Horizontal Fluid Bed Dryer

A horizontal fluid bed dryer (HFBD) is a widely used industrial drying system designed to
dry granular or particulate materials. It operates based on the principle of fluidization, where
hot air or gas passes through the material bed, lifting and agitating the particles to promote
efficient heat and mass transfer.

Key Features of a Horizontal Fluid Bed Dryer:

1. Design:
o Horizontal Orientation: The material flows horizontally along the drying
chamber.
o Chamber Configuration: Rectangular or cylindrical, with a perforated bed
for air distribution.
2. Operation:
o Fluidization: The material is suspended in a hot air/gas stream, ensuring
uniform drying.
o Drying Zones: The chamber may have multiple zones for pre-drying, drying,
and cooling.
o Continuous or Batch Mode: Available in both configurations depending on
the application.
3. Components:
o Blower/Fan: Supplies and circulates air through the bed.
o Heat Source: Provides the necessary thermal energy, typically via steam,
electricity, or gas.
o Air Distributor: Ensures even airflow across the bed.
o Perforated Bed: Supports the material while allowing air to pass through.
o Exhaust System: Removes moisture-laden air, often with a dust collector or
filter.
4. Material Handling:
o Equipped with conveyors or vibrating mechanisms to move the material
horizontally.
o Adjustable residence time to meet specific drying requirements.
5. Control System:
o Automated controls for air temperature, flow rate, and material feed rate.
o Sensors for moisture, temperature, and pressure to ensure process
optimization.

Applications:

 Pharmaceuticals: Drying granules, pellets, or powders.

 Food Industry: Drying snacks, grains, and spices.
 Chemicals: Drying polymers, detergents, or fertilizers.
 Minerals: Drying sand, salts, and similar materials.
Advantages:

 High heat and mass transfer efficiency.

 Uniform drying with minimized hot spots.
 Customizable for different materials and capacities.
 Can handle heat-sensitive products due to controlled temperatures.

Considerations for Design:

1. Material Characteristics:
o Bulk density, particle size, and moisture content.
2. Drying Requirements:
o Inlet and outlet moisture levels.
o Desired drying rate.
3. Thermal Energy Source:
o Selection based on energy availability and cost.
4. Environmental Impact:
o Dust and exhaust treatment to meet regulations.

Let's go through the design of a horizontal fluid bed dryer (HFBD) from scratch, step by
step. We'll assume we are drying a granular material (e.g., a food product or a chemical
powder) with the following assumed properties and requirements:

Initial Parameters:
1. Material to be dried : Granular material (e.g., sugar crystals).
2. Inlet moisture content : 20% by weight.
3. Final moisture content : 2% by weight.
4. Drying capacity : 500 kg/hour (dry product output).
5. Inlet air temperature : 120°C.
6. Exhaust air temperature : 80°C.
7. Specific heat of material : 0.5 kcal/kg∘C
8. Latent heat of water evaporation : 580kcal/kg at 80°C
9. Material bulk density : 800 kg/m3
10. Allowable pressure drop : 1000 Pa
11. Drying time (residence time) : 20 minutes.
Step 1: Mass Balance
Water to be removed:
 Moisture removed per kg of feed:
Moisture removed per kg feed=Initial Moisture−Final Moisture
= 20%−2%=18%.
 Moisture in feed:
Dry product output
Feed rate (wet basis)=
1−Initial moisture
= 500/1−0.20=625 kg/hour.
 Water removed:
Water removed = 625×0.18=112.5 kg/hour.

Step 2: Heat Requirement

Sensible heat to raise material temperature:
Assume inlet material temperature is 25°[Link] outlet material temperature is 80°C:
Sensible heat=Feed rate× Specific heat ×(Outlet temp−Inlet temp).
Sensible heat = 625 × 0.5 × (80−25) = 17,187.5 kcal/hour.
Latent heat for water evaporation:
Latent heat=Water removed × Latent heat of evaporation .
Latent heat = 112.5×580=65,250 kcal/hour.
Total heat required:
Total heat=Sensible heat+ Latent heat
Total Heat = 17,187.5 + 65,250 = 82,437.5 kcal/hour

Step 3: Air Requirement

Assume air temperature rise (ΔT) is 120∘C−80∘C=40∘C The specific heat of air is 0.24
kcal/kg∘C
Total heat required
Air required=
Specific heat of air × ΔT
Air required = 82,437.5/0.24×40 = 8,578.9 kg/hour.
Convert to volumetric flow rate using air density at 120∘C (≈1.0 kg/m3):
Volumetric flow rate =8,578.9/1.0 = 8,578.9 m3/hour.

Step 4: Bed Area Calculation

The fluidization velocity must exceed the minimum fluidization velocity (Vmf), typically
1.2m/s for granular materials.
Air volumetric flow rate
Bed cross sectional area=
Fluidization velocity
Bed area = (8,578.9 /3600) / 1.2 = 1.99 m2.
Assume a rectangular bed with a width-to-length ratio of [Link]

Width=
√ Bed Area
3
Length=3 ×Width .

Width =
√ 1.99
3
= 0.81 m

Length = 3×0.81 = 2.43 m.

Step 5: Material Selection

1. Drying Chamber: Stainless Steel 316 (resistant to corrosion and high temperatures).
2. Perforated Plate: SS 316, with hole diameters tailored to the particle size (≈1.5 mm\
approx 1.5 \, \text{mm}≈1.5mm).
3. Blower and Piping: Carbon steel or SS 316 for air handling.

Step 6: Layout and Components

1. Inlet Blower: Supplies hot air to the bed.
2. Perforated Bed: Horizontally placed, supporting the material.
3. Drying Chamber: Houses the fluidized material, with insulated walls to prevent heat
loss.
4. Air Heater: Provides the required thermal energy (e.g., steam-based heat exchanger).
5. Exhaust System: Dust collector and exhaust fan.
6. Cooling Zone (optional): At the end of the chamber for material cooling.
In-Depth Calculations for Horizontal Fluid Bed Dryer Components

Step 1: Detailed Bed Design

a) Bed Area Validation

We calculated the required bed area as 1.99 m2. Let’s confirm its adequacy by checking
bed depth.

Material hold-up in the bed:

Dry product output

Material flow rate=
Residence time(¿ hours)

500
= =25,000 kg/hour.
20/60

Assume a porosity of 0.4 (40% voids during fluidization). The volume of the material in the
bed:

Material Hold up
Material volume=
Bulk density ×(1−Porosity).

500/60
Material volume = = 0.0208 m3.
800 ×(1−0.4)

Bed depth:

Material volume
Depth=
Bed Area

=0.0208/1.99 = 0.0104 m (10.4 mm).

This is a reasonable bed depth for fluidization.

Step 2: Air System Design

a) Blower Selection

Pressure drop across bed and system:

1. Static pressure drop (bed): ΔPbed=1000 Pa.

2. Pressure losses in ducting, heater, and exhaust: Assume ΔPlosses = 500 Pa

ΔP total=ΔP bed + ΔP losses

=1000+500=1500 Pa.
Blower power calculation:

Volumetric flow rate X ΔP

Blower power ( kW ) = .
η× 1000

Assume blower efficiency η=0.8

m3
8,578.9 ×1500
h ¿ 16.1 kW
Power=
0.8 ×1000

Thus, we need a blower rated for 16.1 kW and 1500 Pa pressure.

b) Air Heater Selection

Heat energy required:

Energy=Air mass flow rate × Specific heat of air × ΔT .

Energy = 8,578.9 kg/hour × 0.24 kcal/kg∘C × (120−25).

Energy = 8,578.9 × 0.24 × 95 = 195,070.6 kcal/hour.

Convert to thermal energy (kW):

Energy (kW)=195,070.6/860=226.8 kW.

The air heater must deliver approximately 227 kW of heat energy. For steam heating, ensure
sufficient steam flow rate to supply this energy.

Step 3: Perforated Bed Design

The perforated plate supports the material and ensures uniform air distribution.

1. Hole Size:
o Hole diameter =1.5mm (to match particle size and prevent material fall-
through).
2. Open Area Ratio:
o Typical open area for fluidization: 10–20%.
o Assume 15%: Total open area = 1.99 m2×0.15=0.2985 m2
3. Number of Holes:

Number of holes = Open area/ π×(Hole diameter/2)2.

Number of holes = 0.2985π × (0.0015/2)2 =169,600 holes.

Step 4: Exhaust System Design
Assume dust loading is 0.5 g/m3, and total air flow is 8,578.9 m3/hour.

1. Dust Load:

Dust collected per hour = Dust loading × Air flow.

Dust collected = 0.5 × 8,578.9 = 4.29 kg/hour.

2. Dust Collector: Use a bag filter or cyclone separator with efficiency >99%.

Step 5: Cooling Zone (Optional)

If required, add a cooling zone after drying:

 Use a heat exchanger or ambient air fans to reduce material temperature to ≈40 oC