Contents

1. Objective …………………………………… 2

2. Aim …………………………………… 2

3. Introduction …………………………………… 2

4. Theory …………………………………… 2

5. Description …………………………………… 3

6. Utilities Required …………………………………… 3

7. Experimental Procedure …………………………………… 3

8. Observation & Calculation …………………………………… 4

9. Nomenclature …………………………………… 5

10. Precautions & Maintenance Instructions …………………………………… 6

11. Troubleshooting …………………………………… 6

12. References ……………………………………. 6

FLUIDIZED BED DRYER 1

 FLUIDIZED BED DRYER

1. OBJECTIVE:
To study the fluidized bed dryer apparatus.

2. AIM:
To study the drying characteristics of a given material in a fluidized bed dryer.

3. INTRODUCTION:
Fluidized bed technology is based on the fluid‐like behavior of a bed of solid particles
when subjected to the buoyant forces exerted by a gas or liquid. Though composed of an
inhomogeneous mixture of fluid and solids, the bed – fluidized by the gas or liquid –
behaves like a fluid (i.e., exhibiting hydrostatic surface properties and an effective bulk
density lower than the original solids). The outcrop of this behavior is a host of attractive
benefits including enhancement of heat and mass transport, high contacting efficiency for
reactants, and improved flow and transport options for the solids. Understanding the
behavior of fluidized beds is important to realizing these and other benefits. This
behavior can be seen in the short video captured in Figure 1, where a bed of small glass
beads moves from the slumped condition through bubbling fluidization and back again as
the air flow rate is first increased then decreased.

4. THEORY:
The term drying usually infer removal of relatively small amounts of water from solid
or nearly solid material. The water is usually removed by circulation of air or some
other gas gives the material in order to carry away the water vapor. There are many
types of equipment used in industries for drying operation. The most recent method is
fluidized bed drying, which could be operated batch-wise as well as continuously.
Drying is a process of simultaneous heat and mass transfer. The heat transfer rate is
between five to twenty five times that for the gas alone. Because of rapid equalization of
temperature in fluidized bed, temperature control can be accomplished.

Fluidized bed units for drying solids, particularly coal, cement, fertilizers, limestone etc
are in general acceptance. One of the major advantages of this type of dryer is the close
control of conditions so that a predetermined amount of free moisture may be left with
the solids to prevent dusting of the product during subsequent material handling. In
 order to set up drying schedules and to determine the size of the equipment, it is
necessary to know the time which will be required to dry a substance from one moisture
content to another under specified conditions. Our knowledge of the mechanism of
drying is so incomplete that it is necessary with few exceptions to rely upon at-least
some experimental measurements for this purpose .

5. DESCRIPTION:

This is a dryer in which moisture removal takes place by fluidization of solids particles
by hot air. The set-up fitted with a specially designed, vertical Glass Column. The lower
portion of the column is filled with fluidizing material. The material is supported on the
screen mesh held between two flanges. Air from a compressor is heated in the heater
box and passed through the column. Flow control and by-pass valve are fitted to
regulate the airflow. At the top outlet of column a cyclone is provided to collect any
solid particles taken out by the air stream.

6. UTILITIES REQUIRED:
 Electricity Supply: 1 Phase, 220V A.C,.5kW
 Wet Solid Saw Dust,
 Floor area 1m × 2m

7. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE:
1. Prepare a feed of a solid material ( saw dust ) to be dried in dryer.
2. Measure its dry weight.
3. Take a small container, then fill it with dry saw dust.
4. Measure its weight and note down it.
5. Add known amount of water in the saw dust ( feed) and mix it properly.
6. Then again fill the container with wet feed sample and weight it.
7. Calculate the initial moisture content.
8. Turn on the blower and heater and set the required temperature and air flow rate.
9. After achieving the required temperature fill the glass column with the wet feed and note
down the height of the feed filled.
10. Note down the initial temperature reading.
11. After 10 minute take out a sample of feed and fill the container with it then weight the
container.
12. Repeat this procedure and continue to take sample at every 10 minute and weight it until
feed is completely dried and steady state achieved.
 13. Calculate the moisture content for each reading.
14. Repeat the experiment for different air flow rates, drying temperature.

8. OBSERVATION & CALCULATION:

DATA:
Dia. of Column, D = `0.08 m
Height of the glass column (h) = 0.5 m
Dia. Of Pipe, dp = 0.042 m
Dia. of Orifice, do = 0.021 m
Coefficient of discharge ( Cd) = 0.64
Drying temperature = ……….oC
Surface area of the material (A) = 2×3.14×r×h

OBSERVATION :

Weight of initial Dry Sample, Si = ________gm ( neglect the weight of the

container)
Weight of initial wet Sample, Wi = ________ gm
Weight of water in initial sample = -------gm
W i−Si
X=
Initial Moisture content present in sample feed material, Si
OBSERVATION TABLE:

S.No. Time Air Inlet Air Outlet Air Flow Sample

Weight
o o
t, min DBT, C WBT, DBT, C WBT, h1, cm h2, cm Ws
o o
C C
1.
2.
3.
4.

CALCULATIONS:
h 1−h2 ρw
Head∈term of air ( ∆ H )= ( 100 )( ρa )
−1 mof air

ao ×a p
Flow rate of air ( Q a )= 2 2
C d × √ 2 g ∆ H−−−−−−−m 3 /sec
√ a −a p o

Ws−S d
X=
Moisture content present in sample, Sd gm water/gm of dry solid.
 where; Sd = Weight of dry sample, gm.
and; Ws = Weight of sample at any point, gm.
Now plot a X v/s t on X-Y scale.
From this plot we calculate the slope = - dX/dt.
Now we have the drying rate as
dX 1
N=−S
dt A , kg/m2-s
where, S = Total weight of the feed added, Kg
CALCULATION TABLE:

S. No. Time Weight Moisture content Slope = -dX/dt N

(Drying rate)
t, min gm present in solid, X
Kg/m2-sec
1.
2.
3.
4.

Plot the graph between X & N.

9. NOMENCLATURE:
A = Dying surface area, m 2
N = drying rate, kg/m2-s
Si = Initial weight of dry feed, kg
Wi = Initial weight of the wet feed, kg
X = moisture content of solid (kg of water/kg of dry solid)
t = time, min.
Ρ = density, kg/m3
Ρm = density of manometric fluid, kg/m 3
Ρa = density of air, kg/m 3
ΔH = Head in term of air, m
h1,h2 = Manometer readings, cm
g = Acceleration due to gravity, m/sec 2
Cd = Coefficient of discharge
ap = Area of pipe, m2
ao = Area of orifice, m2
Qa = flow rate of air, m3/sec
Ws = weight of present sample, gm.
Sd = weight of dry feed of the sample.gm.
10. PRECAUTIONS & MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Measure the exact volume of water and weigh the material properly.
2. Always use clean water and good quality chemicals and standard solution.
3. Use electronic balance for weighing of chemicals.
4. Flow should not be disturbed during the experiments.
5. Handle the chemicals carefully.

11. TROUBLESHOOTING:
1. If D.T.C display ‘1’ on display board it means sensor connection is not
OK tight that.
2. If switch ON the heater but temperature can’t rise but panel LED is ON it
means there is any fault in panel ask electrician or us.

12. REFERENCES:
1. R.E. Treybal, Mass Transfer Operation, 3rd ed., McGraw-Hill, New
York 1990.
2. B.K. Dutta, priniciples of Mass Transfer and Separation Processes,
ISBN-987-81-203-2990-4, New Delhi, 2009.