The Most Significant Worldwide Problems When Spray Drying Powders & The Solutions

17 October 2019

Thermal Solids Processing

1. Low-Quality Powder & Powder Consistency – Bulk Density Issues

Cause of Problem: Product Build Up

Build up may be due to dryer configuration, use of wider spray angles and powder formulation, but in many cases, it’s the nozzle design. Product build-up drips on the chamber and becomes scorched particle deposits that compromise powder quality.

Solution: Flat Cap Profile

Click&Dry™ flat cap design provides a lower outer face profile greatly reducing build up. Studies performed in New Zealand show that chambers using Click&Dry™ technology produce powders with 20% less build up than any other spray dry nozzle. This is achieved by moving the o-rings into the disc orifice.

Cause of Problem: Wear Part Misalignments

Traditional nozzle designs have misalignments between swirl chamber and orifice. Decentralised parts create inconsistent spray performance and affect the powder quality through all drying operations.

Solution: Concentric Clasp Technology Increases Spray Performance

Click&Dry™ nozzles align wear parts to produce a uniform spray pattern across all lance sets. Achieving better performance and powder consistency. Pressure – flow is consistent – outcome predictable.

2. Low Productivity

Cause of Problem: Nozzle Bearding

Bearding may be due to dryer configuration, use of wider spray angles and powder formulation, but mostly due to deficient nozzle design. This increases the cleaning up frequency, which delays production. Stopping production for cleaning and short run times play a big part to dryers’ low productivity.

Solution: Flat Cap Profile

Click&Dry™ flat cap design provides a lower outer face profile greatly reducing bearding. This means less dryers shut down for clean up, and therefore, higher productivity. If we reduce build up, we slow bearding process and therefore, nozzles can run longer. Click&Dry™ system offers longer run times! By moving the o-rings into the wear part helps achieving this result.

3. Keeping High Hygiene Standards

Cause of Problem: Nozzle O-ring Groove Design

Cleaning traditional spray nozzles is difficult due to o-ring groove inside the cap. Conventional cap chamber design have tight and out-of-reach corners that harbour unreachable contaminants.

Solution: Hygiene and Clean Easy Nozzle

Click&Dry™ caps are designed to be easy to clean and produce higher hygienic results. With smooth internal profile, the spray dry industry can now reach the new level of hygiene with increased ease. Click&Dry™ smooth bore design improves cleaning and hygiene.

4. High Production Costs

Cause of Problem: Dated Disassembly Procedures

Disassembling baked nozzles could be challenging. Using impact tools such as hammers leads to high breakage and wear part costs.

Solution: Easy Disassembly

Click&Dry™ disassembly procedure doesn’t require impact tools to hit wear parts. This minimises breakages and reduces operating costs.

Cause of Problem: Thread Damage and Unprotected Sealing Faces

Ordinary thread systems are too fine to resist normal impact damage. Additionally, unprotected sealing faces can be easily damaged during handling, resulting in cutting and re-welding nozzle bodies.

Solution: Heavy Duty Threads and Robust Cap Protection Skirts

Click&Dry™ nozzles were designed with heavy duty threads with a special form which is highly resistant to normal impact damage during lance handling. Click&Dry™ nozzles also come with a seal face protection skirt. This robust cap protection skirt is designed for protection against o-ring seal groove damage.

5. Safety Issues

Cause of Problem: Radial o-ring tearing due to assembly

Conventional radial seal systems can suffer from o-ring drag and tearing during assembly, compromising critical sealing.

Solution: Spray Dry Axial Seal Design

Click&Dry™ Axial o-ring design can only reach sealing face when the cap is fully engaged to the body. No dragging and tearing during assembly means less risks of leakage.

It’s Easy To Join The Nozzle Revolution

• Reduce nozzle build up (bearding) and achieve longer run times
• Improve powder quality by reducing scorched particles
• Improve hygiene with easy to clean cap internals
• Get longer wear part life and eliminate breakages
• Save money and reduce operating costs up to 60%

Click&Dry. It’s how spray dry innovation is done

This article is published by

Spray Nozzle Engineering

The increased production of milk powder is placing ever-increasing demand on powder quality and the need for higher levels of cleaning efficiency and hygiene in plants. The spray dry nozzle used, plays a critical role in achieving these gains. To achieve gains in this process, Click&Dry  provide improved performance whilst being easy to clean. ...

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