FLUIDIZED BED

DRYER
 Principle of Fluidization

Fluidization is a process where stationary solid particle is changed

into a dynamic fluid like state when a gas stream goes upwards into
a bed.

The gas stream negates the gravitational pull due to weight of

particles to enable the suspended state of the solid.

The resultant mixture of solids and gas behave like a liquid

and thus rightly solids are called Fluidized
 Theory Of Fluidization
a) Phenomenon of Fluidization
The stages of fluidization is mostly based on the fluid velocity
passing through the particle bed. The stages of fluidization can be
summarized as follows:

1) Static bed
2) Expanded bed
3) Mobile bed
4) Bubble formation
5) Pneumatic transport
 Theory Of Fluidization

b) Role of Fluidization Velocity

After mobile bed formation if velocity is further increased the bed
expands considerably with increase in voidage and bubble formation
occurs.
If further increase in velocity of air occurs, eventually the lifting force of
passing air blows particle out of the bed altogether leading to
Pneumatic transport .
As shown in Figure below, the velocity of the fluid through the bed
opposite to the direction of gravity determines whether the bed is fixed,
expanded, or is swept out.
This leads to the development of the concept of minimum fluidization
velocity at which the bed just begins to fluidize.

a b c

(a) Slow flow rate (b) Intermediate flow rate (c) High flow rate
Status of approach fluid velocity Type of bed formed
(VO)
Vo<Vmf Fixed bed

Vmf≥ Vo<Ut Fluidized bed

Vo ≥ Ut Mobilized bed

Where Vo is approach velocity or superficial velocity,

Vmf is the minimized fluidized velocity,
Ut is particle terminal velocity.
 Theory Of Fluidization

c) Role of Pressure Drop in Fluidization

When a fluid flows through a bed of particles in a tube, it will exert a drag
force upon the particles resulting in a pressure drop across the bed.

As the fluid’s approach velocity is increased, pressure drop is magnified.

The pressure drop across the bed, ∆p, then remains constant. (even with
further increase in the fluid velocity) and equal to the effective weight of
the bed per unit area
 Different types of Fluidized Bed
Slugging bed – A slugging bed is a fluid bed in which air bubbles
occupy entire cross sections of the vessel and divide the bed into
layers.
Boiling bed – A boiling bed is a fluid bed in which the air or gas
bubbles are approximately the same size as the solid particles.
Channeling bed – A channeling bed is a fluid bed in which the air
(or gas) forms channels in the bed through which most of the air
passes.
Spouting bed – A spouting bed is a fluid bed in which the air forms
a single opening through which some particles flow and fall to the
outside.
 FLUIDIZED BED DRYERS
The fluidized bed dryer is a machine used for fluidizing and drying
granules, pharmaceutical powders, pastes, webs, tablets, fertilizers, and
plastics.

The bed refers to the layer of suspended solid molecules. Dryer

equipment is the equipment where wet substances are dried.

In fluidized bed drying, hot air is forced through a distributor into bed at a
sufficiently high velocity to overcome the gravitational forces on the
products. When the air velocity is greater than the gravitational force and
the bed resistance, the products will suspend.
 FLUIDIZED BED DRYERS
Before drying process is conducted in fluidized bed system, it is
important to understand the system characteristics and bed behaviour
during fluidization.

The regimes of operation include:

Minimum fluidization velocity (Vmf),
Particle entrainment velocity,
Bed voidage (ɛ),
Bed pressure drop (∆Pb) and,
Superficial velocity (Vs).

Fluidized bed dryer are more suitable for the drying of fine powder
particle sizing from 10 to 2000 mm as compared to other conventional
drying methods.
 FLUIDIZED BED DRYERS

A typical fluidized bed dryer consists of the following components:

a. Air preparatory unit.
b. Product container.
c. Exhaust filter.
d. Exhaust blower.
e. Control panel.
f.  Air distribution plate.
g. Spray nozzle.
h. Solution deliver.
 FLUIDIZED BED DRYERS

Factors affecting drying processes of dryers:

-Initial moisture content of the raw material,
-Composition of raw material,
-Size, shape and arrangement of stacking of the raw material,
-Temperature, relative humidity and velocity of air used for drying,
-Rate of heat transfer on the surface of the material and,
-Pre-treatment of the raw material prior to drying.
 Parameters To Be Controlled
Parameters to be controlled in fluidized bed dryers are
1.Apparatus parameters: Those controlled by the equipment.
2.Process parameters: Those controlled by the process.
3.Product parameters: Those controlled by the product.

Apparatus Parameters
Position of the air distribution plate: This parameter influences the
pattern.
Shape of the instrument: The annular based design gives a better
product.
Nozzle height: Nozzle height plays a vital role when fluidized bed dryers
are used as a coating machine. The atomized coating solution should not
get dried before reaching the tablet surface.
 Parameters To Be Controlled

Process/Operating Parameter
Temperature: Increased temperature leads to increased moisture
diffusivity and hence increased drying rate and decreased drying time. The
nature of the material plays an important role in choosing the operating
temperature.
Humidity: Faster drying is achieved when the moisture content of the inlet
air is maintained at its minimum.
Airflow rate/gas velocity: Increasing gas velocity increases drying rate
but should be maintained at an optimized rate (not too fast or too slow).
Gas velocity has no effect on particles with high internal resistance to
moisture transfer.
Remember, the fluidization process takes place at different velocities.
 Parameters To Be Controlled

Product Parameters
Moisture content of the feed material.
Feed rate/batch size.
Product moisture content.
Particle size, shape, and diameter.
 Working Principle
Fluid bed dryer sucks in air from the surrounding environment. Most
FBDs have a fan that sucks this air.
For the fan to rotate, the FBD must have an efficient electric motor.
When the air comes into the system, it is relatively cold.
Even in situations where the air is warm, it is not enough to dry material.
Next, air passes through a heating system. All fluidized bed dryers have
heating systems as part of their assembly.
The choice of a heating system will depend on the fluid bed dryer
manufacturer design options.
Once air acquires a suitable temperature, it flows through the bed (where
there is material you want to dry).
Here, there are two things that play an important role – air temperature
and speed. A good fluid bed dryer should allow users to control both the
air temperature and speed.
 Working Principle cont'd
Basically, in case the air is overheated, it should have an option for
cooling.
Once you introduce heated air with a suitable velocity into the bed, the
system will get fluidized. Do you remember our earlier discussion?
As hot air flows through the bed and suspends material, it “sucks”
moisture present in the particles.
Heated air will then flow into the recovery chamber where it can be
recycled. Also, this will depend on whether your fluidized bed dryer has
the capacity to recycle this air.
Next, depending on the fluid bed dryer design, it can cool material
within the same bed. Alternatively, the material will flow to the cooling
zone.
 Types of Fluidized Bed Dryer

om the bottom of the FBD. Batch drying is a method of which involves feedin
the materials are discharged.
ng pieces of equipment.

ke place in batches.
Batch Type Fluidized Bed Dryer
 Types of Fluidized Bed Dryer

In batch type fluidized bed dryers, the machine uses two mechanisms to
discharge materials:
i. Discharging material from the wall of the fluid bed dryer using a
centrifuge stream. Here, the FBD depends on the direction type perforated
plate.
ii. Discharging material into a bottom hopper as perforated plate rotates.

b) Continuous Types Fluidized Bed Dryer

Unlike the batch type FBD, continuous fluid bed technology for
drying material features this design:
Continuous Types Fluidized Bed Dryer
 Types of Fluidized Bed Dryer
It is a dryer in which the material flows into the machine, gets dried, and is
discharged without affecting any other process. Here, a perforated plate
uniformly disperses heated air, which causes fluidization and subsequently
dries material.
Like the name suggests, material moves from one drying chamber to
another.
Continuous type fluidized bed dryer comes in different shapes more so,
when it comes to the chamber design.
But, one thing still remains similar.
The FBD continuously dries material and leaves the system with the right
moisture content (drying depends on requirements).
Also, it may feature different heat transfer systems or units.
 OPERATING PROCEDURE - DRYING OF
MATERIAL AND DETERMINATION OF
MOISTURE CONTENT
Remove any excess water from the sample by decanting or using a
filter pump. Place the sample in the dryer at a pre-determined bed
depth compatible with the operating range of the dryer as previously
indicated. In some cases the moisture content may be too high for
immediate fluidization to be effected, but after some initial drying
fluidization becomes possible.
Weigh container empty, then with material. Fit a clean bag over the
container, locating the sealing ring into its groove on the tub.
Switch on the mains supply. Select the drying temperature. Select
manual or automatic mode of operation.
Select blower and heat settings. Adjust blower speed to achieve
good fluidization.
 OPERATING PROCEDURE - DRYING OF
MATERIAL AND DETERMINATION OF
MOISTURE CONTENT
In normal mode, when drying nears completion as judged by a rise
in temperature of outlet air or visual observation, push the stop
button.
Remove the tub with contents and re-weigh, continue repeating the
drying cycle until a constant weight is obtained.
For each weighing the dryer is stopped and then restarted. The
difference in initial and final weights of the material can be
expressed as the moisture content on wet or dry basis.
The total drying time for the material can be calculated by multiplying
the interval cycle time by the number of cycles required. The dry
material is removed from the dryer and may be stored for further
analysis or processing
 Design
There are Structure
many types ofdryers
of fluid bed a Fluid BedThey
available. Dryer
come with
several custom adjustments and capacities to treat materials. The
basic design structure of a fluid bed drying machine is as follows:

Air Handling Unit: This unit helps in providing the required

temperature needed to dry the wet particles. Wet powders are
conveyed over the bed, and then heated air is supplied for drying.
There are several filters, dehumidifiers, and fans available to
amplify the process.

Main Tower: It has a base part, product container, expansion and

filter chambers

Control Panel: Advanced fluid bed dryers have a control panel to

 Design Parameters
The design calculations are as follows
By usage of the conventional formula for the calculation of the
volume (V) and cross sectional area (Ac) of a
Cylinder, we find;

V=πr²h Volume of the reactor

Ac = πD2/4 Cross sectional area
The mass balance

Steady state energy balance

Before fluidization occurs, when the bed of solids is fixed, the pressure drop
across the bed for gas flow, ΔPb, is predicted well by the Ergun equation,

where ϵb is void fraction, Lb = bed height, us = superficial gas velocity,

and Φs = particle sphericity, dp is mass-average particle size, pm
The first term on the right-hand side is dominant at low-particle Reynolds
numbers where stream line flow exists and the second term dominates at
high-particle Reynolds numbers where turbulent flow exists.
The onset of fluidization occurs when the drag force on the particles by the
upward-flowing gas becomes equal to the weight of the particles
(accounting for displaced gas):

This gives us,

The minimum gas-fluidization superficial velocity, umf, is obtained by

solving the last two simultaneously for u = umf. For NRe,p = dp*umf*ρg/μ
< 20, the turbulent-flow contribution to the Ergun equation is negligible
and the result is
 The distribution of residence times for the effluent from a perfectly mixed
vessel operating at continuous, steady-state conditions is given by
Fogler as,

where T is the average residence time and E{t} is defined such that E{t}dt
is the fraction of effluent with a residence time between t and t+dt. Thus,

porous such that all drying takes place in the constant-rate period and Ɵ is the

The average moisture content of the dried solids leaving the

fluidized-bed reactor is obtained by integrating the following
expression from 0 to only Ɵ because X = 0 for t > Ɵ.
Combining Fogler equation and the average moisture content equation
and integrating gives:

If the particles are nonporous and without surface moisture, such

that all drying takes place in the falling-rate period, diffusion theory
may apply such that the following empirical exponential expression
may be used for the moisture content as a function of time:

In this case, the combination of above equation with average moisture

content equation, followed by integration from t = 0 to t = ∞ gives:

Values of Ɵ and B must be determined from experiments with laboratory

batch fluidized-bed dryers for scale up to large commercial dryers operating
under the same conditions.
 Applications of FBDs

FBDs are applicable in production industries like:

Chemical
Pharmaceutical
Food
Dairy
Metallurgical
Dyes and other process industries
 Applications of FBDs
Fluidized bed dryers are commonly used in processing of:
• Chemicals
• Carbohydrates
• Foodstuff
• Biomaterials
• Beverage Products
• Ceramics
• Pharmaceuticals in Powder or Agglomerated Form
• Health- Care Products
• Pesticides and Agrochemicals
• Dyestuffs and Pigments
• Detergents and Surface-Active Agents
• Fertilizers
 Advantages of Fluidized-bed Dryers

1. High rates of moisture removal due to excellent gas-particle constant

which results in high heat and mass transfer rates.
2. High thermal efficiency is usually achieved if part of the thermal energy
for drying is supplied by the internal heat exchanger
3. Lower capital and maintenance cost
4. Reduced contact time for drying.
5. Ease of control.
 Disadvantages of Fluidized Dryers

1. High pressure drops results as a result of the need to suspend the entire
bed in gas which equally leads to high energy consumption.
2. Requires increased gas handling due to extensive recirculation of
exhaust gas for high thermal efficiency operation.
3. Not the best choice of equipment when organic solvents need to be
removed during drying.
4. Non-uniform product quality for certain types of fluidized bed dryers.
5. Entertainment of fine particles.
6. High potential for attrition; and in some cases agglomeration of fine
particles.
7. The conventional hot air fluidized bed dryers are not a good choice of
dryer when handling toxic or flammable solids since there is danger of fire
or explosion of flammability limits are exceeded.
 Problems of Fluidized Bed Dryers and
How to Solve Them

· Product degrading
Mostly, this is due to high temperature.
Consequently, you need to distribute the particles and lower the
temperature.
Remember, you must know the recommended drying temperature for every
material you want to process in the FBD.
· High drying time than normal
It is due to high moisture content in the material.
Here, you may pre-dry or adopt twice drying technique.
 Problems of Fluidized Bed Dryers and
How to Solve Them

· Particle reduces in size

It is mainly due to high residence time.
Therefore, the solution is quite simple, reduce residence time.
· A dried product having high moisture content
This is due to internal diffusion of particles, and you can solve the problem
by reducing residence time.
· Particle does not fluidize
In the case of powders, it can be due to electrostatic charge.
Therefore, you should efficiently earth the fluid bed dryer system.
· Shrinkage of the surface
The high temperature will cause surface shrinkage.
To solve this, you must “balance” the temperature.
So basically, know the temperature requirements for the product you’re
drying.

In short, these are some of the most common problems you will
encounter when using FBD.
 Conclusion

in material processing.
ryer is high-tech equipment that comes in different shapes
te every aspect of the FBD, from equipment to product par
THANK YOU!!!