Effect of Fluidized Bed Stirring on Drying Process of Adhesive Particles

This paper presents an attempt to optimize fluidized bed drying of wet and adhesive particles (with an initial diameter of about 580 mm) with the use of stirring, and discusses the influence of stirring on the total drying time. The goal was to demonstrate the positive effect of stirring a fluidized bed to the drying time, to find the optimal parameters (stirrer design, speed, and size). Experiments were conducted on a drying chamber in batch operation. The objective was to evaluate the effect of stirring on the total drying time. The drying chambers were 85 mm, 100 mm, and 140 mm in diameter. An optimal stirrer shape and speed were specified. Our arrangement of the fluidized bed resulted in a decrease in drying time by up to 40%.Key words: fluid drying, stirring, mechanical disruption, sticky particles