SPRAY DRYING

CONTENTS

1. Fundamentals
2. Objective and application
3. Equipments
4. Transformations of raw materials
5. Technological factors
6. Spray drying systems in food industry

Van Viet Man LE Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 1

SPRAY DRYING
1. Fundamentals
Drying: elimination of water from raw material (solid)
by heating. Driving force:
 Difference in moisture
 Difference in vapor pressure
Spray drying: raw material in the liquid form (solution/
suspension); product in the form of powder
Concept “Powder”

Van Viet Man LE Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 2

SPRAY DRYING
1. Fundamentals
Advantages:
 Drying time

 Product quality (Nutritional and sensory characteristics)

 Automation

Van Viet Man LE Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 3

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 SPRAY DRYING
1. Fundamentals
Disadvantages:
 Type of raw material and product
Example:
 Raw material with high viscosity
 Product density
 Specificity of spray dryer
 Capital investment

Van Viet Man LE Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 4

SPRAY DRYING
1. Fundamentals
Spray drying procedure: 3 steps
 Atomization

 Mixing atomized sample with drying agent

 Product recovery

Van Viet Man LE Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 5

SPRAY DRYING
2. Objective and application
Objective:
 Processing

 Preservation

Van Viet Man LE Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 6

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 SPRAY DRYING
2. Objective and application

Application:
 Dairy processing (milk powder, whey powder)
 Tea and coffee processing (instant tea and coffee)
 Fruit and vegetable processing (instant fruit and
vegetable powder)
 Cereal processing (maltodextrin)
 Others (egg powder, yeast extract, peptone…)

Van Viet Man LE Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 7

SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments
Spray dryer:
 Spray-forming device
 Drying chamber
 Air heating device
 Fan
 Product recovery device

Van Viet Man LE Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 8

SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments
Spray-forming device:
Objective: atomization of sample

 Surface of heat transfer and drying rate

 Product size

3 types of spray-forming devices

Van Viet Man LE Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 9

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 SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments
Spray-forming device
Pressure nozzle

 Principle
 P= 5-7MPa
 Spray angle: 40-140o
 Productivity: 100L/h

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 10

SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments
Spray-forming device
Pneumatic nozzle/ two fluid
nozzle

 Principle
 Spray angle: 20-60o
 Productivity: 1t/h
 0.5m3 compressed air for 1kg
feed

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 11

SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments
Spray-forming device
Rotary/ wheel atomizer

 Principle

 Angular speed: 10.000 – 30.000rpm

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 12

4
 SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments
Spray-forming device
Rotary/ wheel atomizer

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 13

SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments
Spray-forming device
Rotary/ wheel atomizer

 Spray angle: 180o

 Productivity: 200t/h
 Note: suspension feed

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 14

SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments
Spray-forming device
Comparison

Spray-forming Energy for atomization

device 250kg/h 500kg/h 1t/h 2t/h

Pressure nozzle 0,4 1,6 2,5 4,0

(3-5MPa)
Two fluid nozzle 10 20 40 80
(Pair = 0,3MPa)
Rotary atomizer 8,0 15,0 25,0 30,0

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 15

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 SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments
Spray-forming device
Comparison

 Size of drying chamber

 Suspension
 Feed with high viscosity

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 16

SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments
Spray-forming device
Multi-nozzle

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 17

SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments
Drying chamber

Cylindrical vessel with conical bottom

3 cases:
 Co-current contact
 Counter current contact
 Mixed flow contact

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 18

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 SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments
Drying chamber

F: Feed; G: Drying agent; P: Product

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 19

SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments
Drying agent: hot air

Fuel for air heating: steam, oil, gas, electrics

Food industry:
 Temperature of inlet air: 150-250oC
 Temperature difference between fuel and hot air: 10oC

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 20

SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments
Product recovery device
Principle: dry cyclone separator, wet scrubbers, bag
filters, electrostatic precipitators

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 21

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 SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments

Fan
Spray drying system with 1 fan: for product recovery
Spray drying system with 2 fans:
 Air heating device
 Product recovery device

Regulation of feed retention time in the

drying chamber

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 22

SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments

Fan
Other systems:
 2 cyclones for product recovery
 Product transportation

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 23

SPRAY DRYING
3. Equipments

1. Drying chamber;
2. Air compressor;
3. Feed tank;
4. Pump;
5. Spray forming
device;
6. Main cyclone;
7. Transport system
cyclone
8. Air suction fans
and filters

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 24

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 SPRAY DRYING
4. Transformation of raw material

- Retention time of feed in the drying chamber: up to

20s
- Physical: temperature
- Chemical: Maillard reaction, oxidation…
- Physico-chemical:
 Evaporation of water and volatile compounds
 Formation of product powder
- Biochemical and biological

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 25

SPRAY DRYING
5. Technological factors
- Concentration of soluble substances in feed
 Impact on feed viscosity
 Impact on drying energy
- Temperature of drying agent
- Size, number and trajectory of atomized droplets in
the drying chamber
 Rotary atomizer: 1-600 micrometer
 Pressure nozzle: 10-800 micrometer
 Two fluid nozzle: 5-300 micrometer

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 26

SPRAY DRYING
5. Technological factors
Surface of heat transfer

V (m3) Ddroplet Number of S droplet S total (m2)

droplets
1 1,234m 1 3,14m2 3,14
1 1cm 1,986*106 3,14cm2 623,6
1 1mm 1,986*109 3,14mm2 6.236
1 100µm 1,986*1012 31.400µm2 62.360
1 1µm 1,986*1018 3,14µm2 6.236.000

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 27

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 SPRAY DRYING
5. Technological factors

Other factors:
 Feed flow

 Chemical composition of feed…

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 28

SPRAY DRYING
6. Spray drying systems in food industry
- Moisture content of instant powder in food industry
- Single stage drying
- Two-stage drying

Inlet temperature of drying agent

Energy consumption

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 29

SPRAY DRYING
6. Spray drying systems in food industry
Spray dryer with fluid bed attachment

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 30

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 SPRAY DRYING
6. Spray drying systems in food industry
Spray dryer with integrated belt

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 31

SPRAY DRYING
6. Spray drying systems in food industry
Techniques applied to spray drying
 Increase in size of particle powder

 Lecithinization

 Microencapsulation

Van Viet Man LE

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology 32

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