The Spray Drying Process
The spray drying process is older than might commonly be imagined. Earliest descriptions date from 1860 with the first patented design recorded in 1872. The basic idea of spray drying is the production of highly dispersed powders from a fluid feed by evaporating the solvent. This is achieved by mixing a heated gas with an atomized (sprayed) fluid of high surface-to-mass ratio droplets, ideally of equal size, within a vessel (drying chamber), causing the solvent to evaporate uniformly and quickly through direct contact.
Spray drying can be used in a wide range of applications where the production of a free-flowing powder is required. This method of dehydration has become the most successful one in the following areas:
Pharmaceuticals
Bone and tooth amalgams
Beverages
Flavours, colourings and plant extracts
Milk and egg products
Plastics, polymers and resins
Soaps and detergents
Textiles and many more
Almost all other methods of drying, including use of ovens, freeze dryers or rotary evaporators, produce a mass of material requiring further processing (e.g. grinding and filtering) therefore, producing particles of irregular size and shape. Spray drying on the other hand, offers a very flexible control over powder particle properties such as density, size, flow characteristics and moisture content.
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