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Fluid Bed Dryer

Fluid Bed Dryer

UFD Fluidized Bed Dryer

The fluid bed dryer (Fluidized Bed Dryer) is equipment used to reduce the moisture content of pharmaceutical powder and granules. The working principle of the fluidized bed dryer starts when hot air is introduced at high pressure through a perforated bed of moist solid particulates. The materials to be dried are placed in the drying bowl, which is then wheeled inside the fluid bed dryer. The wet solids are lifted from the bottom and suspended in a stream of air (fluidized state). In this state, the solids behave like a free-flowing boiling fluid.
The flow rate and the operating temperature are adjusted through the control panel. Heat transfer is accomplished by direct contact between the wet solid and hot air. The vaporized liquid is exhausted away. The drying process in fluidized bed drying reduces the drying time in comparison to using drying ovens by approximately twenty times. This is because the entire product surface area is exposed to the high-volume air stream. In addition, the fluid bed dryer provides controlled and uniform drying conditions compared to the uneven drying in trays.

Fluid Bed Dryers are commonly used for process applications, which require excellent product uniformity, particle size, moisture content and morphology. Since hot air surrounds all particles in the fluid bed, this ensures efficiency in the material drying process. There are three variables that directly affect the fluidized bed drying by the product itself: temperature, air velocity, and humidity. Sensitive particles can be damaged by high air velocities and thus require higher temperatures to compensate for the reduction in air velocity. Pharmaceutical products that are temperature sensitive can be safely processed in our fluid bed dryer by increasing the air velocity and decreasing the humidity. The inlet air temperature that is introduced to dry the wet material must be adjusted in such a way that only so much moisture evaporates from the surface of the granulate as is transported through the particles from the interior of the granulate to the surface. If the inlet air temperature is too high, a surface crust will most likely form which will hamper or even prevent the moisture from escaping the wet material, thus delaying the entire drying process rather than accelerating it.

United Pharmatek offers a Fluid Bed Dryer and Multi Fluid Bed Processor, which offers the outstanding advantages of efficiency and product uniformity achieved with fluid bed dryers. It uses the process of utilizing high-pressure air to atomize a liquid binding solution, creating binding droplets in a fluidized particle bed that creates liquid bridges between the discrete particles and increasing granule size. The advantage of this process is two-unit operations – drying and granulating – are accomplished in a single processing step. Granules produced by this method are highly porous and quick solvable, which are widely used in pharmaceutical, chemical and foodstuff industries worldwide.

We offer fluid bed dryer machines with different bar pressure ratings as required. With fluid bed dryers, safety should always be taken into consideration. Due to the static charge of the material, especially when solvents are used as the binding solution, there will always be a risk of an explosive environment within the fluid bed chamber. We offer a vented design, which safely directs the over-pressure to an open, safe place outside. In situations when the pressure cannot be released outside, we offer a special design where the explosive pressure can be contained within the fluid bed drying chamber. This system has almost no moving parts, allowing a simple structure and assuring low construction and repairing costs. The fluid bed can be formed with stability, enabling you to operate the system with ease.

Fluid Bed - Granulation Suite

Advantages of fluidized Bed Drying

  • The Fluidized Bed Dryer is very efficient.
  • The solids are in fluid state, ensuring perfect mixing.
  • Maximum surface area is exposed to hot air.
  • Provides a high degree of heat and mass transfer.
  • Less retention time.
  • Fluidized Bed Dryers are automatic.
  • FBD can run uninterrupted once the operation starts.
  • No moving parts in contact with the material, hence minimum maintenance.
  • Process flexibility.
  • Lower operating costs.
  • Lower initial capital expenditure.
  • More reliability, less downtime.
  • Lower maintenance costs.
Air Exhaust System
Top or Side Release System, (*Explosion-proof optional)
fluidized bed dryer
Fluid Fed Dryer Mechanism
Main Tower
Expansion Chamber with Sight View Panels
Fluid Bed Dryer Bowl
Dwyer Maguehelic Pressure differential guages
fluidized bed drying Transfer Bowl

UFD Fluid Bed Dryer (FBD)

Fluid Bed Dryer

# Model FBD UFD-10 UFD-20 UFD-30 UFD-60 UFD-120 UFD-200 UFD-300 UFD-500
1 Total (L) 50 75 100 240 420 670 1000 1500
2 Capacity (kg/batch) 5-10 10-20 10-30 20-60 40-120 80-200 120-300 180-500
3 Blower (kw) 7.5 11 11 18.5 22 30 37 45
4 Saturated Steam (kg/hr) 70 100 100 140 240 420 480 520
5 Container Diameter (mm) 550 750 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800
6 Height (mm) 2515 2860 2860 3470 3760 4350 4760 5170