A Parametric Study of Spray Drying of a Solution in a Pulsating High-Temperature Turbulent Flow

Spray drying of a concentrated common salt (NaCl) solution carried out in the intense oscillating high-temperature turbulent flow field generated in the tailpipe of a pulse combustor was simulated. Simulation of such transport process problems is especially crucial since the environmental conditions are too hostile for detailed and reliable measurements. The momentum, heat, and mass transfer processes between the gas and droplet phases during drying were simulated using a computational fluid dynamic solver. The simulated profiles of flow field, temperature, and humidity of gaseous phase, and particle trajectories in a drying chamber are presented and discussed. The effects of gas temperature, pulse frequency and amplitude, and gas mass flow rate on the transient flow patterns, droplet trajectories, and overall dryer performance were investigated. Different turbulence models were also tested. Simulation results show that the flow field and droplet drying conditions vary widely during a single pulsating period. Very short drying times and very high drying rate characterize pulse combustion spray drying. Thus, pulse combustion drying can be applied to drying of fine droplets of highly heat-sensitive materials although the jet temperature initially is extremely high.     

A Parametric Study of Spray Drying of a Solution in a Pulsating High-Temperature Turbulent Flow

Spray drying of a concentrated common salt (NaCl) solution carried out in the intense oscillating high-temperature turbulent flow field generated in the tailpipe of a pulse combustor was simulated. Simulation of such transport process problems is especially crucial since the environmental conditions are too hostile for detailed and reliable measurements. The momentum, heat, and mass transfer processes between the gas and droplet phases during drying were simulated using a computational fluid dynamic solver. The simulated profiles of flow field, temperature, and humidity of gaseous phase, and particle trajectories in a drying chamber are presented and discussed. The effects of gas temperature, pulse frequency and amplitude, and gas mass flow rate on the transient flow patterns, droplet trajectories, and overall dryer performance were investigated. Different turbulence models were also tested. Simulation results show that the flow field and droplet drying conditions vary widely during a single pulsating period. Very short drying times and very high drying rate characterize pulse combustion spray drying. Thus, pulse combustion drying can be applied to drying of fine droplets of highly heat-sensitive materials although the jet temperature initially is extremely high.     

An analysis of a pulse combustion drying system

The paper presents a theoretical and experimental analysis of a pulse combustion spray drying system. Measurements of the velocity flow field inside the drying chamber and extensive tests on drying and water evaporation were carried out for various feed rates and operating parameters of the pulse combustor. Each test included the analysis of temperature distribution in the dryer, evaporation level and sprayed material structure. LDA and PDA techniques were employed to determine the character of pulsating flow in the chamber, amount of water evaporated and to perform a profound analysis of spray structure. Experimental results show an intensive and efficient drying process. An attempt was made to perform theoretical predictions of velocity and temperature distribution in the drying chamber. The CFD technique was used to calculate time-dependent flow in the chamber. Results show vanishing velocity, pressure and temperature oscillations along the length of the drying chamber. Temperature oscillations decline faster than oscillations of pressure and velocity. Satisfactory agreement between calculations and experimental results was found in certain regions of the drying chamber. Discrepancies might be caused by simplification of the system geometry and flow pattern which were assumed to perform calculations in reasonable time.     

OPTIMIZATION AND NEURAL MODELLING OF PULSE COMBUSTORS FOR DRYING APPLICATIONS

Results of investigations of a valved pulse combustor to choose optimal geometry, which covered measurements of the flow rates of air and fuel, pressure oscillations, including pressure amplitude and frequency and flue gas composition are presented in the paper. Experimental studies compsiring the operation of the pulse combustor coupled with a drying chamber and working separately are described. It was found that coupling of the pulse combustor with a drying chamber had no significant effect on the pulse combustion process. Smoother runs of pressure oscillations in the combustion chamber, lower noise level and slightly higher NO_x emission were observed. The velocity flow field inside the drying chamber was measured by LDA technique. Results confirmed a complex character of pulsating flow in the chamber. A large experimental data set obtained from measurements enabled developing a neural model of pulse combustion process. Artificial neural networks were trained to predict amplitudes and frequencies of pressure oscillations, temperatures in the combustion chamber and emission of toxic substances. An excellent mapping performance of the developed neural models was obtained. Due to complex character of the pulse combustion process, the application of artificial neural networks seems to be the best way to predict inlet parameters of a drying agent produced by the pulse combustor     

OPTIMIZATION AND NEURAL MODELLING OF PULSE COMBUSTORS FOR DRYING APPLICATIONS

ABSTRACT

Results of investigations of a valved pulse combustor to choose optimal geometry, which covered measurements of the flow rates of air and fuel, pressure oscillations, including pressure amplitude and frequency and flue gas composition are presented in the paper. Experimental studies compsiring the operation of the pulse combustor coupled with a drying chamber and working separately are described. It was found that coupling of the pulse combustor with a drying chamber had no significant effect on the pulse combustion process. Smoother runs of pressure oscillations in the combustion chamber, lower noise level and slightly higher NO_x emission were observed. The velocity flow field inside the drying chamber was measured by LDA technique. Results confirmed a complex character of pulsating flow in the chamber. A large experimental data set obtained from measurements enabled developing a neural model of pulse combustion process. Artificial neural networks were trained to predict amplitudes and frequencies of pressure oscillations, temperatures in the combustion chamber and emission of toxic substances. An excellent mapping performance of the developed neural models was obtained. Due to complex character of the pulse combustion process, the application of artificial neural networks seems to be the best way to predict inlet parameters of a drying agent produced by the pulse combustor     

Use of Computational Fluid Dynamics to Evaluate Alternative Spray Dryer Chamber Configurations

A computational fluid dynamic simulation study was carried out to compare the gas flow and temperature patterns as well as particle trajectories for a pressure nozzle atomized liquid slurry spray dried in four different chamber geometries. The gas and liquid conditions are held the same for all four chamber geometries. The gas flow is co-current and enters and exits centrally thus maintaining a two-dimensional axi-symmetric flow pattern. It is found that as a result of variations in the gas flow and thermal patterns in the four configurations examined (viz cylinder-on-cone, conical, hour-glass shaped, and lantern-shaped axi-symmetric) the droplet trajectories, residence times, and drying times vary. It was noted that the effective chamber volume occupied by drying particles depends on the chamber design.     

Use of Computational Fluid Dynamics to Evaluate Alternative Spray Dryer Chamber Configurations

Abstract

A computational fluid dynamic simulation study was carried out to compare the gas flow and temperature patterns as well as particle trajectories for a pressure nozzle atomized liquid slurry spray dried in four different chamber geometries. The gas and liquid conditions are held the same for all four chamber geometries. The gas flow is co-current and enters and exits centrally thus maintaining a two-dimensional axi-symmetric flow pattern. It is found that as a result of variations in the gas flow and thermal patterns in the four configurations examined (viz cylinder-on-cone, conical, hour-glass shaped, and lantern-shaped axi-symmetric) the droplet trajectories, residence times, and drying times vary. It was noted that the effective chamber volume occupied by drying particles depends on the chamber design.     

A Three-Dimensional Simulation of a Spray Dryer Fitted with a Rotary Atomizer

Spray dryers fitted with rotary atomizers are commonly used in diverse industries to produce engineered powders on a large scale. Scale-up of such units is still largely empirical and based on prior experience and know-how. In the present study, a three-dimensional spray dryer with rotary atomizer is investigated numerically with a commercial CFD code. Continuous-phase, i.e., air, conservation equations are formulated in the Eulerian model while the droplet or particle equations are set up in the Lagrangian model. Two-way coupling between the continuous and dispersed phases is taken into account in the governing equations. The stochastic approach is used to predict the particle trajectories. The RNG k - ε turbulence model was used. Typical results, viz. air velocity, temperature, humidity profiles, and particle trajectories are presented and discussed. Compared with the pressure nozzle spray dryer, more volume of drying chamber is used effectively by the rotating disc type spray dryer. It is found that evaporation and drying take place mainly in the region and in the vicinity of first contact between air and spray. A parametric study is presented and, where appropriate, comparison is made with experimental data obtained with the simulated spray dryer.     

A Three-Dimensional Simulation of a Spray Dryer Fitted with a Rotary Atomizer

Abstract

Spray dryers fitted with rotary atomizers are commonly used in diverse industries to produce engineered powders on a large scale. Scale-up of such units is still largely empirical and based on prior experience and know-how. In the present study, a three-dimensional spray dryer with rotary atomizer is investigated numerically with a commercial CFD code. Continuous-phase, i.e., air, conservation equations are formulated in the Eulerian model while the droplet or particle equations are set up in the Lagrangian model. Two-way coupling between the continuous and dispersed phases is taken into account in the governing equations. The stochastic approach is used to predict the particle trajectories. The RNG k ? ? turbulence model was used. Typical results, viz. air velocity, temperature, humidity profiles, and particle trajectories are presented and discussed. Compared with the pressure nozzle spray dryer, more volume of drying chamber is used effectively by the rotating disc type spray dryer. It is found that evaporation and drying take place mainly in the region and in the vicinity of first contact between air and spray. A parametric study is presented and, where appropriate, comparison is made with experimental data obtained with the simulated spray dryer.     

Spray Evaporation of Different Liquids in a Drying Chamber——Effect on Flow,Heat and Mass Transfer Performances

Almost without exception literature data and modeling effort are understandably devoted to water as the sprayed liquid since it constitutes the most common liquid used in spray drying applications. In selected applications, however, the liquid making up the solution or suspension may not be water. The objective of this work is to examine the differences in flow patterns, thermal behavior and drying rates caused by different liquids having different thermo-physical properties spray into a spray dryer using a computational fluid dynamic model. Numerical experiments were carried out for water (base case), ethyl alcohol and isopropyi alcohol-the latter two as model non-aqueous liquids. The chamber geometry was cylinder type with a co-current axial pressure nozzle and also an axial central exit so that the configuration is two dimensional and axi-symmetric. It is shown that the liquid properties can have major influence on the thermal field, droplet trajectories, residence times and overall evaporation capaci     

干燥室中不同液体的喷雾蒸发对流动、传热、传质性能的影响

Almost without exception literature data and modeling effort are understandably devoted to water as the sprayed liquid since it constitutes the most common liquid used in spray drying applications. In selected applications, however, the liquid making up the solution or suspension may not be water. The objective of this work is to examine the differences in flow patterns, thermal behavior and drying rates caused by different liquids having different thermo-physlcal properties spray into a spray dryer using a computational fluid dynamic model.Numerical experiments were carried out for water (base case), ethyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol--the latter two as model non-aqueous liquids. The chamber geometry was cylinder type with a co-current axial pressure nozzle and also an axial central exit so that the configuration is two dimensional and axi-symmetric. It is shown that the liquid properties can have major influence on the thermal field, droplet trajectories, residence times and overall evaporation capacity when all parameters of the problem are held fixed. Deviations from the single phase turbulent airflow in the same chamber without snrav are different for the three liauids examined.     

PERFORMANCE OF SPRAY DRYER WITH INTEGRATED FILTER AND FLUID BED

Spray dryers featuring a fluid bed integrated into the base of a spray drying chamber have proved one of the most significant developments introduced into industry during the last decade, producing dust-free particulates under low product temperature conditions. The latest design development involves all particulate collection and exhaust air cleaning within the drying chamber with the use of integrated metallic filter elements (with CIP capability). This eliminates handling of fines outside the drying chamber and simplifies the exhaust air system contributing to lower pressure drop losses and lower overall energy consumption. This paper describes the performance of a pilot plant sized spray dryer featuring a drying chamber with both integrated particulate filters and fluid bed. Various products were tested. The results showed that the placing of particulate filters inside the drying chamber does not adversely affect the agglomeration process and that the powder quality compared with that achieved in a standard Fluidized Spray Dryer can be reproduced in this new design concept, with every possibility for improved quality due to no powder handling outside the drying chamber. The work also showed that by containing the powder within the drying chamber, notable operational advantages are apparent and that scale-up of the design concept represents no apparent difficulties.     

THE MORPHOLOGY OF SPRAY-DRIED PARTICLES A QUALITATIVE VIEW

Industrial and pilot plant spray-dried materials were obtained from various manufacturers and qualitatively examined in order to identify structural and morphological features. Three distinct categories of particle morphology were identified. Namely, crystalline, skin forming and agglomerate. A number of unusual morphological phenomena were also noted Selected properties such as powder flowability. particle size and particle friability, were found to be directly related to morphological structure. Single particles were also produced in a convective drying process analogous to spray drying, in which, different solids or mixtures of solids were dried from solutions, slurries or pastes as single suspended droplets. The localised chemical and physical structures were analysed, and the results related to experimental conditions viz. drying air temperature and initial solids concentration. There was a strong similarity between the industrial spray-dried material and those dried experimentally. The morphologies of multicomponent mixtures were found to be complex, with the respective migration rates of the solids being dependent on drying temperature. The results are of relevance to dryer optimisation and to the optimisation of product characteristics, They also go some way to validating the single droplet drying technique as a useful analytical tool in spray drying research, and possibly other particulate processing industries.     

THE MORPHOLOGY OF SPRAY-DRIED PARTICLES A QUALITATIVE VIEW

ABSTRACT

Industrial and pilot plant spray-dried materials were obtained from various manufacturers and qualitatively examined in order to identify structural and morphological features. Three distinct categories of particle morphology were identified. Namely, crystalline, skin forming and agglomerate. A number of unusual morphological phenomena were also noted Selected properties such as powder flowability. particle size and particle friability, were found to be directly related to morphological structure. Single particles were also produced in a convective drying process analogous to spray drying, in which, different solids or mixtures of solids were dried from solutions, slurries or pastes as single suspended droplets. The localised chemical and physical structures were analysed, and the results related to experimental conditions viz. drying air temperature and initial solids concentration. There was a strong similarity between the industrial spray-dried material and those dried experimentally. The morphologies of multicomponent mixtures were found to be complex, with the respective migration rates of the solids being dependent on drying temperature. The results are of relevance to dryer optimisation and to the optimisation of product characteristics, They also go some way to validating the single droplet drying technique as a useful analytical tool in spray drying research, and possibly other particulate processing industries.     

Numerical Analysis of Gas-Particle Flow in Vertical Impinging Stream Chamber

For impingement stream drying, it is important to understand the complex gas-particle flow field in order to control the quality of dried products accurately. Hence a numerical analysis of three-dimensional gas-particle flow field was carried out including momentum, heat and mass transfers between the two phases. Simulation results for millet drying in a vertical impingement chamber were obtained and discussed. There is a great difference between gas phase and particle phase flow fields. The impingement planes of gas phase and particle phase are not coincident along the axial direction. Not all the millet particles can be taken away by the gas flow leaving some wet particles in impingement chamber for a prolonged drying. The temperature of millet rises up quickly approaching the value of drying medium in some zones. Consequently, it is important to regulate the inlet gas temperature for drying of thermal sensitive materials.     

入口旋流对均一粒径液滴喷雾干燥塔影响的数值模拟

均一粒径液滴喷雾干燥塔（MDSD）在生产均匀尺寸颗粒产品中发挥着较大优势,进一步优化其干燥过程操作尤为重要。集成离散相（DPM）和反应工程法（REA）干燥方法,通过耦合分散室和主干燥室模型,本研究开发了完整的MDSD三维计算流体力学模型。并系统探究了在干燥过程中分散气旋流、热空气旋流以及二者共同旋流对颗粒运动和最终干燥效果的影响。模拟结果表明,在30°入射角下加入旋流效果最优。同时引入分散室和干燥室旋流后发现,同向旋流比反向旋流带来的干燥效果提升2%,更比无旋流操作下的干燥效果提升30%。欲达到同样的干燥效果,引入同向旋流,塔身可缩短近12%。     

PREDICTION OF A GAS-PARTICLE TURBULENT JET WITH THE FLUCTUATION-SPECTRUM-RANDOM-TRAJECTORY MODEL

A numerical treatment for determining the particle velocity and the trajectories in a two-phase flow is described herein and this new fluctuation-spectrum-random-trajectory (FSRT) model is proposed to account for the turbulent diffusion of particles. It is predicted for the flow of a turbulent axisymmetric gaseous jet laden with spherical solid particles of nonuniform size. The particle velocity and the concentration field are obtained by the revised volume average method. The predictions are compared with experiment.     

Numerical Analysis of Gas-Particle Flow in Vertical Impinging Stream Chamber

Abstract

For impingement stream drying, it is important to understand the complex gas-particle flow field in order to control the quality of dried products accurately. Hence a numerical analysis of three-dimensional gas-particle flow field was carried out including momentum, heat and mass transfers between the two phases. Simulation results for millet drying in a vertical impingement chamber were obtained and discussed. There is a great difference between gas phase and particle phase flow fields. The impingement planes of gas phase and particle phase are not coincident along the axial direction. Not all the millet particles can be taken away by the gas flow leaving some wet particles in impingement chamber for a prolonged drying. The temperature of millet rises up quickly approaching the value of drying medium in some zones. Consequently, it is important to regulate the inlet gas temperature for drying of thermal sensitive materials.     

Influence of Atomizing Parameters on Droplet Properties in a Pulse Combustion Spray Dryer

A pulse combustor employed in a spray-drying system offers a new approach for liquid atomization that yields high-quality powders at low cost. Using a pulse combustion atomizer, there is no need for any form of nozzle dispersion and its atomization mechanism differs from those of conventional atomizers, such as rotary atomizers and pressure and pneumatic nozzles. In this work, based on the analysis of atomization mechanism, experiments of unsteady pulsating atomization were carried out in an experimental system of a Helmholtz-type pulse combustor. An optical analyzer was used for measuring the mean diameter of atomized droplet and droplet distribution. The effects of liquid feed rate, air flow oscillatory frequency, and liquid viscosity on atomized droplet size and size distribution were investigated and analyzed. The results indicate that the uniform droplet size distribution can be obtained under the conditions of a low feed rate, high-frequency pulsating flow, and moderate viscosity. The range of the droplets' Sauter mean diameter (SMD) is between 50 and 80 µm. The pulsating air flow from the pulse combustor can be used to atomize liquid or slurry without a nozzle and the atomizing quality can meet the requirements of spray drying.