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Mechanics of powder formation in spray drying

1.Design and mechanism stages
Atomization:
μ √WE Viscous Forces⁄
Oh = = ~
√ρσL RE √Inertia. Surface tension
Where
 μ is the dynamic viscosity of the liquid
 ρ is the density of the liquid
 σ is the surface tension
 L is the characteristic length scale (typically drop diameter)
 Re is the Reynolds number
 We is the Weber number

Oh, is the Ohnesorge number (dimensionless) that expresses a ratio between the Weber
number (We) and the Reynolds number (Re). μ, ρ and γ are the viscosity, density and
surface tension of the feed solution, respectively. L is the volume per unit area of the feed
droplet.

mathematical equation which expresses the relation between the droplet diameter (Dd), the
atomizer type and feed solution properties (surface tension (γ), viscosity (μ) and density
(ρ))

Dd=Kf⋅Qn[ρa⋅γb⋅μc]

Rotary atomizer Hydraulic nozzle atomizer Pneumatic nozzle

atomizer
Atomization Centrifugal Pressure Kinetic
energy
Atomization Disc speed 10,000–30,000 Nozzle pressure 250– Nozzle pressure 250–
parameters rotations per minute (rpm) 10,000 PSI 10,000 PSI
Type of spray Fine, medium, coarse Coarse, less Medium coarseness,
homogeneous poor homogeneity
Mean droplet 30–120 μm [2] 120–250 μm [2] 30–150 μm [2]
size 10–200 μm [11] 30–350 μm [11] 5–100 μm [11]
20–600 μm [4] 10–200 μm [4]

Kf , Q and n are the equipment constant, feed solution volumetric flow rate, and the power
constant of volumetric flow rate, respectively. The power constants of solution properties
are represented by a, b and c.

2.Droplet drying: moisture evaporation

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During the constant drying rate period, the evaporation of a liquid droplet with a given
diameter d, is proportional to its surface area. This is reflected in the “d2 law” a mathematical
model that expresses how the drying process is mainly controlled by the Peclet number (Pe)
∂C
=Pe⋅ C
∂r

Calculate the Peclet Number for the given details.

Velocity (v) = 5 m/s
Density (ρ) = 5 kg/m3
Heat Capacity (cp) = 10 J/kg-K
Characteristic Length (D) = 25 m
Thermal Conductivity (k) = 20 W/m-K
Apply Formula:
Pe = vρcp D/k
Peclet Number (Pe) = 937.5

C and r are the mass concentration of solid fraction and droplet radius, respectively. Peclet
number is defined by
K evaporation rate⁄
Pe=D ≈ diffusion rate
Moisture evaporation occurs at a constant rate until a critical value of the droplet water content
is reached.

In order to achieve a successful droplet-to-particle conversion, an optimization of the process

conditions is required. Regarding the drying mechanism, two major aspects have a huge impact
in the final products: the minimum temperature (TG) which allows a completely solvent
removal and the minimum residence time (t) of the particles inside the chamber that ensures a
enough drying time. TG can be predicted from an Antoine equation

Twb=K1⋅(Tb⁄K2)m log(TG)+K3
Twb and Tb are the wet-bulb temperature and the boiling temperature,
respectively. K1, K2, K3 and m are Antoine constants.

Component Details
#DDB Name CAS-No. Formula
174 Water 7732-18-5 H2O
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Antoine Equation Parameters (P in mmHg, T in °C)

No. A B C Tmin Tmax
(1) 8.07131 1730.63 233.426 1 100
(1) 8.14019 1810.94 244.485 99 374

Note: mmHg are used here with constant conversion factor 760 mmHg=101.325 kPa=14.696
psi, conversion exactly valid only for 273.15 K

Regarding t calculation, a mathematical mass balance can be defined through

t
Cm=C0(1- TD)-3/2

Cm, C0 and τD are the desired final concentration of the main component of the dried particle
after spray-drying process, the initial concentration and the maximum droplet drying time,
respectively. τD can be extrapolated from where Dd is the initial droplet diameter and K is the
evaporation rate, as stated above in

τD=Dd2
K

3. Process Parameters
(3.1. Atomization pressure)

The pressure involved during this process has an impact on droplet size. For a given atomizer
device and feed solution, droplet size decreases with increasing pressure, as expressed in the
following mathematical correlation
Df P
= (Pf) -0.3
Di i

Di and Df are the initial and final droplet sizes when the atomization pressure changed
from Pi to Pf , respectively.
In the case of rotary atomizers, droplet size exhibits an inverse relationship with wheel rotation
speed and wheel diameter
(3.2 Feed viscosity)
Df μ
= (μ f) 0.2
Di i

Di and Df are the initial and final droplet sizes when the solution viscosity changed
from μi to μf, respectively. Feed density also follows this principle
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(3.3.Glass Transition Temperature Tg)

Glass transition temperature is an important thermophysical property of amorphous polymers.
Above Tg, the material changes from a rigid glassy state to a rubberier state. Hence, this could
be related somehow with the material stickiness on the drying chamber, being therefore an
obstacle to the spray-drying process. Product agglomeration problems are, for example, one of
the major undesirable issues. The Tg of a feed solution is dependent on its solute constituents.
the Gordon-Taylor equation, expresses the Tg of a given feed solution consisting of more than
one solute
w1⋅Tg1+k⋅w2⋅Tg2
Tg= w1+k⋅w2

NOMENCLATURE

Symbol Name Unit

P Pressure psi
T Time min
Mp Weight of gm
milk powder
Mw Weight of gm
water
Mb Weight of gm
bottle
Mt Weight of gm
bottle +
recovery milk
Mm Weight of gm
recovery milk
Rd Drying rate gm/min
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APPENDIX

Sample Calculation:

Sample dry milk, Mp = 50 gm Water added, Mw = 950 gm

Weight of empty bottle, Mb = 561.5 gm
Weight of recovered milk + bottle, Mt = 571.6 gm
Recovered milk, Mm = 571.6 – 561.5 = 10.1 gm Time needed, T = 35 min
Percentage of recovery milk = (10.1 / 50) × 100 = 20.2 %
Drying rate, Rd = 950 / 35 = 27.14 gm/min

Mass balance for milk drying

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Mts,in = 1.24 × 3.83 × 10-1 = 0.47492

Mts,out = (2.92 × 10-1 × 9.55 × 10-1) / 6.67* 10-1 = 0.00418

= -0.4707

1- (2.92 × 10-1 *9.55 × 10-1) /(1.24 × 3.83 × 10-1 *6.67* 10-1)

Mloss= 11.9%

2.4 Data evaluation

2.4.1 Single‐droplet drying

Spray drying
Inlet/outlet temperature difference
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2.5.3 Camsizer XT

D90: particle diameter value at which 90% of the population resides below point D90

D10: particle diameter value at which 10% of the population resides below point D10

D50: particle diameter value at which 50% of the population resides above this point, and 50%
resides below this point

3.1.3 Empirical correlation