Simulation of spray dryers using computational fluid dynamics

Abstract

A computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model is developed and used to predict flow patterns and overall drying performance of a conventional cylinder-on-cone spray dryer by comparing the predicted results with published data. An industrial spray dryer fitted with two pressure nozzles is also evaluated and tested. This project also evaluates some novel spray dryer geometries, i.e., conical, hour-glass shape and lantern shape chambers. An innovative one-stage and two-stage, two dimensional horizontal spray dryer concept is evaluated, as well. Spray dryers fitted with rotating disk atomizer and ultrasonic nozzle are tested and validated by the experimental data provided by researchers from Australia and Brazil. New drying kinetics model is inserted into to the commercial code to improve the prediction of CFD model. Hence, such a CFD model can be used as an effective tool for the initial design as well as off-design analysis of a spray dryer, which currently is done empirically.