Fluid Bed Drying - Industrial Applications

Food Stuffs and Dairy Products

• Baby foods
• Carbohydrates
• Coffee
• Dairy products
• Foodstuff additives
• Health food extracts
• Soup mixers

A small GEA Niro sanitary fluid bed dryer - ready to be shipped from the Hudson WI workshop

A VIBRO-FLUIDIZER® sanitary (dairy) vibrating fluid bed

Plants for these industries are characterized by their high sanitary standards, self-emptying capability, and automatic cleaning systems. Quite often, the products are required in agglomerate or granular form to achieve good instant properties. Therefore, fluid bed dryers are combined with spray dryers, agglomeration or granulation systems. Vibro-Fluidizers are applied for drying and cooling under lenient conditions to prevent deterioration of particle structure.

A spray nozzle installed inside a fluid bed dryer/agglomerator

Chemicals

In this wide category of industries, the whole spectrum of fluid bed dryers and process systems are applied. The process may involve drying, cooling, agglomeration, or granulation. The fluid beds may also be used for finishing of powders produced by spray drying. For each application, the process concept and design details are selected to meet the specific requirements based on industrial experience and testing of the product.

• Polymers
• Ceramics
• Detergents
• Dyestuffs, pigments
• Fertilizers
• Inorganic salts
• Organic chemicals
• Pesticides

A very large industrial fluid bed dryer being prepared for shipment. Manufactured in the GEA Process Engineering workshop in Hudson WI.

A large CONTACT FLUIDIZER™ during manufacturing. The advantages of the CONTACT FLUIDIZERT fluid bed dryer include the compact design, high thermal efficiency and low gas throughput.

Pharmaceuticals and Biochemicals

A small pharmaceutical batch fluid bed dryer

These industries use both continuous and batch processing. The execution of dryers is characterized by high hygienic standards, pressure shock protection, self-emptying capability, and automatic cleaning systems.

Batch systems are used for mixing, drying, granulation, and also for coating of powders, pellets, tablets, and capsules.

A wide range of plant systems and sizes are available.

• Antibiotics
• Drugs
• Enzymes
• Fermentation products
• Proteins
• Vitamins
• Yeast

Polymers

Today, fluid beds are preferred to rotary dryers for drying and cooling a wide range of polymer materials. The heat sensitivity of these materials requires precise control of residence time and temperature. Polymers having either water and organic volatile or monomer content are processed. For the latter, gastight, closed cycle arrangements with solvent recovery are used. Process safety systems are carefully designed for personnel, plant, and environmental protection. Fluid bed dryers with heating panels are often used due to high production rates and demand for lowest energy consumption.

• ABS-copolymers
• Polymethylmethacrylates
• Polycarbonates
• Polyethylenes
• Polypropylenes
• Polystyrenes
• Polyvinyl chlorides