to
catch fine particles that may sift through the other trays.
In cabinet and tunnel type tray driers, drying of loaded trays is carried out under
different temperature conditions. The filtered air is supplied to air heaters and the
heated air is blown over the wet material. Heating of air is carried out either by
electrical heaters or steam coil heaters. Proper control of temperature and humidity
of air coming in contact with the curd are the essentials of efficient drying of product.
A temperature of 52-57 °C for the air entering a tunnel drier is suitable for casein
curd. Higher temperatures may be used for well-washed curd, but they are not
recommended because of the risk of discolouring the casein and impairing its solubility.
Especially during the early stages of drying, it is desirable to circulate a portion of the
air so that the surface of the particle will not become fully dried while the interior is
still moist. Care should be taken that the temperature in the drier does not rise
above 57 °C towards the end of the drying when comparatively small amounts of
water are being evaporated. Drying once started should not be interrupted, but
should continue until the desired level of drying is complete.
Check your progress 4
1) What are the advantages of fluid bed drying for drying of particulate materials?
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
2) Give salient features of vibrating fluidized bed drier.
...................................................................................................................
37
...................................................................................................................
Dried Milks ...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
3) Describe multi-tier fluid beds briefly.
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
4) What do you mean by instantization of milk powder and why it is done?
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
5) What are the general common features of instantization process?
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
6) What are the application and drawbacks of tray drying process?
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................

13.7 LET US SUM UP

The roller driers are classified based on number of hollow drums and direction of
turning of drums, pressure surrounding the product, method of placing the product
on the drum surface, method of obtaining vacuum (for a vacuum drier) and material
of construction of drum. The most used construction in the dairy industry is a double
drum drier, which works under atmospheric pressure. Drums are mounted parallel
to each other, about 0.5-0.75 mm (0.02-0.03”) apart. Care is taken to properly
align the drums. The drums are heated internally by feeding steam at about 60-70
38 psi (150°C). The dried product is removed after 3/4 to 7/8 of a revolution by a
scraper knife. The product is in contact with the drum for about 3 sec or less. The Engineering Aspects of
Roller Drier, Spray
factors affecting drying rate are: pre-concentration of milk, milk feed temperature, Drier, Fluid Bed Drier
height of milk in the trough, drum gap, drum speed and steam pressure and whether and Tray Drier
milk is preheated or not before feeding.
Spray drying is a gentle drying method that takes place in three major stages i.e.
atomisation, mixing of the hot fog like mist into a stream of hot air which quickly
evaporates the water and separation and collection of powder from the drying air.
Spray driers are classified based on method of atomization, method of heating air,
method of furnishing heat, position and number of drying chambers, direction of air-
flow in relation to product flow, pressure in drier, method of separation of powder
from air, treatment and movement of air, method of removal of powder from drying
chamber, method of heat transfer, kind of atmosphere in drying chamber, position of
fan, direction of air-flow in chamber, space of drying chamber and product being
dried. Basic drying installations are: single stage drying, two stage drying, three stage
drying and integrated belt spray drying system (filtermat dryers). Because of its
relative advantages over roller drying process, spray-drying process has now almost
completely replaced roller drying for the production of milk powder.
Fluid bed processing involves drying, cooling, agglomeration, granulation, and coating
of particulate materials. Uniform processing conditions are achieved by passing a
gas (usually air) through a product layer under controlled velocity conditions to
create a fluidized state. In fluid bed drying, the fluidization gas supplies heat, but the
gas flow need not be the only source. Fluid bed drying is an efficient method of
drying milk for production of instant milk powder. Different types of fluid bed designs
are abvailable.
The principal purpose of instantizing is to improve the rate and completeness of
reconstitutability of dried milk. Major systems of instantization of milk powders are
Peeble process, Cherry-Burrel process, Blow-Knox process and Niro agglomerator.
Each varies in equipment and details. The general features of inastantization are:
wetting the surface of powder particle, agglomeration and redrying.
Tray driers are widely used in food and agro based industries for drying of grainy
food and dairy products that can’t be spray or roller dried. The process of drying is
relatively slow and also requires more energy as compared to other improved
techniques of drying. In cabinet and tunnel type tray driers, drying of loaded trays is
carried out under different temperature conditions.

13.8 KEY WORDS

Atomizer : It is a device that produces fine particles,
uniform in size, having a diameter of 20-150
ηm (most of which are in the range of 50-80
ηm) with a high surface area to mass ratio,
thus enabling quick heat transfer with a high
evaporation rate.
Centrifugal (rotary) atomizer : It is designed as a disk with vanes
Pressure nozzle : Also called a single fluid nozzle is a type of
atomizer that creates spray as the liquid passes
through an orifice of several millimeters in
diameter under pressure.
Cyclone separator : It is most commonly used to separate powder
from air in spray dryers. 39
Dried Milks Reconstitutability : It refers to the ease with which a powder can
be dissolved in water.
Wettability : It is a measure of the ability of a powder to
absorb water on the surface to be wetted and
to penetrate the surface of still water.
Sinkability : It is the ability of powder particles to
overcome the surface tension of water and
sink into the water after passing through the
surface. It is usually expressed as milligrams
of powder that sink per minute per square
centimetre of surface area.
Dispersibility : It reflects the ability of wetted aggregates of
powder particles to become uniformly
dispersed when in contact with water. This
property has been chosen to measure whether
or not the product is ‘instant’.

13.9 SOME USEFUL BOOKS

Caric, M. (1994) Concentrated and dried dairy products, VCH Publishers, Inc.,
New York.
De, S. (2001) Outlines of Dairy Technology. 16th impression. Oxford University
Press, New Delhi.
Early, R. (1998) The Technology of Dairy Products. Blackie Academic &
Professional, U.K.
Hall, C.W. and Hedrick, T.I. (1966). Drying of Milk and Milk Products, The AVI
Publishing Co. Westport, Connecticut.
Lampert, L.M. (1975) Modern Dairy Products. Third Addition. Chemical Publishing
Company, Inc., New York.
Robinson, R.K. (1994), Modern Dairy Technology, Volume-1, Advances in Milk
Processing 2nd Ed., Champman & Hall, London.
Spree, E. (1998) Milk and dairy product technology. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New
York.

2.10 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Your answer should include the following points
Check Your Progress - 1
1) i. Number of hollow drums and direction of turning of drums, pressure
surrounding the product, method of placing the product on the drum
surface, method of obtaining vacuum (for a vacuum drier) and material of
construction of drum.
2) i. Normally horizontal, hollow cylinders, 2 to 4 ft. in diameter and 3 to 12 ft
in length.
ii. Carefully machined both from inside and outside so that the thickness of
40
the drum throughout its length is same.
 iii. Care is taken to properly align the drums. Engineering Aspects of
Roller Drier, Spray
iv. One drum is mounted on a stationary bearing, while the other on a flexible Drier, Fluid Bed Drier
and Tray Drier
one, so as to provide the desired clearance between the drums.
3) i. Product on the roller drier is removed after 3/4 to 7/8 of a revolution by a
scraper knife. The blade of the knife forms an angle of 15-30o with the
roller surface. The metal used for the knife should be softer than the
drum.
4) i. Pre-concentration of milk, Milk feed temperature, Height of milk in the
trough, Clearance between the drums, speed of drums and steam pressure.
Check Your Progress - 2
1) i. Very short drying time.
ii. Due to evaporation, the temperature drops immediately in drying chamber.
iii. The temperature in the drying chamber is equal to the air outlet temperature.
iv. The product temperature will be 20-30°C below the air outlet temperature.
2) i. Atomization: Dispersion of the hot liquid into a fog like mist.
ii. Mixing of the hot fog like mist into a stream of hot air which quickly
evaporates the water.
iii. Separation and collection of powder from the drying air
3) a) Rotary wheel atomizers (Centrifugal disc) b) Pressure nozzle single-
fluid atomizers (pressure spray nozzle) c) Pneumatic two fluid nozzles
(compressed air)
4) a) Cyclone separators b) Multi-Cyclone separators c) bag filters d) Liquid
dust collector e) Electrical dust collector f) Electro-static precipitators
5) i. Used in dairy, bakery products, baby food, meat products, beverages,
soups, sauces, dressings and creams, animals feed mixes
ii. Used to make various whey candies
Check Your Progress - 3
1) i. A centrifugal atomizer is designed as a disk with vanes.
ii. Milk is carried to the atomizer under normal pressure and sprayed into
fine droplets by centrifugal atomizer at rotating speeds of 10000-20000
rpm.
iii. Advantageous in drying viscous materials and suspensions.
2) i. A pressure nozzle, creates spray as liquid passes through a small orifice
under pressure within the usual range of 5-7 MPa.
ii. The liquid enters the nozzle core tangentially and leaves the orifice in the
form of a hollow cone with an angle that varies from 40° to 140°.
iii. Possible to produce the droplets within a narrow range of diameters, and
the dried particles are usually hollow spheres.
iv. Not suitable for highly concentrated suspensions and abrasive materials.
41
Dried Milks 3) Based on centrifugal force: air enters cyclone with high velocity through entering
duct, diameter of which is approximately four times smaller than diameter of
cyclone cylinder ? air velocity decreases, powder fall by gravity to the bottom
? continuously removed.
4) Single stage drying, two stage drying, three-stage drying and Integrated belt
spray drying system (Filtermat Dryers).
5) i. Spray drying as the first stage and fluid bed drying as the second stage.
ii. The moisture content of the powder leaving the chamber is 2-3 per cent
higher than the final moisture content.
iii. In the second stage, the powder is dried to its final moisture content by air
at 100-120°C and cooled by air at about 10-15°C.
Check Your Progress 4
1) Particle fluidization gives easy material transport, high rates of drying at high
thermal efficiency while preventing overheating of individual particles.
2) i. Especially applied for drying and cooling products that fluidize poorly or
require relatively low fluidization velocities to prevent attrition.
ii. Vibro-fluidizer operates with a shallow powder layer of less than 200
mm.
Gives a much lower product residence time per unit bed area.
3) i. Two or more stacked fluid beds.
ii. The upper tier (back-mix or plug flow) is for pre drying and the lower tier
(plug flow) for post drying.
iii. The drying gas travels counter-current to the solids. The gas leaving the
lower tier contains sensible heat, which is transferred to the upper tier.
iv. These designs result in a low gas throughput and high thermal efficiency.
4) i. Principal purpose of instantizing is to improve the rate and completeness
of reconstitutability of dried milk.
ii. Instant powders by effecting agglomeration.
iii. Agglomeration means getting smaller particles to adhere to each other to
form a powder consisting of bigger conglomerates/agglomerates.
5) Wetting of the surface of powder particles with steam, atomized water or a
mixture of both ? agglomeration ? re-drying with hot air ? cooling and sizing to
eliminate the very small particles and very large agglomerates.
6) i. Widely used in food and agro based industries for drying of grainy food
and dairy products that can’t be spray or roller dried.
ii. Employed for small to medium capacity requirement.
iii. Drying is relatively slow and requires more energy.

42