5.

Results and discussion

5.1. Continuous =uidized bed drying under steady-state conditions
A total of 53 drying experiments have been conducted under steady-state conditions by
systematic variation of the parameters:
Particle mass $ow rate (dry-based), M p, between 0:48 and 1:69 g=s;
Particle inlet moisture content, Xin, between 0.436 and 0:690 kg H2O=kg dry solids;
gas mass $ow rate (dry-based), M g, between 19 and 58 g=s;
air heater capacity, Q, between 800 and 4356 W; and
inlet gas temperature, Tg; in, between 58:0 and 150:0C.
Notice that the last mentioned parameters, the air heater capacity, Q, and the inlet gas
temperature, Tg; in, (here, the inlet of the $uidized bed dryer is meant), are not
independent from each other. For steady-state operation of the heater and negligible
heat losses, they are coupled by the simple relationship Q = cg M g(Tg; in Tg; e): (34) In
Eq. (34), Tg; e is the air temperature at the entrance of the heater, which has for all
experiments approximately been Tg; e = 30C; (due to some heating of the air in the
radial channel compressor, see Fig. 3). With a speci;c heat capacity for the air of cg =
1008:3 J=(kgK), and at constant gas mass $ow rate, M g, the heater capacity, Q , and
the gas inlet temperature, Tg; in, can immediately be transformed to each other. The
reason for explicitly treating the air heater capacity and using it in several plots is the
perspective of identi;cation and development of automatic control strategies, which has
been one motivation for the presently reported work. From this point of view, the directly
adjustable heater capacity is a more interesting variable than the gas inlet temperature.
The gas inlet moisture content, Yin, varied between 0.0027 and 0:0102 kg H2O=kg dry air
in the experiments, while the temperature of inlet particles, Tp; in, has always been
ambient (approximately 20C). These parameters are of rather minor importance and will
not be discussed further. All experimental results are available in tabulated form in
Burgschweiger (2000). Here, the most interesting trends in the in$uence of the main
operating parameters on the average moisture content of outlet solids, XT out , as well as
on the average caloric outlet gas temperature, Tg; out, will be shown in Figs. 48.
In the same plots, experimental data will be compared with the results of model
calculations. As expected and shown in Fig. 4, increasing heater capacities, Q , (which at
a constant gas mass $ow rate, M g, are equivalent to increasing gas inlet temperatures),
lead to decreasing moisture contents of outlet solids, XT out . In the same time (lower plot
of Fig. 4), an increase in the temperature of outlet gas, Tg; out, is observed. Both the
measured values (open symbols) and the calculated results which are depicted with the
solid lines correspond to gas mass $ow rates of M g =39 g=s and show a very good
agreement with each other. In the same diagrams, calculations with another, higher gas
mass $ow rate ( M g = 56 g=s) are also plotted

(broken lines). The change of gas mass $ow rate has, obviously, only a small in$uence on
the results of the simulation. On the one hand, the capacity of the gas stream to take
over vapour is increased by an increase of the gas $ow rate. On the other hand, the gas

inlet temperature is decreased at a constant heater capacity (see Eq. (34)). In the same
time, changes in the $uidization parameters, the expanded bed height, the holdupand
the average residence time of the solids, as well as in the gas side kinetic coeEcients
take place. Competitive trends are mutually neutralized, so that a slight increase of dryer
capacity, a moderate decrease, or no change at all, can be the outcome of a variation of
gas mass $ow rate.
The same behaviour is illustrated in Fig. 5, where the gas mass $ow rate is plotted on the
abscissa of the diagrams, and the heater capacity is the parameter. Both, the
calculations (solid lines) and the experimental data (open symbols) show a very
moderate decrease of dryer capacity (that means an increase of T X out) at increasing M
g for the heater capacity of Q = 2500 W. To the contrary, a slight increase of dryer
capacity (a decrease of T X out) with increasing M g is observed at Q =1000 W (only
simulation, broken lines). Somewhere in between, the result would be completely
indi:erent upon a change of the gas mass $ow rate, roughly corresponding to the
intersection point of the broken and solid lines of Fig. 4.
The in$uence of heater capacity or (Fig. 7) gas inlet temperature, and of solids mass $ow
rate on the outlet

conditions of the dryer

is illustrated in Figs. 6
and 7. By an increase of product throughput, M p, decreasing gas outlet temperatures
are obtained (Fig. 7, lower plot), which indicatesa better use of the drying agent. In the
same time, however, higher outlet solids moisture contents occur. It is interesting to
observe that the calculated dotted curve in the upper plot of Fig. 7 has an in$ection point
at aboutMp = 1:2 g=s.
Finally, the in$uence of solids inlet moisture content is demonstrated in Fig. 8. Again, the
gas inlet temperature is indicated as the parameter, instead of the heater capacity. As
expected, changes in the feed are clearly, though not direct proportionally, observable in
the product of the dryer. The sensitivity upon variations of Xin is higher at low gas
temperatures, leading to relatively steep and non-linear XT out(Xin) curves (upper plot). In
contrary, an almost linear dependence of Tg; out on Xin is observed for both values of Tg; in
(lower plot). Notice that the inlet solids moisture contents of about 0.44 in Fig. 8 have
been realized by pre-drying the material, which is otherwise used immediately after
wetting and centrifugation (compare with Section 4). Parity plots of measured and
calculated values of XT out and Tg; out for all continuous drying experiments, as well as
comparisons in tabular form are given by Burgschweiger (2000), and will not be repeated
here. They document a very good predicting performance of the model. As already
pointed out, this performance has been attained without any kind of ;tting or
manipulation of adjustable parameters.