Everything You Need to Know About a Fluid Bed Dryer

Science and technology have expanded dramatically in recent years. Humankind has made work more efficient with the assistance of modern machines. Almost, engineering-led to make our lives easier by inventing new equipment for our everyday activities. Fluid Bed Dryers (also known as Fluidised bed dryers) is a well-known machine name widely utilized in various industries.

So, to have a better grasp of this Fluid Bed Dryer, let us consider its numerous requirements.

What Is A Fluid Bed Dryer

A fluidized Bed Dryer is a piece of machinery used mostly to reduce moisture. It is commonly used by pharmaceutical and chemical firms to remove moisture from granules and powder. The apparatus works to fluidize the fed materials. This dryer is needed for drying a variety of materials, including tablets, fertilizer, powder, granules, and plastic.

The Principle of Fluidization

Suppose gas is allowed to flow through a bed of particulate solids at a velocity greater than the particles' settling velocity, less than the terminal velocity of pneumatic conveying, and equivalent to the fluidization process's minimum velocity. In that case,

the solids become partially suspended in the upward moving gas.

The gas stream serves to neutralize the gravitational pull created by the particle's weight, allowing the solid state to disintegrate. Finally, solids and gases disperse and are transformed into liquids, leaving the residual solids fluidized.

Design & Construction of Fluid Bed Dryer

The dryer is made primarily of stainless steel or plastic. It’s bottom features a removable bowl. The manufactured bowl has a pierced bottom. Heat exchangers are linked to warm the air. Bag filters are positioned above the drying basin to recover fans.

Working Process of a Fluid Bed Dryer 

• The wet grains to be dried are put in a removable basin.

• Then, the heated air moves faster through the bottom than the granules' settling velocity.

• The granules rise and fall in a random boiling action. This condition is referred to as a fluidized state.

• Now, the air leaves the dryer after passing through the bags.

• Drying continues at a consistent rate until the resident time for drying is around 40 minutes.

Fluid Bed Dryer Parameters:

1. Parameters for the apparatus:

The location of an air distribution plate influences the dispersion of airflow throughout the body. An instrument body forms an annular foundation that improves product quality and fluidization. In the case of a coater or granulator, the nozzle height is critical. It's critical because the atomized coating solution should not dry up before reaching the tablet surface.

2. Parameters to Consider During the Process:

As the incoming air temperature rises, so does the drying air temperature. This might also be the opposite of the same. However, because some goods are damaged by high temperatures, such as Ibuprofen, which liquefies at temperatures over 60°C, the temperature of the incoming air can be adjusted without impacting product quality.

Throughout the procedure, the incoming air should be as dry as possible. Furthermore, dehumidified air is desired to accelerate the drying process. To make optimum use of drying air, the airflow rate must be properly controlled. To guarantee proper drying, the pace should be steady and neither rapid nor slow.

Role of Different Fluid Bed Equipment in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Fluid bed equipment is a type of equipment commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry to minimize moisture content in raw materials such as powders and granules. 

The Fluid Bed Processor assists in the drying, chilling, agglomeration, granulation, and coating of particle matter. It is suitable for both heat-sensitive and non-heat-sensitive items in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, chemicals, biochemicals, food, dairy, confectionery, agrochemicals, herbs, ceramics, detergents, and pharmaceutical institutes.

It consists of a stainless steel container with a removable bottom that is frequently perforated and known as the bowl. Through this perforated bottom, air is admitted, and heaters are used to raise the temperature of the air inside. 

After being heated, the air is filtered and allowed to travel through the material bed. The system has a facility for the connection of a fan. The fan controls and monitors the airflow direction. One may also adjust the airflow and temperature at which the machine operates. The fluid bed pellet Coater machine is a fluid bed system with a modified mechanism that uses spray nozzles at the container's bottom to coat the pellets equally.

Fluid bed Wruster coater, like fluid bed microencapsulation, encapsulates discrete particles in a fluidized bed by employing differential airflow to induce a cyclic movement of material. The coating method is suitable for a wide range of core materials with varying particle sizes and shapes.

Advantages of Fluid Bed Dryers

• Capital and operating costs are lowered.

• High thermal efficiency is often attained when the internal heat exchanger supplies some of the thermal energy for drying.

• Excellent gas-particle constant results in fast heat and mass transport speeds, which result in high moisture removal rates.

• Drying time is shortened.

Cons of a Fluid Bed Dryer

• Poor fluidization and flexibility, particularly if the feed is too moist.

• This apparatus is not appropriate for separating organic solvents during drying.

• Certain fluidized bed dryers provide non-uniform product consistency.

• Attrition is a significant danger, as is fine particle agglomeration in some cases.

Few Fluid Bed Dryer Manufacturers can grow beyond their regular "off-the-shelf" product lines, which are frequently built to handle just the most common sorts of processing applications. Customers with highly specialized applications or uncommon needs may have difficulty finding the correct equipment. Look for manufacturers like Ridhi Pharma who will customize their systems to match your specifications.