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Home / Equipment / Spray Dryer

Spray Dryer

Spray Dryer

In TEC Square’s we designed our spray dryer using years of hands-on operational experience. All of our personnel has worked for many years in the manufacturing industry. As a result we fully understand the importance of operational details. Consequently we believe, that an effective design is measured through its OEE and product losses. Moreover, we design a spray drying operation with flexibility in mind. Hence we allow additional options and features to be added at a later stage.

Principle of Operation for a Spray Dryer

Spray Dryer Flowsheet

The principle of operation of a spray dryer is rather simple: A liquid stream is pumped into a hot chamber, where the solid part will separate from water by evaporation. The solid part will find its way down into the tower, and ends up in a secondary process. Here we post-dry, cool and sieve the powder to meet specifications. Finally we store the final product in tote-bins, big-bags, or silos. At the other side of the drying tower the evaporated water will go through a secondary treatment of filtration to recuperate any solids, after which, the system will send the moist air to an exhaust on the roof.

In a Spray Dryer we distinguish the following sub-systems:

  • Hot air system: To dry a concentrated liquid we use hot air of at least 180°C. We use several solutions for this purpose. For a cost-effective solution, we use high pressure steam heaters, as these units are relatively inexpensive and easy to maintain. For high-end solutions, we mainly use gas-fired heaters.
  • Pulverization: At the top of the tower concentrated liquid is sprayed into a hot air stream. Due to the pressure the nozzle creates tiny droplets, which will dry easily in the spray drying chamber. We often use multiple-nozzle pressure technology for the best results.
  • Drying chamber: TEC Square uses turbulent drying conditions, which give the best possible product quality as a result. We design our chambers to a low refresh rate, as this will equally increase the product quality. As a consequence, the powder will spend less time in the spray dryer, which subsequently reduce to time impact at high temperatures.
  • Powder Collection: We collect the powder at the bottom of the spray dryer. From here we feed the powder to an after-dryer and after-cooler to obtain the right moisture and temperature for storage. For some products there is also a sieving step.
  • Air Treatment: The exhaust air exits from the tower at the top. Fine powder, which is normally present in the exhaust air, will be separated in a big-filter. Next the filtered moist air will go to an exhaust on the roof.

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Advantages of a TEC Square Spray Dryer

Spray dryers are a quite common way of drying for high capacities.
Spray Dryer Layout

The process has several advantages over other processes:

  • Simplicity: TEC Square designs its spray dryer plants simple. We believe that a good design should be functional and straight forward. We do not complicate a system if this is not needed.
  • Capacity: Spray dryers can be delivered for small capacities (e.g. pilot plant drying) to very large capacities (10 Ton per hour is not an exception).
  • Product characteristics: A spray dryer allows you to control and influence powder qualities with precision. Particle size, moisture content, color and other specific properties can be set, irrespective of dryer capacity.
  • Small Footprint: We design plants in a very compact way. This approach delivers a lot of benefits to the operation:
    • Supervision becomes easier
    • Building costs and installation costs are less

Special TEC Square Spray Dryer Solutions

Our experience in designing and installing spray dryers is mainly gained on the manufacturing side of the business. All our key engineers have experience in running, maintaining or optimizing food multiple production plants over a period of many years. We developed extensive knowledge that is based on experience. And this in turn provides us with an insight in operational solutions that can make a difference in the operation of any spray drying plant.

For certain processes we provide special executions or technologies. We highlight in the section below some of these solutions. For more information please contact us directly.

* Some technologies or solutions depicted above might not be applicable for all product categories.

Related Applications

Instant Coffee

Infant Formula

milk-powder

Milk Powder

Non-Dairy Creamer

Characteristics
Advantages

Integrated solutions from the high-concentrator


The quality of a product remains high if the overall process time is kept as short as possible. For this reason, we provide integrated solutions with the high concentrator, avoiding investment in additional equipment as well.


  • Product Quality: Quick Processing time
  • Energy Savings: No need for cooling and heating of product.
  • Lower investment: Less equipment installed.
  • Less waste: Less CIP circuits, quicker cleaning./li>

De-humification


For certain processes, we provide de-humidification. We work with chillers as well as desiccant-based solutions


  • Lower operational costs: The capacity will be higher as more water can be taken into the exhaust air.

Heat Recuperation on exhaust air


For high-end solutions, we provide energy recuperation on the exhaust air.


  • Lower Operational Costs: Operational savings of 5-10%

Integrated Agglomeration


We provide two different solutions for integrated agglomeration:
  • An integrated Static Fluid-Bed (SFB) solution is a common feature in the dairy industry. It produces a fine agglomerate.
  • A separate agglomeration tower can be integrated into the spray drying operation. This option produces a hard, coarse agglomerate.

  • Flexibility: On one line several end-products can be run.
  • Lower operational costs: We supply a one-step solution for production of agglomerated product.
  • Rework potential: Our set-up favours in-line mixing of rework.
  • Lower investment: Silo’s, tote-bins or big-bags are not required.

High-TS Spray Dryer


TEC Square provides solutions for additional capacity on spray dryer towers, by increasing the concentration of the liquid product.

  • Higher Quality: Less water evaporated per kg of powder.
  • Less losses: TEC Square uses a high-quality finisher Even at high concentrations, fouling remains limited to a bare minimum.
  • Lower operational cost: The energy used per kg of powder will be reduced.
  • Higher nominal capacity: Less water per kg of product will need to be evaporated.

Spray Dryer “storage mode”


In some climates the humidity plays a huge part in the operation of a plant. As a result, this will require spray dryer cleaning after a prolonged stop. We provide special solutions to “store” the equipment over a certain time.


  • Less waste: The tower will required less cleaning
  • Higher yearly output: More productive time is available.
  • Lower operational costs: Cost-price are lower

Cleaning / CIP


TEC Square provides special solutions for CIP and/or cleaning. We aim to:
  • Minimise product losses. We recuperate whatever is possible before and during cleaning.
  • Minimise water usage
  • Shorten and minimise CIP time

  • Reduced water usage: We reuse water where we can.
  • Less losses: We rather recuperate product before cleaning.
  • Less wastewater: Less cleaning means less wastewater and lower BOD’s.
TEC Square Project Management SL
TEC Square SL

Calle Sebastian Souviron 18, Atico 2
29005 Malaga
Spain
Tel: +34 (664) 389873

TEC Square BV
TEC Square Electrical BV

De Biestraat 18
4751 HC Oud Gastel
The Netherlands
Tel: +34 (664) 389873

TEC Square Solutions Inc.

Zuellig Avenue, NRA
Mandaue City, Cebu,
The Philippines, 6014
Tel: +63 (32) 5205899

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