Fluid Bed Dryer Designs

Examples of Fluid Bed Dryer Designs

Each Niro fuid bed is selected for its industrial application to fulfill a number of requirements dictated by the material to be processed. The examples below illustrate the variety in design necessary to achieve optimum processing.

Two-tier fluid bed dryer for polymer

The upper back-mix fluid bed with heating panels is for predrying. The predried material is transferred to the lower plug flow fluid bed through an external downcomer. As the polymer contains organic volatiles, nitrogen is the drying gas and the fluid bed a closed cycle gas tight design.

Two tier fluid bed in gas tight execution for polymer

Four-stage fluid bed dryer for organic product

The fluid bed has four stages for individual control of the drying air temperature. The material being handled is dust explosive, and therefore the bed is pressure shock resistant and provided with explosion membranes.

Four-stage fluid bed in pressure shock resistant design for organic product.

Three-Stage Fluid Bed Dryer / Cooler for Bulk Chemicals

Atmospheric air is used for drying in two stages followed by cooling. The first drying stage is back-mixed because of the poor fluidization characteristics of the feed material. The fluid bed is prefabricated in one piece in the workshop to minimize field erection.

Three stage back mix and plug flow fluid bed dryer / cooler for bulk chemicals

Vibro-Fluidizer® for sanitary operation

This vibrating fluid bed is used for drying a food product that demands a high standard of hygienic processing. All corners in the fluid bed in contact with product are rounded, and the distributor plate is supported in a way that permits effective cleaning and meets USDA standards.

Vibro-Fluidizer® in sanitary design for food product

Successful performance of a fluid bed requires proper functioning of a number of important components controlling feed and gas distribution, product discharge, emptying, and heat transfer.

Batch Fluid Bed Dryer / Agglomerator for Instantizing Food Products

A batch agglomeration process is used to improve the speed with which the product dissolves in water. The feed is mixed, agglomerated and dried all in the same processor. The unit is designed for ease of cleaning, isolation of the food handling areas, and resistance against overpressure due to dust explosions.

Batch Fluid Bed Dryer / Agglomerator

Niro's patented gas distributor plates

Gas distributor

Even and stable distribution of the fluidizing gas is a prerequisite of sustained operation. Niro has developed its own patented distributor plates to obtain optimum fluidization and powder movement during operation, and to prevent powder penetration through the plate on plant shut-down. A special design with directional gas flow makes processing of oversized particles possible and the bed self-emptying even in non-vibrating designs.

Heating panels

In many applications, heating surfaces give better heat economy and lower plant investment costs.

The heating panels are ideal for both heat and non-heat sensitive products. In the case of heat sensitive products, panels have an important advantage over tubes due to absence of horizontal surfaces where product can build up and deteriorate. Heating panels are easily removable.

Heat Panels for improvement of heat economy

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