SDS SMALL SCALE SPRAY DRYERS

Spray Drying Systems, Inc. offers standard small scale spray drying plants which can be used for research and development, pilot scale testing, or small scale production of spray dried powders.  Each has a fixed diameter drying chamber and a fixed airflow, and are custom configured with various choices of features and options.

The Model 48 has a maximum water evaporation rate of 150 lb/hr.  It is the smallest spray dryer available anywhere that can be used with pressure nozzle atomization.

The Model 72 has a maximum water evaporation rate of 340 lb/hr.

Because the airflows are fixed, the actual evaporation rate of each Model depends upon the air temperatures used for drying.  The maximum particle size capability of each Model depends upon the nozzle configuration used, the height of the drying chamber, and the type of product being dried.

Both Models are "customized" in configuration and standard features in each quotation to best suit the requirements of our customers.  These variations include materials of construction, type of atomization, height of the drying chamber, the powder collection types and locations, and internal finishes.

SDS can provide custom designed small scale spray drying systems for needs that go beyond the standard Model 48 and Model 72 variations, such as closed loop systems which are typically used when organic solvents are being evaporated.

A custom designed closed loop spray dryer for organic solvent evaporation using nitrogen as the process gas.

Contact SDS for more information on our Small Scale Spray Dryers, and what we can do to help meet your spray dryer needs.

LABORATORY SPRAY DRYERS

Small laboratory spray dryers, typically 30 inches in diameter or less, are useful for many situations and testing requirements, including feed formulation studies, producing samples for testing, and determining optimum drying conditions.  But in many cases and for many products, these spray dryers are not useful for producing the desired particle size, or for predicting the other physical properties that can be achieved in production scale spray dryers. This is especially true for small R&D spray dryers using rotary atomization, as the particle size results obtained on the small atomizer cannot be duplicated in many instances by larger atomizers at the feed rates of large scale spray dryers. The average particle size ability of small R&D spray dryers is typically limited to 30 micron maximum, as the chamber size is not large enough to allow larger droplets to dry before contacting the walls and sticking. A pressure nozzle can not be utilized on these smallest spray dryers, which eliminates the evaluation of this important type of atomization.  The ability to test high air temperatures, which can significantly decrease the size and cost of a new production system, is limited. The residence time is limited, which can lead to the need for higher outlet air temperatures on the small dryer to achieve the desired powder moisture level.