Spray dryer
AssigneeHenningsen Foods, Inc.
InventorDwight H. Bergquist
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved spray dryer is disclosed for drying heat sensitive food products under sanitary conditions with a maximum product recovery for a minimal dryer size. The dryer has an air flow system for moving air through a drying chamber at generally atmospheric pressure with a controlled laminar air flow. The product being dried is sprayed into the drying chamber by an air distributor plate with a relatively rapid air flow through and immediately surrounding the product spray and with a surrounding air flow of lower velocity. The dried droplets or powder are removed by a powder collector including a drag system.
Claims1
A horizontally disposed air supply manifold and a drying chamber having a flat top and side and bottom walls for directing air thru said drying chamber with a flow generally parallel to said walls throughout said chamber and having an initial flow pattern of a plurality of generally parallel streams of high velocity and streams of relatively low velocity and of thereafter having a single blended generally parallel flowing air stream having uniform velocity across the stream and having an air distribution plate therein comprising the combination of:
- a flat plate member;
- a plurality of elongated first cylindrically tubular nozzles mounted in spaced positions in said plate for passing air at relatively high velocity;
- a plurality of relatively shorter and smaller diameter second elongated tubular nozzles mounted throughout said plate with generally uniform spacing and surrounding said first nozzles for passing air at a lower velocity;
- said first and second nozzles having their axes positioned perpendicularly to said flat plate;
- fluid atomizers mounted beyond the air outlets of said first nozzles, and
- means at the air exit ends of said first nozzles for causing a flare of the air flowing from said second nozzles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.