SDS SMALL SCALE SPRAY DRYERS

Spray Drying Systems, Inc. offers standard small scale spray drying plants which can be used for research and development, pilot scale testing, or small scale production of spray dried powders.  Each has a fixed diameter drying chamber and a fixed airflow, and are custom configured with various choices of features and options.

The Model 48 has a maximum water evaporation rate of 155 lb/hr.  It is the smallest spray dryer available anywhere that can be used with pressure nozzle atomization.

The Model 60 has a maximum water evaporation rate of 250 lb/hr, and has all the same features and configurations of the Model 48.

The Model 72 has a maximum water evaporation rate of 345 lb/hr, and has many of the same features and configurations of the Model 48 and Model 60.

Because the airflows are fixed, the actual evaporation rate of each Model depends upon the air temperatures used for drying.  The maximum particle size capability of each Model depends upon the nozzle configuration used, the height of the drying chamber, and the type of product being dried.

All Models are "customized" in configuration and standard features in each quotation to best suit the requirements of our customers.  These variations include materials of construction, type of atomization, height of the drying chamber, the powder collection types and locations, and internal finishes.

A direct fired natural gas air heater provides the energy required for evaporation, with a maximum inlet air temperature of 1,200⁰F.

Atomization for our small scale spray dryers is provided by either a pressure nozzle, or a two-fluid nozzle.  Nozzle configuration can be co-current (spray down) or mixed-flow (spray up).

Powder collection choices include chamber separation, cyclone, and bag filter.

The ducting and cyclone use tri-clamp connections for ease of disassembly.

The standard NEMA 12 control panel includes inlet and outlet air temperature indication, PID temperature control, feed pump speed control, system pressure indication, temperature and pressure safety switches, the flame safety relay, a local disconnect, as well as all the required start/stop buttons, on/off switches, and indication lights.

All components of SDS spray dryers are engineered and manufactured right here in the United States.

SDS can provide custom designed small scale spray drying systems for needs that go beyond the standard Model 48, Model 60, and Model 72 variations.

A custom designed small scale spray dryer.

Contact SDS for more information on our Small Scale Spray Dryers, and what we can do to help meet your spray dryer needs.

LABORATORY SPRAY DRYERS

Small laboratory spray dryers, typically 30 inches in diameter or less, are useful for many situations and testing requirements, including feed formulation studies, producing samples for testing, and determining optimum drying conditions.  But in many cases and for many products, these spray dryers are not useful for producing the desired particle size, or for predicting the other physical properties that can be achieved in production scale spray dryers. This is especially true for small R&D spray dryers using rotary atomization, as the particle size results obtained on the small atomizer cannot be duplicated in many instances by larger atomizers at the feed rates of large scale spray dryers. The average particle size ability of small R&D spray dryers is typically limited to 30 micron maximum, as the chamber size is not large enough to allow larger droplets to dry before contacting the walls and sticking. A pressure nozzle can not be utilized on these smallest spray dryers, which eliminates the evaluation of this important type of atomization.  The ability to test high air temperatures, which can significantly decrease the size and cost of a new production system, is limited. The residence time is limited, which can lead to the need for higher outlet air temperatures on the small dryer to achieve the desired powder moisture level.