Chemical Engineering September 2023 - 23

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FIGURE 2. Smarter setups for fluidized-bed drying control, such as this example for a pharmaceutical
product, offer greater capabilities, enabling greater consistency and high quality, while improving energy
usage, production times and equipment service life
energy-efficiency of their drying and
granulation activities, while improving
end-product quality and consistency.
For example, early fluidized-bed
solutions relied on simple, set operating
functions, such as fixed batch
times and inlet air conditions. These
situations
cannot
accommodate
feedstock variability and can therefore
lead to under- or overdrying,
as well as particle overheating - all
of which affect product quality and
value. More precisely, if the granules
are overdried, the resulting materials
may be prone to fracture, while insufficient
drying can cause bed stalling,
poor flow or product stability issues.
If specifications are not met, the disposal
or rework of entire batches
may be needed, increasing production
time and raising cost.
In addition to compromising endproduct
quality and its potential market
value, sub-optimal drying can
also considerably slow down manufacturing
times, since hot materials
may require longer cooling periods.
Furthermore, if the air flowrate is too
low, the material will never reach a
fluidized state. If air flowrate is too
high, a large volume of particles can
escape from the drying environment
along with the hot air, ending up in
the filters. This not only results in
unwanted product loss but can also
cause a blockage in the outer filter,
increasing the pressure in the vessel
and damaging the equipment.
Finally, suboptimal processing conditions
can overuse energy, leading
to more expensive and less sustainable
operations.
Enhancing dryer capabilities
To remain competitive, especially
in the digital era, end users may be
interested in replacing traditional
control systems with more recent
setups, which are generally smarter,
offering greater power over the regulation
of fluidizing and drying processes.
Consequently, companies
can deliver products of consistent
and high quality while improving energy
usage, production times and
equipment service life.
Inline
and
online
sensors
and
other analyzers can measure a variety
of parameters in real time.
These include temperature, pressure,
product moisture content, air
humidity, air flowrate and velocity
at the inlet and outlet, solvent concentration
in the exhaust gas, as
well as encoder feedback to monitor
the speed of fan motors. Modern
devices can then share relevant
data to a controller (Figure 2), such
as a programmable logic controller
(PLC), and a supervisory control and
data acquisition (SCADA) system for
automated feedback or feedforward
control (or both) to support responsive
operations, which can adapt to
the specific feedstock being processed,
as well to as the stage of
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Chemical Engineering September 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering September 2023
