INDUSTRIAL DRYERS

ME116P
INDUSTRIAL PLANT
ENGINEERING

WEEKS 8 & 9
2020-2021/2T

Prepared by:
Engr. Manuel B. Rustria
January 28, 2021
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 Objectives
 Define industrial dryer.
 Describe the classification and types of dryers and their
applications.
 Analyze dryer systems by applying the basic principles of mass
and energy balances in the problem.
 Solve problems involving dryers.

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 Definition of Terms
 INDUSTRIAL DRYERS are machines used to efficiently process
large quantities of bulk materials that need reduced moisture
levels.
 DRYING is the process of removing relatively small amounts
of water or other liquid from the solid material.

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 Classification of Dryer
Drying equipment is classified in different ways, according to
design and operating features. It can be classified based on the
mode of operation as,
A. CONTINUOUS DRYER; and
B. BATCH DRYER.

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 Classification of Dryer
A. CONTINUOUS DRYER (examples: rotary dryer, drum dryer,
flash dryer, fluidized bed dryer and screen conveyor dryer.)
 The term continuous drying is where grain is continuously
flowing though a dryer without stopping.
 The dryer itself has the same features as that of the mixed
grain dryer. However, it requires several buffer bins for
holding the discharged grain. The operator for the
continuous flow dryer must have knowledge of grain drying
management to programme the dryer to operate at its
maximum efficiency.
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 Classification of Dryer
 The continuous drying system offers the lowest operating
costs as compared to batch drying systems. Furthermore, a
uniform grain moisture content after drying is obtained,
and the drying capacity of the continuous flow dryer is
higher than that of the mixing grain batch dryer if the
same dryer and drying conditions are used.
 Continuous flow drying is usually employed in relatively
large grain complexes. The system can handle a large
quantity of grain, and offer greater flexibility for drying
operations.
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 Classification of Dryer
B. BATCH DRYER (examples: tray dryer, pan dryer, and agitated vacuum
dryer.)
 a system at which a certain volume of grain is being dried at a time.
 The volume is fixed by the holding capacity of a dryer, and dried to
required moisture.
 After unloading the dried grain from the dryer, then drying for the
next batch of grain can be performed.
 Batch drying, therefore, requires loading and unloading time for
each batch of grain needed to be dried.

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 Types of Dryer
1. ROTARY DRYER
The most commonly used dryer which consists of a rotating
cylinder inside which the materials flow while getting in
contact with the hot gases. The cylinder is tilted at a slight
angle and fitted with lifting flights. Rotary dryer is used for
copra, sand, and wood chips.

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 Types of Dryer

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 Types of Dryer
2. TOWER DRYER
A type of dryer that has a vertical shaft in which the wet
feed is introduced at the top and falls downward over
baffles while coming in contact with the hot air which rises
and exhausts at the top. Tower dryer is used for palay,
wheat, and grains.

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 Types of Dryer
3. HEARTH DRYER
A type of dryer in which
the material to be dried is
supported on a floor
through which the hot
gases pass. Hearth dryer
is used for copra, coal, and
enamel wares.

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 Types of Dryer
4. CENTRIFUGAL DRYER
A type of dryer that has a centrifuge revolving at high
speeds causing the separation, by centrifugal force, of
water from the material. Centrifugal dryer is used for
drying fertilizer, salt, and sugar.

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 Types of Dryer
5. TRAY DRYER
A type of dryer that has trays carrying the materials to be
dried, placed in a compartment or moving conveyor. Tray
dryer is used for ipil-ipil leaves, and grains.

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 Types of Dryer
6. INFRARED RAY DRYER
A type of dryer that has infrared lamps in which rays are
directed to the articles to be dried. Infrared ray dryer is
used for drying painted articles like cars.

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 Drying Paramaters
 Hygroscopic materials are substances which are particularly
 

variable in the moisture content which they can posses at

different times.
 Bone dry weight (Bdw) or dry weight is the final constant weight
reached by a hygroscopic substance after being dried out.
 Regain is the hygroscopic moisture content of a substance
expressed as a percentage of the bone-dry weight of the
material.
Regain =
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 Drying Parameters
 Moisture content is expressed as a percentage of the gross
 

weight of the body, and may refer to both hygroscopic and purely
surface moisture.
Moisture content =

Gross weight = bone-dry weight + weight of moisture

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 Drying System Typical Layout

humid air
m3 3

steam
fresh air heated air 4
ma DRYING
CHAMBER wet feed
1 2
m4
heater
ms 5
dried product
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 Dryer Performance
 
1. Moisture removed from materials = moisture absorbed by
air
= ma (W3 – W2)
= m 4 – m5
2. Bone dry weight of wet feed = bone dry weight of dried
product
Bdw4 = Bdw5
3. Heat supplied in heater = ma(h2 – h1)
4. Efficiency of dryer =
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 Problem
1. The temperature of the air in a dryer is maintained constant by the
use of steam coils within the dryer. The product enters the dryer
at the rate of one metric ton per hour. The initial moisture
content is 3 kg moisture per kg of dry solid and will be dried to
moisture content of 0.10 kg moisture per kg of dry solid. Air
enters the dryer with a humidity ratio of 0.016 kg moisture per kg
of dry air and leaves with a relative humidity of 100% while the
temperature remains constant at 60°C. If the total pressure of
the air is 101.325 kPaa, determine the capacity of the forced
draft fan to handle this air in m3/min. Answer: 85.75 m3/min

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 Problem
2. Wet material containing 215% moisture (dry basis) is to be dried at
the rate of 1.5 kg/s in a continuous dryer to give a product
containing 5% moisture (wet basis). The drying medium consists
of air heated at 373 K and containing water vapor equivalent to a
partial pressure of 1.40 kPa. The air leaves the dryer at 310 K
and 70% saturated. Calculate how much air will be required to
remove the moisture. Answer: ma = 49.48 kg/s

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 Problem
3. A dryer is to deliver 1,000 kg/hour of palay with a final moisture
content of 10%. The initial moisture content in the feed is 15% at
atmospheric condition with 32°C dry bulb and 21°C wet bulb. The
dryer is maintained at 45°C while the relative humidity of the hot
humid air from the dryer is 80%. If the steam pressure supplied to
the heater is 2 MPaa, determine:
a) amount of palay supplied to the dryer in kg/hr and the
temperature of the hot humid air from the dryer in °C.
b) air supplied to the dryer in m3/hr. Answer: Va = 1332.25 m3/hr
c) heat capacity of the heater in kW; and
d) steam supplied to the heater in kg/hr.
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 Problem
4. Copra enters a dryer containing 60% water and 40% of solids leaves
with 5% water and 95% solids. Find the weight of water removed
based on each pound of original product. Answer: weight of
water removed = 0.58 lb

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 Problem
5. A rotary dryer fired with bunker oil having HHV = 10, 000 kcal/kg is
to produce 20 MT/hr of dried sand with 0.5% moisture from wet
feed containing 7% moisture. Specific heat of sand is 0.21 BTU/lb-°F.
Temperature of wet sand is 30 °C and temperature of dried product
is 115 °C. Calculate:
a) Weight of wet feed in kg/hr;
b) Weight of water removed in kg/hr;
c) Heat required in kW; and
d) Volume of bunker oil in liters per hr if specific gravity of bunker oil
is 0.9 and dryer efficiency is 60%.

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 Problem

6. A dryer is to deliver 0.3 kg/s of cassava with 2% moisture and

20% moisture in the feed. Determine the mass of air required in
kg/hr if the change in humidity ratio is 0.0165 kg vapor/kg dry air.

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 Reference
Francisco, Jose R. (2006), Guidebook in AIR
CONDITIONING – Analysis and Design, C& E Publishing
House.

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 END.

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