Drying_5

EXAMPLE : Through-circulation drying of wet solid 2

• Bed of solid, 4 cm thick, containing moist pellets of average size 4mm is dried by through-
circulation of hot air ( temperature=120°C; humidity = 0.01 kg/(kg of dry air); superficial velocity
= 1m/s).

• The initial moisture is 28%, the critical moisture is 12% and equilibrium moisture is negligible.

• The falling rate of drying is linear in moisture content.

• If bed density is 750 kg/m3 dry solid, and surface area of solid is 600 m2/m3 of bed volume,

• Determine the time of drying of the material to 0.5% moisture. (All moistures are on dry basis)
Solution 3
Estimation of heat transfer coefficient:

Evaluation of Reynolds number to decide for correlation to be used:

Properties of air at the inlet temperture (120C):

density, G = 0.888 kg/m 3 ; G  2.2  105 N.s/m 2 ; particle size, d p  4 mm  0.004 m.

Particle Reynolds number, Re  d pV G / G   0.004 1.0  0.888  /  2.2  105   161

Use Eq. (11.24) to calculate the heat transfer coefficient,

hc  0.214  G 
0.49
 
/ d p 0.51   0.214  [(1.0)(0.888)(3600)]0.49 /(0.004)0.51
 186.5 W/m 2 .k
 4

hc / kY  c H  humid heat of drying air

 (1.005  1.88Y )  [(1.005)  (1.88)(0.01)] kJ/kg.K  1043 J/kg.K

kY  hc c H  (186.5 W/m 2 .K) /(1043 J/kg.k)  0.179 kg/m 2 .s

Given: a  600 m 2 /m 3 ; bed thickness, l s  4 cm  0.04 m

Number of mass transfer units,

kY a  0.179  600 
 N tG  m  ls   0.04   4.84 G '  uG =1 m/s  0.888 kg/m 3
G 's  1.0  0.888 
 6
From Eq. [11.18(b)],
Yo  Yi   Ys  Yi   1  exp    N tG  m  
  0.0445  0.01 1  exp  4.84    0.03423 kg/(kg dry air)

Rate of moisture removal in constant rate period

N c  G 's Yo  Yi    1.0  0.888  3600    0.03423 
 109 kg/(m 2 tray area)(h)

Solid loading in bed (kg dry solid per m 2 tray area)

  1 m 2   0.04 m   750 kg/m 3   30 kg/m 2 Bed thickness = 0.04 m

Constant rate drying period, tc   30  0.28  0.12  109   0.044 h

5
 7
Given
X i  0.28; X c  0.12; X *  0; X f  0.005

Falling rate drying period,

Ws  c  
*
X X Xc  X *
tf  ln
a Nc X f  X*
0.12  0 0.12  0
  30  ln  0.105 h
109 0.005  0

Total drying time, t  t c  t f  0.044  0.105  0.149 h  9min

6
EXAMPLE : Drying time in a continuous counter-flow dryer 7

• A wet solid having 25% moisture is dried at a rate of 1000 kg/h to 1% moisture in a continuous
counter-current dryer. The drying air enters at 100°C at a rate of 12000kg/h (dry basis) with
humidity of 0.025 kg per kg of dry air and dry solid leaves at 60°C .

• The temperature of wet solid entering the dryer is nearly the same as the adiabatic saturation
temperature of the air leaving the dryer.

• Following data and information are available: gas phase mass transfer coefficient for drying of
solid, kY =150 kg/m2.h; effective surface area of solid =0.065 m2/kg dry solid; specific heat of
solid, Cps =0.96 kJ/kg.K; critical moisture of solid is 8%;the equilibrium moisture is negligible.

• All moistures are on wet basis.

• Calculate the drying time.

 8
Solution

• Dryer considered of three zones:

Zone I : removal of moisture above Xc
zone II : removal of moisture below Xc
Zone III : heating of solid to its exit temperature of 600 C

• Solid remains at adiabatic saturation temperature of drying gas in zone I and II.
Given: wet solid entering = 1000 kg/h; 9
On dry basis :
solid have initial moisture of 25%
• dry solid entering, Ls = 1000(1 – 0.25) = 750 kg/h

• X1 = 25 kg H2O / 75 kg dry solid = 0.333 solid have final moisture of 1%

• X4 (=X3) = 1 kg H2O / 99 kg dry solid = 0.0101

• Xc = 0.08 kg H2O / 0.92 kg dry solid = 0.087

• X* = 0

• Gs = 12,000 kg/h (dry basis)

• TG4 = 1000C

• Y4 (= Y3) = 0.025

• Ts4 = 600 C

• cps = 0.96 kJ/(kg dry solid)(K)

 10

By overall moisture balance:

Gs (Y1 – Y4) = Ls (X1 – X4)
12000(Y1 – 0.025) = 750(0.3333 – 0.0101)
Y1 = 0.0452
Humid heat of air in zone III: CH = 1.005 + (1.88)(0.025) = 1.052 kJ/(kg dry air)(K)

Calculated enthalpy values

H 's  cps (Ts  T0 )  Xc pl (Ts  T0 )  c ps (Ts  T0 )  4.187 X (Ts  T0 ) 11.27 
(ref. Temp. = 00C; assume inlet temperature of the solid, Ts1 = 400C):

H’s1 = [ cps + (0.333)(4.187)(Ts1 – 0) = [0.96 + (0.333)(4.187)] (40) = 94.2 kJ/(kg dry solid)(K)

H’s4 = [ cps + (0.0101)(4.187)(Ts4 – 0) = [0.96 + (0.0101)(4.187)](60) = 60.14 kJ/(kg dry solid)(K)

 11
• Gas temperature TG3 calculated by heat balance over zone III

• It is assumed inlet temperature of solid, Ts1 = 400C

• Since, Solid remains at adiabatic saturation temperature of drying gas in zone I and II

• Hence, it may be assumed : TS3 = Tw = 40 oC(wet bulb temperature of gas at dry bulb
temperature TG3 and humidity Y3
( solid is dry in zone III)
Gs cH (TG4 – TG3) = Ls cps (Ts4 – Ts3)

(12,000)(1.052)(100 – TG3) = (750)(0.96)(60 – 40)

TG3 = 990C
 12
• Wet bulb temperature = Tw ≈ 400C (at 990C and humidity Y3 ≈ Y4 = 0.025 of gas at boundary 3)

• May be checked from psychrometric chart

• this is same as initial guess value

• Since heat load of this zone is small, hot gas temperature does not change much.
 13

Heat transfer calculation in zone III

• Rate of heat transfer from the gas,

Q3 = Gs cH (TG4 – TG3) = (12,000)(1.052)(100-99) = 12,620 kJ/h

• Heat transfer coefficient :

kY
 cH
hc = kycH = (150)(1.052) = 158 kJ/m2.h.K hc
• Temperature driving force : 14

ΔT4 = 100 – 60 = 400C; ΔT3 = 99 – 40 = 590C ( T )3  TG 3  Ts 3 ; ( T )4  TG 4  Ts 4

• Log mean driving force,

T3  T4 59  40
( T ) m    490 C
 T3   59 
ln   ln  40 

 4T  
• Time of heating,

tIII  Q3 /[( Ls a ')( h c )( T )m ]

 12, 620 /[(750  0.065)(158)(49)]
 0.0334h   2min 
Calculation of drying time in zone II 15

• Overall energy balance:

Gs(H’G4 - H’G1) = Ls(H’s4 - H’s1)

H 'G 4  c pG (TG 4  T0 )  Yc pv (TG 4  T0 )  Y w

=(1.005)(TG 4  T0 )  1.88Y (TG 4  T0 )  2500Y
 (1.005)  100  1.88  0.025  100  2500  0.025  167.7 kJ/kg

H’s1 = 94.2 kJ/(kg dry solid)(K) ; H’s4 = 60.14 kJ/(kg dry solid)(K)

• Substituting :
(12,000)(167.7 – HG1) = 750(60.14 – 94.2)
HG1 = 169.8 kJ/(kg dry air)
HG1 = 169.8 = [1.005 + (1.88)(0.0452)](TG1 – 0) + (0.0452)(2500)
TG1 = 520C (exist gas temperature )
Moisture content of solid at boundary-2 : 16
X2 = Xc (critical moisture) = 0.087

H’s2 = [0.96 + (0.087)(4.187)](40 - 0) = 53 kJ/(kg dry solid);

H’s3 = 40 kJ/(kg dry solid)

Moisture balance :
X3 (=X4) = 0.0101
Gs(Y2 - Y3) = Ls(X2 – X3)

(12,000)(Y2 – 0.025) = (750)(0.087 – 0.0101)

Y2 = 0.0298
 17
Now , H’G3 = [1.005 + (1.88)(0.025)](99 – 0) + (0.025)(2500) = 166.6 kJ/(kg dry air)

Energy balance:
Gs(H’G3 - H’G2) = Ls(H’s3 - H’s2)
(12,000)(166.6 - H’G2) = (750)(40 – 53)
H’G2 = 167.4 kJ/(kg dry air)

H’G2 = 167.4 = [1.005 + (1.88)(0.0298)] (T G2 – 0 ) + (0.0298)(2500)

TG2 = 87.50C
 At Ts = 40 0C, Ys = 0.05
18

Drying time [Eq. (11.37); putting Ys = 0.05 at solid temperature, Ts = 400C,

(12000)(0.087) 1 (0.087)  (0.05  0.025)

tII  ln  0.824h
(750  0.065)(150) (0.0101)  (12000 / 750)(0.05  0.025) (0.0101)  (0.05  0.0298)

Gs X c 1 X c (Ys  Y3 )
tII  ln (11.37)
( Ls a ')kY X 4  (Gs / Ls )(Ys  Y4 ) X 4 (Ys  Y2 )
 19
Calculation of drying time in zone 1

Y2 = 0.0298
Y1 = 0.0452

• Solid temperature = 40 oC. Ys=0.05

• Using Eq. 11.33 Gs Y  Y2

tI  ln s (11.33)
kY ( Ls a ') Ys  Y1
12000 0.05  0.0298
 ln  2.357 h
150(750  0.065) 0.05  0.0452

• Total time = tI + tII + tIII = 2.357 + 0.824 +0.0334 = 3.21 h

Preliminary design of Rotary dryer 20
• difficult to design a Rotary dryer on basis of fundamental principle only
• available design correlations are few and not satisfactory
• design mainly done by using pilot plant test data/operating data of similar dryer along with
available correlations

• Assumption for design procedure based on basic principles and available correlation
• solid has unbound moisture only in zone II
• solid is at wet bulb temperature of gas
• heat losses from dryer surface are neglected
Rotary dryer 21
(a) capacity of dryer

• solid drying rate, LS kg /h dry basis, terminal moisture content X1 and X2 and temperatures TS1
and TS2 known

• drying gas flow rate, its temperature and humidity are determined by satisfying following
moisture and enthalpy balance equations

Gs (Y1  Y2 )  Ls ( X 1  X 2 ) (11.38)

Gs ( H 'G 2  H 'G1 )  Ls ( H 'S 2  H 'S 1 ) (11.39)

Rotary dryer 22

(b) Distribution of gas and solid temperature :

Zone 1
• wet solid temperature increases to wet bulb temperature ( TW = TsA = TsB ) of drying gas (at its temperature
and humidity )
• no evaporation of water

Zone II
• temperature of solid remains constant
(for unbound moisture)
• responsible for drying of solid
• at end solid is practically dry

Zone III
• Temperature of dry solid rises from TsB toTs2
Distribution of gas and solid temperature in rotary dryer
Rotary dryer 23

(c) Gas and solid temperature at boundaries

• obtained by moisture and energy balance

• number of heat transfer units for each zone is calculated.

• For example: In zone II,, number of heat transfer units is given by

T T (TGB  TGA )  (TGA  TSA)

( N tG ) h ,II  GB GA ; where Tm  (11.40)
Tm ln[(TGB  TSA ) /(TGA  TSA )]
Rotary dryer 24
(d) length of heat transfer unit LT for three zones

• few correlations are available for estimation of LT

• total length of dryer is given by :

L  ( LT ) I ( N tG ) I  ( LT ) II ( N tG ) II  ( LT ) III ( N tG ) III (11.41)

• Shell diameter is calculated from dry gas flow rate [calculated in step a ] and suitable gas
velocity
• maximum gas velocity guided by extent of entrainment of solid fines
Rotary dryer 25
Useful correlation for design of Rotary dryer :

237(G ')0.67
• volumetric gas-solid heat transfer coefficient Ua (W / m . K ) 
3
(11.42)
d

• length of transfer unit

θ = retention time (min)
G ' cH L = dryer length (m)
LT  (11.43) S = slope of dryer (m/m)
Ua N = speed (rpm)
G’ = gas mass flow rate (kg/m2.h)
LT  0.0063c H dGs 0.84 (11.44) F = feed rate (kg/m2.h, dry basis)
B = 5 (dp) -0.05
dp = weight average particle
• solid retention time diameter (µ)
d =dryer diameter (m)

0.23 L BLG '

 0.9
 1.97 (11.45)
Eq. 11.45 positive sign is for counter flow and negative sign is
SN d F
for parallel flow of gas and solid