Trim drying fertilizer with vertical plate technology
Drying at fertilizer production facilities represents a vital stage of producing a high-quality product.
Traditional convection drying technologies, such as rotary drums and fluid beds, have commonly been called upon to shoulder the bulk of the drying load, a necessary process step during production. Yet, these incumbents sometimes sacrifice efficiency when pushed to reach target low moisture levels, becoming increasingly energy-intensive as the moisture content is lowered and production capacities ramp up.
This can result in the potential for solid granules to enter the cooling stage that either have too much moisture or are too friable (e.g. incomplete formation of the particle).
In the September 2022 issue of World Fertilizer Magazine, Barry Milln and Igor Makarenko of Solex Thermal Science note that in cases where producers want product moisture to be lower, they could benefit from having a final trim drying stage following a rotary drum or fluid bed dryer. This solution can involve using conduction drying technology – vertical plate-based moving bed heat exchangers (MBHE) – to create a high-grade final product.
"This technology can also improve the overall energy efficiency of the drying process, with the added benefit of reducing the maintenance of downstream cooling equipment," says Milln and Makarenko.
This entry was last updated on 2022-8-31
Return to Articles