Spray Dryer

FSD® Spray Dryer

Uniform coarse, agglomerated, free-flowing and dustless powder is in strong demand in most industries. The NIRO FSD® Spray Dryer is the ideal choice for such production

The NIRO FSD® Spray Dryer, combining spray- and fluid-bed drying, is designed to provide optimum drying efficiency and the best product quality in agglomerated powders. The design, specific to the different industries, has gained worldwide recognition among producers of a wide range of food products and chemical compounds.

The drying process

The FSD® Spray Dryer operates with three drying stages, each adapted to the moisture content present during the spray drying process.

The liquid feed is atomized and fed into the drying chamber by a set of nozzles. The drying air enters vertically, and at a high velocity, through the air disperser, thus ensuring optimal mixing with the atomized liquid. Evaporation takes place instantaneously while the droplets pass through the drying chamber. The drying chamber and air flow have been designed to prevent particles from sticking to the chamber walls, leading them directly to the integrated Fluid Bed at the bottom of the drying chamber where the second drying stage will take place. Finally the powder is led to a VIBRO-FLUIDIZER® Fluid Bed for the final drying and cooling.

The drying air leaves the chamber at the top, thus allowing for an extremely well defined secondary agglomeration where the fine particles in the drying air collide with the spray from the nozzles. The exhaust air passes through a filter to weed out the remaining particles. The fine particles discharged from the filter will be returned to the drying chamber, and – depending on the particular agglomeration required – they will be directed either to a static Fluid Bed or to a nozzle-based facility. Where non-agglomerated powder qualities are required, the fine particles will be led directly to the VIBRO-FLUIDIZER® Fluid Bed.

Additional agglomeration

The FSD-GRANULATOR® can be applied for purposes of additional agglomeration – other than what is obtainable by returning the fines back into the drying chambers. This patented system allows additional liquid to be added into the stationary integrated fluid bed – a feature not possible in conventional Spray Dryers. The liquid admitted, may be water, a liquid of the same composition as the feed, melt or a solution containing various substances.

GEA OptiPartner process optimization

Spray drying, optimized

OptiPartner's integration of advanced algorithms and human expertise has led to remarkable results, including up to an 80% stability boost, 10% production increase, and 10% reductions in energy consumption.

GEA Insights

Scrambled egg made with egg altnerative

On the menu: more sustainable eggs

GEA helps customers test and scale alternative egg products and ingredients made with precision fermentation.

Decarbonizing processes with industrial heat pumps

When it comes to improving the health of the planet, GEA takes a leading role. As one of our sustainability-focused strategic objectives, we are forging a path to help our customers across myriad industries to reduce energy use...

GEA center of excellence on olive oil

Building resilience into the olive oil industry

Learn how GEA supports the olive oil industry in times of climate change and sustainably improves the profitability of producers with innovative technologies.

Receive news from GEA

Stay in touch with GEA innovations and stories by signing up for news from GEA.

Contact us

We are here to help! With just a few details we will be able to respond to your inquiry.