Modeling and experimental study of hydrodynamic and drying characteristics of an industrial rotary dryer

The purpose of this work was to analyze the hydrodynamic and drying aspects of a rotary dryer used in a fertilizer industry. A set of equations to predict the solids holdup in the flights, the length of fall, the residence time of particles and the drying variables was evaluated by comparison to experimental measurements performed in an industrial rotary dryer of the Copebras Fertilizer Company, located in Catalão, state of Goias, Center-west of Brazil. Because of precise estimations, these equations may be used to design and predict the solids cascading behavior in industrial rotary dryers. Despite larger deviations, reaching 20%, the drying model can also be used for design calculations and process simulations.