Suitability approach in industry, safety view & cost:

SUITABILITY APPROACH OF TRAY DRYER IN FOOD INDUSTRY

Tray dryers are generally can be used on a smaller to large scale batch drying of solid foods
and it is around 2000 to 20 000 kg per day. Tray dryer are affordable and most cost-effective
choice for small scale production. Also, easy to build and consist of a closed compartment in
which are placed trays containing the food to be dried (Figure 1).

Inside of a tray dryer, moisture or solvent is removed from the wet materials by passing hot
air through the airspace between the trays. In some cases, these dryers can be operated
under vacuum; in those instances, lower heating-air temperatures also can be used. Tray
drying equipment typically consists of a cabinet with shelves of perforated trays or screens, a
means to heat the air, and a fan to circulate moisture away from the product, unless the
environment is arid enough to allow convection alone to move air. Conduction oil, steam, hot
water, or electricity can all be used as a heating source of tray dryer. Most of the heated air
in the box circulates, resulting in good thermal efficiency and energy savings. It is because to
lengthen the service life, therefore operation of drying become is more convenient.
Generally, the operation of tray dryer is balanced, and temperature regulation is accurate.
Besides of the simple Installation and maintenance, tray dryer also has a wide range of
applications and can dry a variety of materials, making it a versatile piece of drying
equipment.
Therefore, tray drying is ideal for industry that involves with food product such as fruits,
vegetables, herbs, and spices. The advantages tray dryer is valuable products can be
handled efficiently without loss, especially using the truck tray. Besides, each batch is
treated as separate entity and batch size can be small or less per batch.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Tray dryer must be handled with care as their parts required the use of high temperatures
and pressures. Tray dryer can pose fire and burn hazards to the user and the area around it.
Therefore, potential hazards such as fire hazard and burn hazard must be prevent with
precautions step. Fire hazard can occur when plastic that are not made to withstand high
temperature are putting into the machine and potentially cause of melt and ignite the fire to
the equipment itself. To prevent the fire hazard, make sure the material is safe to use at high
temperature when unloading the items. Next, burn hazard commonly happen when loading
and unloading items. Always be cautious of hot surface and make sure to keep face, body
and hands away from escaping heat and steam while opening the door of the dryer. Another
useful safety precautions are listed as below;

 Always be conscious of doing and adhere to necessary safety precautions.

 Do not overwork the machine.
 Do not exceed the recommended operating temperatures.
 Mercury thermometers should not be used to monitor the temperature inside the
oven because fracture can result in an inadvertent leak and exposure to mercury.
 Do not use an extension cable to connect devices.
 If the dryer model has an exposed heating element on the bottom, don't put anything
on the shelf that might fall on the hot element.
 Regularly check that the equipment is in good working order

Operation and Cleaning Guide

Most of tray dryers used in the industry feature of a heated cabinet holding a rack of trays
(Luzik et al., 2016). Heat can be supplied by burning a fuel, such as natural gas, or by
electrical supply. Semi-automatic tray dryers are also available for drying huge amounts of
material. These, on the other hand, are commonly employed in the manufacturing of dried
fruit and vegetables and incorporate a mechanism that allows the lowest tray in the drying
cabinet to be removed (once the material on the tray is dry), allowing the upper trays to be
lowered. In all cases of tray dryer, the basic method of operation and procedure for cleaning
the machine is the same.

Operation steps

1. Check that the dryer is clean before starting it.

2. Make sure the main switch is turned off.

3. Load the items to be dried onto the trays and shut the door tightly.

4. Set the temperature according to the BMR and switch on the power.

5. Start the heater and the blower.

6. Run the dryer for the specified amount of time to achieve the desired level of drying.

Cleaning

1. Turn off the tray dryer switch.

2. Remove the "under use" label and replace it with a "to be cleaned" label.

3. Remove the dust from the body of the dryer cabinet with a dry duster.

4. Remove all of the trays from the inside and set them in the washing area.

5. Ascertain that all dried material has been removed.

6. Clean each tray with potable water, then scrub with a nylon scrubber and an
appropriate surfactant, such as 0.1 percent Teepol solution.

7. 5 litres of potable water, followed by 3 litres of filtered water, should be used to clean
each tray.

8. Using a compressed air blower, remove the water.

9. Using a lint-free dry cloth, dry all trays.

Luzik, S. J., PE, & CFEI. (2016, April 1). Strategies to manage the risk of fire and explosions inside

drying equipment. Process Heating | For manufacturing engineers who use heat processing

equipment and supplies. https://www.process-heating.com/articles/91471-strategies-to-

manage-the-risk-of-fire-and-explosions-inside-drying-equipment

Sanderson, A. (2018, November 16). Tray dryers for drying wet, sticky or granulated products. LFA

Tablet Presses | Pill Presses | Excipients |

Parts. https://www.lfatabletpresses.com/articles/tray-dryers

Vacuum drying chamber, fruits and vegetables vacuum drying machines, vacuum drying oven price.

(n.d.). Ribbon Blender, Powder Mixer Machine, Food Grade Dry Powder Mixer

Supplier. https://www.wtgrinderline.com/hot-air-tray-plate-dryer/ct-c-hot-air-tray-plate-

dryer.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw--

GFBhDeARIsACH_kdYjmshWFYTaTekpYeKrLFS47TUQKWhICWeEdFeNNVGq8NuRv

wuPwEQaAmj8EALw_wcB