Instant drying of wet solids in a single pass, with the smallest footprint in the plant. We design and manufacture the complete installation: column, disintegration, hot air generation and cyclonic separation.
A flash dryer dries a wet solid in a vertical column through which a stream of hot air flows at high velocity.
The materials to be processed must be easy to break up, to achieve greater contact between air and particle so that drying takes place in a very short residence time. The gas stream and the solids enter a cyclonic separation system: dry product is obtained at the discharge and dust-free exhaust air.
Due to the geometric design of the column, the air velocity is pulsating. Owing to the inertia of the particles, the relative velocities between air and particle vary, which translates into high convective coefficients.
Our standard configuration includes a series of models covering air flow rates from 0.15 to 70 m³/s. We offer variants with longer residence time for more demanding drying and different feeding alternatives depending on the product.
Powder product at the outlet of the separation system.
Initial moisture, particle size and degree of compaction define the column, the feeding system and the recycle flow. If your product is not on the list, we can still evaluate it with a prior trial.
Starches, flours, milling by-products and agro-industrial products in continuous operation.
Stable polymers, salts and products that tolerate direct contact with hot air.
Fine minerals and concentrates that require fast drying of large flows.
Filter cakes and wet pastes from filter presses or centrifuges.
The points that define the design of a flash dryer for each product.
When the solid arrives with too much initial moisture, a dry product recirculation system is added and mixed with the feed, reducing and homogenising the inlet moisture. Determining the recycle flow is a decisive factor for the correct design of the equipment in each application.
The product can be broken up in different equipment before entering the drying column: a paddle mixer or a double paddle mixer, depending on the type of product and the degree of compaction it brings from the previous processes.
The product enters the equipment through a kicker mounted at the base of the column, which rotates at high speed and drives the product vertically upwards. This makes it easier for the drying air to entrain it and prevents build-up in the horizontal sections. Another alternative is the cascade feeder.
The air is normally heated by a direct-type hot air generator, in which the combustion gases are mixed with a stream of outside air until the right temperature and flow rate for drying are obtained.
Optimum heat transfer allows very short drying times, of seconds, and with co-current flow satisfactory drying of heat-sensitive products is achieved.
Low operating costs thanks to its high thermal efficiency. The dryer conveys the product, which avoids additional conveying equipment. It can be installed outdoors, which reduces the investment in civil works. Large flows in continuous operation and minimal labour.
We test your product at our pilot plant and measure how it behaves before the final mechanical design. Less risk for your investment.
Our own metalworking capacity in Argentina, built to export standards. Spare parts and service without importing anything.
Equipment commissioned in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Paraguay, Bolivia and Venezuela.
Technical backing from SEI Contreras, with engineers who speak your language and look after your plant.
It is suitable when the moisture is mainly on the surface and the solid breaks up well. If the water is bound inside the particle, a few seconds of contact are not enough and the way to go is a rotary dryer.
The flash dryer dries in seconds and takes up little floor space; the rotary dryer works with long residence times and tolerates coarse or abrasive products. Inlet moisture, particle size and abrasiveness determine which one is right.
No. Because contact lasts seconds and evaporation cools the particle, the product leaves well below the inlet air temperature.
WITech D&E designs and manufactures flash dryers in Argentina, with models from 0.15 to 70 m³/s of air, more than 30 years of experience and projects in 10 countries.
With the product, the capacity and the end use we will reply in less than 24 business hours, with a first technical assessment. If you wish, we can arrange a trial with your sample.
