Spray drying equipment and method

摘要

In a spray drying method (e.g. for milk or whey) atomized particles are projected horizontally into the upper portion of a drying zone into which the drying gas in introduced as at least four jets which successively intersect at the boundary of or within the drying zone and which are in a common horizontal plane substantially coincident with the plane in which the atomized particles are projected. Particles are projected into a drying chamber 10 by a centrifugal atomizer 21 and hot air is introduced into the chamber as four intersecting jets through apertures 16, 17, 18 and 19. Hot air is also introduced above the atomizer through inlet 22 whereby fine particles are deflected downwardly. Coarser particles travel horizontally until deflected by hot gas from jets 16-19 and thereafter swirl downwardly about the vertical axis 11 of the chamber. Spent gas is exhausted through conduit 13 and dried particles through conduit 12. In a modification additional drying gas is introduced tan gentially at a level between the exhaust conduits for the drying gas and the dried particles.