Conical-Cylindrical Drying System for Functional Food Powders
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current drying and powderizing methods for functional foods, nutraceuticals, and natural health ingredients face challenges such as high temperature exposure, shear stress, adhesion issues, large equipment sizes, and high energy consumption, which affect bioactive functionality and increase costs.
Innovation Solution
A conical-cylindrical drying system with a truncated cone nozzle, inert carriers, and a cylindrical plenum chamber to reduce residence time and increase contact surface area, using a positive displacement pumping device and micrometric tool for efficient atomization and powder production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If spray drying is used to produce powders from liquid solutions, then powder production is achieved, but high temperature exposure causes thermal degradation of bioactive functionality
Solution Approach 1:
An intermediary cooling medium is introduced between the hot drying air and the liquid feed. The cooling medium (typically ambient air) mixes with the hot drying air to reduce its temperature before contacting the liquid droplets, thereby reducing thermal degradation while maintaining drying efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The drying air is transformed into a composite gas mixture by combining hot drying air with cooling air. This composite gas has intermediate temperature properties that reduce thermal stress on bioactive compounds while still providing sufficient drying capability
2Productivity
If high pressure atomizing devices are used for efficient atomization, then powder production efficiency is improved, but equipment size and investment costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Pneumatic pressure is used to atomize the liquid feed through specially designed nozzles. The high-velocity gas stream breaks up the liquid into fine droplets without requiring complex mechanical high-pressure pumping systems, reducing equipment size while maintaining atomization efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The atomization process transitions from mechanical high-pressure compression to a pneumatic process utilizing gas flow dynamics. This dimensional shift from mechanical to fluid dynamic atomization reduces the size of required equipment components
3Object-affected harmful factors
If freeze drying is used to maintain bioactive functionality, then thermal degradation is minimized, but processing time and energy consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The drying parameters are optimized by controlling the temperature of the drying air through mixing with cooling air. This parameter adjustment allows drying at lower temperatures that preserve bioactive functionality while significantly reducing processing time compared to freeze drying
Solution Approach 2:
The drying process operates continuously with a steady flow of atomized liquid droplets exposed to the controlled temperature drying air. This continuous operation eliminates the long cycle times associated with batch freeze drying while maintaining product quality
4Productivity
If traditional spray drying equipment is used for daily production less than 1000 kg, then powder production is achieved, but economic viability decreases due to large equipment size
Solution Approach 1:
The drying chamber is segmented into distinct functional zones: an atomization zone where liquid is broken into droplets, a drying zone where hot air contacts droplets, and a collection zone where dried powder is gathered. This segmentation allows for compact design while maintaining effective drying capacity for small to medium production volumes
Solution Approach 2:
Components are nested within each other to maximize space utilization. The atomizing nozzles are positioned within the drying chamber in a compact arrangement, and the powder collection system is integrated into the existing chamber structure, reducing overall equipment footprint
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the production of free-flowing powders with narrow particle size distribution while maintaining bioactive functionality, reducing equipment size and energy consumption, and minimizing thermal degradation.
Implementation Method 1
the liquids to be spray-dried are atomized into small droplets
Implementation Method 2
the water or the organic solvent within the frozen material to be processed is removed as a vapour by sublimation from the frozen material placed in a vacuum chamber
Implementation Method 3
a positive displacement pumping device to pump said liquid composition into at least one atomizing device
Data Source
AI summary
A system for producing free-flowing powder with a narrow particle size distribution from liquid compositions comprising in combination: a feeding reservoir comprising said liquid compositions: a pumping device to pump said liquid composition into at least one atomizing device: said at least one atomizing device composed of at least one fluid nozzle to distribute an upward gaseous drying medium over said nozzle: two lateral streamlined tube-like devices for supplying said liquid composition and pressurized gas to said at least one nozzle from two opposite directions: a cylindrical plenum chamber wherein the fluid nozzle is located: an accelerating zone of a drying medium consisting of a cylindrical pipe located at the bottom of the cylindrical plenum: a conical-cylindrical drying chamber equipped with a manhole, a multi-nozzle manifold and insulation panels: and an intermediate drying medium consisting of a single bed or multi-beds of inert carriers within the drying chamber.