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THE DESIGN OF FLIGHTS IN CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS

a
C.G.J. Baker
a
Engineering Sciences Division , Harwell Laboratory , Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 ORA,
England
Published online: 27 Apr 2007.

To cite this article: C.G.J. Baker (1988) THE DESIGN OF FLIGHTS IN CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS, Drying Technology: An
International Journal, 6:4, 631-653, DOI: 10.1080/07373938808916402

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 DRYING TECHNOLOGY, 6(4), 631-653 (1988)

THE DESIGN OF FLIGHTS IN CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS

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C.G.J. Baker*
Engineering Sciences Division, Harwell Laboratory,
Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 ORA, England.

KEY WORDS AND PHRASES

Particulates; holdup; cascade characteristics; flight

geometry; flight spacing.

ABSTRACT

In designing cascading rotary dryers, it is important to size

the flights correctly in order to ensure that they can adequately
accommodate the contents of the drum. A set of equations has been
derived to calculate the solids holdup on angular and extended-
circular flights in such dryers. Three examples of the practical
use of these equations are presented. These include estimation of
the design holdup of the dryer, selection of the number of
flights, and exploration of the flight cascade characteristics.

INTRODUCTION

A typical cascading rotary dryer is illustrated schematically

in Figure 1. It consists basically of a cylindrical shell
inclined at a small angle to the horizontal. Wet feed is
introduced into the upper end and dried product withdrawn at the

* Present address: RlR4 Research and Engineering Ltd..

The Lord Rank Research Centre, Lincoln Road, High Wycombe,
Bucks. HP12 3QR, England.

Copyrisht (b 1988 by Marcel Dckkcr,Inc.

 BAKER
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product
.FIGURE 1 Typical cascading rotary dryer.

FIGURE 2 End view of rotary dryer showing cascading solids.

 CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS

lower end. Transportation of the solids through the dryer is

assisted by slowly rotating the shell. Lifting flights are.
employed to shower the drying solids through a stream of hot air
or combustion gasee (Figure 2). Cocurrent or countercurrent flow
can he employed depending on the properties of the material being
dried.
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Lifting flights come in a variety of designs as described by

Bnker (1983). In designing rotary dryers. it is important to size
the flights correctly in order to ensure that they can accommodate
adequately the contents of the dryer. At present, flight
capacities are commonly estimated from scale drawings. This
technique is both time consuming and expensive in terms of
drafting effort.

In the present paper, equations are described which may be

used to calculate the holdup on a flight in terms of its geometry
and position, the angle of repose of the solids, and the size and
rotational speed of the drum. Both angled and extended-circular
flights ere covered in this report. C o m o n varieties of angled
flight include the straight flight (Figure 3a), the 120'-angled
flight (Figure 3b) and the right-angled flight (Figure 3c). The
extended-circular flight is illustrated in Figure 3d. In such
flights, the centre of curvature of the lip lies on a line
perpendicular to the straight stem and originating at the point st
which the stem and lip meet.

The only similar equations published to date are those of

Glikin (1978). These apply only to right-angled flights. The
present equations are therefore far more general in their
applicability.
 BAKER

Not to scale
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( a ) Straight Flight (bl 120' Angled Flight

(cI Right -angled Flight ( d l Extended -circular

Flight

FIGURE 3 Typical flight profiles.

 CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS

DESCRIPTION OF THE EQUATIONS

Introduction

Figure 4 illustrates a typical flight and its contents at

three positions in the upper half of the drum. In this figure,
and in the subsequent analysis, 0 is the angle subtended by the
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tip of the flight with the horizontal at the centre of the drum.
The angle formed by the free surface of the solids on the flight
with the horizontal is denoted by 6 and the drum radius by R.

The flight in position .(a) is filled to its design (maximum)

capacity at 0 = 0". As the dryer rotates, the solids
progressively cascade from the lip of the flight until it
eventually empties at a characteristic value of 0 which is
normally less than 180". Positions (b) and (c) on Figure &.denote
the partially-filled flight and the flight on the point of
emptying, respectively. The volumetric holdup of material per
unit length of flight is equal to the cross-sectional area of the
material, taken perpendicularly to the drum axis. This ares,
which is a function of the angle 0 through which the flight bas
rotated, can be calculated using the equations presented in this
paper. Their full derivation is not presented but can be obtained
upon application to the author.

The angle $ can he obtained from a balance of the

gravitational, centrifugal and frictional forces acting on a
particle which is about to fall from a flight. Schofield and
Glikin (1962) derived the following equation to calculate $:

-
6 = :- "
+ 0 (COS 0 r sin 0
(sin 0 + p cos 0;

where p = dynamic coefficient of friction of s granule as it

slides dovn the surface of like granules
 BAKER
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FIGURE 4 Passage of a typical flight around drum

circumference.

FIGURE 5 Illustration of a wedge.

 CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS 637

v = ratio of centripetal to gravitational forces, re w 2/g

r
e
= radius of flight tip, m
w = rotational speed, rad/s
g = acceleration due to gravity, m/s 2 .
Porter (1963) and Kelly (1968) tested the validity of equation (1)
and found it to hold for values of v up to about 0.4. In practice
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rotary dryers are commonly operated in the range 0.0025 < v < 0.04
(Glikin, 1978). Consequently, this equation can be regarded as
giving acceptably accurate results over the range of practical
importance. It should be stressed, however, that this equation
was only tested'for freely-flowing solids. It cannot be expected
to hold for wet, sticky materials which adhere to the flights.

In order to evaluate the holdup, it was necessary to derive a

general formula to calculate the area of a 'wedge1 (see Figure 5).
This is bounded by a radius of the drum, a chord from the
perimeter of the drum cutting that radius, and the arc between the
radiua and the chord. Its area is:

Here x is the intersection length along the radius and o is the

angle (in radians) between the radius and the chord.

Angled Flights

The geometry of an angled flight is defined by the lengths of

its stem L and lip L', the drum radius R and the angles a and $
(see Figure 6). In most practical cases, a, the angle between the
flight stem and the tangent to the drum at their point of inter-
section, is 90'. The angle $ between the stem and the lip
 BAKER
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FIGURE 6 Definition of an angled flight.

commonly ranges between 90" and 180". The characteristic a n g h s I

end 8 are dependent only on the flight geometry and are given by
the equations:

I R cos a
a sin-' [ I (3)
-
( R ~ PRL sin or + ~ ~ ) f

L' sin ($ + 1)
0 = tan-1 [
L' cos ($ + I) + (R
2 - 2RL sin a + L2) .

Note that when a = 90°, I is zero. Also, when a is obtuse,

equation (3) yields a negative value of I.
 CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS 639

As the angle 6 increases, the cross-section of the solids on

the flight will take up three different geometrical shapes as
illustrated in Figures 7s-c. Two cases have been defined in order
to calculate the areas depicted in these figures. For each, an
equation has been derived to calculate the area of any feasible
shape existing within the limits of that case. Case 1 brackets
both those shapes illustrated in Figures 7a, b. Case'2 applies in
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the situation depicted in Figure 7c. The following constraints

define the limits of the two cases:

Introduction of material into flight

Case 1 {
Coincidence of C with D
Case 2 {
Flight empties (coincidence of C with A)

Case 1: This is illustrated in Figures 78, b. It applies for

(0-#)<(6-#)T1, where

(0-#),, = n-(WX-8)-sin -1 [ L sin @ 1 (5)

(L+
~ ct2- 2LL1 cos Ip)*
In this and subsequent equations, all angles are expressed in
radians.

The holdup on the flights is equal to the area DABC

(Figures 7a, b). This may be calculated from the following
equation:

.Area ,Area of sector - Area of - Area of + Area of

(6)
DABC SOT A BOA wedge DAT wedge BSC

The expressions from which the component areas of equation (6) may
be calculated are summarised in Table 1. Note that equation (2)
is an odd function with respect to the angle a. Thus, in the
situation shown in Figure 78 (a = 0-0>0), the area of wedge BSC is
a positive quantity. However, in the case depicted in Figure 7b,
 BAKER

(a1 Case 1
19 < pl)
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l b ) Case 1
(8 > 4 )

F 0

(cl Case, 2 '

F 0
FIGURE 7 Passage of an angled flight around the drum
circumference.
 CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS

TABLE 1

Calculation of Areas

Figure No(s) Area

Sector SOT 8R2/2

Triangle BOA L" sin (@+if+) sin ($+if)/? sin
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Wedge DAT WEDGE [R, R-L' sin ($+if-B)/sin 8

if1
Wedge BSC WEDGE [R, R-L' sin ($+if)/sin 8,
(*-8) 1
Triangle ABC ~ r~ sin (8-$+if+-8)/
L ' sin
2 sin (8-$+if+)

Segment AHB Ll2 (2n-2$ + sin (2$))/8 sin2 $

Segment BHC L" (E -

sin e)/8 sin2
where c = 2(2~-2+8+$-if+6)

a = $-8<0 and the area of BSC calculated from equation (2) is also
negative. Thus, equation (6) holds equally for both these cases.

Case 2: This is illustrated in Figure 7c. It applies for

(8-+)T1<(8-$)<(8-+)T2. The upper limit defines the point at which
the flight completely empties. It is given by:

The holdup in this case is simply equal to the area of d ABC

(Figure 7c). It may be calculated from the appropriate equation
given in Table 1.

Extended-Circular Flights

The geometry of an extended-circular flight is normally

defined by the length of its stem L, the radius of its curved lip
 BAKER
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FIGURE 8 Alternative definitiona of an extended-circular

flight.

r and the characteristic angles a and 6 (Figure 8a). Again, a is

generally 90'. However, in order to maintain an analogy with
angled flights, it is more convenient to define the geometry in
terms of L. L', a and IJ as shown in Figure 8b. It can be shown
that

L' = r sin 6
cos (612)
 CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS 643

Three possible situations need to be considered in order to

calculate the solids holdup on extended-circular flights. These
are illustrated in Figures 9a-d. The limits of each are as
follows:

Introduction of material into flight

Case 1 {
Coincidence of C with D
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Case 2 {
Coincidence of C with A
Case 3 {
Flight empties (coincidence of C with B).

Case 1: This applies in the situations depicted in Figure 98, b.

It is analogous to Case 1 for the angled flights and applies for
(O-#)<(O-#)T1, where is again given by equation (5).

The holdup per unit length of flight (ares DAHBC. Figure 9a,
b) is given by:

Area = Area of - Area of - Area of + Area of + Area 06

(10)
DAHBC sector A BOA wedge wedge segment
SOT DAT BSC AHB

As may be seen, equation (10) differs from equation (6) only as a

result of the inclusion of an additional term. The value of the
latter may also be calculated from the equation given in Table 1.
The area of wedge BSC can also be positive or negative depending
on the sign of (#-0).

-
Case 2: This is also analogous to Case 2 for the angled flights
and is illustrated in Figure 9c. It applies for
(0-6) T1<(0-#)<(8-#)T2; the limiting values of (0-#) are again
given by equations (5) and (7).

In this case, the flight holdup per unit length is

Area = Area + Area of segment

AHBC A ABC AHB
Downloaded by [University of Cambridge] at 21:41 26 December 2014

Ibl Case1 l8>#1

Id Case 2

Id1 Case 3

FIGURE 9 Passage'of an extended-circular flight around the drum

circumference.
 CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS 645

Table 1 lists the equations necessary to calculate both terms on

the right hand side of equation (11).

Case 3: This case is illustrated in Figure 9d. It applies

between the limits (0-$)T2<(8-$)<(03)T3. The upper limit of
(0-6) corresponds to the point at which the extended-circular
flight empties and is given by
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The holdup per unit length is equal to the area of the

segment BHC. This may be calculated from the equation given in
Table 1.

APPLICATION OF THB EQUATIONS

The equations summarised in this paper may be employed as an

aid in the design of rotary dryers. It is envisaged that they
will be used principally for the following purposes:

1. Estimation of the design holdup of a rotary dryer.

2. Selection of the number of flights to be incorporated

into a given dryer.

3. Exploration of the cascading characteristics of

different flights.

Examples of these applications are described below. In Cases (1)

and (3). the flight holdups were calculated using a Fortran
computer program (FLIHBL) available to companies subscribing to
the Separation Processes Service.
 BAKER

Estimation of the Design Holdup of a-Rotary-Dryer

In order to illustrate the use of the above equations to

calculate drum holdup, we will consider a rotary dryer having the
same characteristics as that described by Glikin (1978). These
are listed in Table 2. The design holdups h*-on.the individual
flights in the upper half of the drum are calculated using FLIH0L.
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The holdup is first determined for 0 = .'0 This angle is then

incremented by 360124 = 15' and the calculation repeated. This
process continues until the flight holdup drops to zero. At this
point, the run is terminated.

The results of the calculation are listed in Table 3 below.

These are in excellent agreement with those obtained by
Glikin (1978). This author argued that, in a design-loaded dryer,
the holdup on any particular flight in the lower half of the drum
is the mirror image of that in the flight positioned vertically
above it in the upper half. Provided n is an even number, the
f
total holdup in the flights of a design-loaded drum is therefore

where h
0
* is the value of h* at 0 = OO.

In the present case.

In order to ensure complete fillage of the flights, most

dryers contain a somewhat greater quantity of solids than the
design load. The difference between the actual and design loads
in the drum is termed the overfill. Assuming a 10% overfill in
the present case:
 CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS

TABLE 2

Rotary Dryer Characteristics

Drum diameter (D) 3.04 m

Flight stem length (L) 0.250 m

Flight lip length (L') 0.152 m

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Angle a 90'

Angle @ 90'

Speed of rotation (N) 1.8 rpm

Coefficient of friction (p) 0.60

Number of flights (nf) 24

TABLE 3

Result of Flight Holdup Calculations

Flight Number

10
 BAKER

Selection of the Number of Flights

The number of flights in a rotary dryer should generally be

as large as possible in order to maximize the drum holdup and
thereby make the most effective use of the dryer volume. A
possible criterion for selecting the maximum number of flights
(nmax) to be installed in the dryer is illustrated in Figure 10.
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Here points C and D' coincide. Under these conditions, the solids
contained in the fullest flight (at 9 = )'0 just impinge on the
flight above. The angular spacing between flights is then

As may be seen in the figure:

where B can be calculated from equation (4). The angles C1 and C2

are given by

zl -
L' sin ($ + 1) sin $o
$o - sin-' [
R sin 13 I (16)

C2 = cos-1 R - L sin a
(17)
[(R 2 - 2R L sin or + L2)* 1

where #0 is the value of $ at 0 = .'0

By way of an example, consider the dryer described in

Table 2. The following results are obtained:

From equation (I), e0 = 31.2'

From equation (4), B = 6.8'
From equation (16). c1 = 5.3'
From equation (17), C2 = '0
 CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS
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FIGURE 10 Criterion for selecting number of flights.

Therefore, from equations (15) and (14):

'i,min = 12.10
and

n = 360°/12.1 = 29.75
max

Perry and Chilton (1974) have indicated that the number of flights
in most rotary dryers ranges from 6.6D to 9.8D, where D is the
drum diameter in metres. This ampirical formula, which is videly
used in practice, indicates that, in the present case, the number
of flights should lie between 20.and 28. The predictions of the
two methods,are therefore in excellent agreement.
 650 BAKER
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FIGURE 11 Plots of h*/ho* versus 0 for various values of tP

(angled flight).

Flight Cascade Characteristics

The profile of a flight will determine the manner in which

solids are shed from it as it traverses the diameter in the upper
half of the drum. The equations derived in this paper may be used
to investigate how the holdup on the flight varies with the angle
0. A computer program again based on FLIH0L was used for this
purpose.

Figures 1l.and 12 illustrate typical plots of the fractional

holdup h*/ho* against 0 for angled and extended-circular flights
respectively. As may be seen, the angle rp between the stem aid
the lip affects both the cascade distribution pat-tern and the
range over which cascading occurs. In contrast, similar plots
 CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS 651

-
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*o
r - -
;*
-
-
-
-
100 120 1LO 160 180
.. 8, Degrees

FIGURE 12 Plots of h*/ho* versus 0 for various values of 9

(extended-circular flight).

(not shown) demonstrate that the value of 0 at which casc.ading

ceases is relatively insensitive to the dimensions L and L'.
However, both these parameters have a significant effect on the
rate at which solids are shed from the flight at different points
in the cycle. The speed of rotation of the drum and the
coefficient of friction have relatively small effects on the
distribution pattern. A comparison of correspanding plots
illustrates that the range over which cascading occurs is somewhat
greater with extended-circular flights than with angular flights.

CONCLUSIONS

(1) A set of equations.has been derived which may be used to

calculate the holdup of angled and extended-circular flights in
 652 BAKER

'rotary dryers given the diameter and rotational speed of thedrum,

the flisht geometry and the-dynamic coefficient of friction of the
solids.

(2) Three examples of practical applications of the equations are

presented. These.include calculation of the individual flight and
drum holdups, estimation of the number of flights to be fitted
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into a given dryer and, finally, exploration of flight cascade

characteristics.

NOMENCLATURE

D Drum diameter, m
2
8 Acceleration due to gravity, m/s
3
h* Design holdup of flight, m /m
3
Design holdup of flight at 0 = 0 ° , m-/m
hO*
3
H Actual holdup of drum, q /m
H* Design holdup of drum,.m3/m
L Length of flight stem, m
L' Length of flight lip, m
Number of flights, -
f
n Maximumnumber of flights. -
max
N Rotational speed of drum, rpm
Radius of curved lip of extended-circular flight, m
r Radius of flight tip, m
e
R Radius of drum, m
X ~dtersection length along a radius, m
a Angle between flight stem and tangent to drum at their
point of intersection, radians or degrees
0 Angle subtended by'flight lip at centre of drum, radians or
degrees
II Angle between flight stem and radius passing through point
of intersection between flight stem and lip, radians or
degrees
6 Angle subtended by curved lip-of extended-circular flight
at its centre, radians or degrees
 CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS 653

t Angle subtended by surface of solids in curved lip of

extended-circular flight at centre of lip, radians or
degrees
0 Angle subtended by tip of flight with horizontal at centre
of drum, radians or degrees
Minimum angular spacing betweenflights, radians or degrees
i' ,min
Ir Dynamic coefficient of friction of a granule on a surface
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of like granules, -
v Ratio of centripetal to gravitational forces, -
Angle defined in Figure 10, radians or degrees
c1
Angle defined in Figure 10, radians or degrees
g2
d Angle between radius and chord, radians or degrees
$ Angle between surface of solids in flight and horizontal,
radians or degrees
Value of $ at 0 = 0 ° , radians or degrees
$0
rP Angle between flight stem and lip, radians or degrees
w Rotational speed of drum, rad/s.

REFERENCES

Baker, C.G.J. (1979). Cascading rotary dryers. In: Advances in

Drying, Edit. A.S. nujumdar. Hemisphere.
Kelly, J.J. (1968). Analysis, design and operating procedures for
rotary dryers and coolers. Part 1, Flight design and granule
distribution in rotary dryers and coolers. Bull. Inst. Ind. Res.
h Standards, Z(l2). 361.

Glikin, P.G. (1978). Transport of solids through flighted rotating

drums. Trans. Inst. Chem. Engrs., 56, 120. -.
Perry, R.H. and Chilton. C.H. (1974). Ed. Chemical Engineers'
Handbook, 5th Edition. McGraw-Hill, Section 20.
Porter. S.J. (1963). The design of rotary dryers and coolers.
Trans. Inst. Chem. Engrs., 4l. 272.
Schofield. F.R. and Glikin, P.G. (1962). Rotary dryers and coolers
for granular fertilizers. Trans. Inst. Chem. Engrs., 40. 183.