Thin Film Drying Processes Energy- and economic aspects compared to spray drying

This report gives a systematic comparison of the energy consumption and the investment- and energy costs for a conventional spray dryer in comparison to three conductive thin film drying processes. The evaluated thin film drying processes are: vacuum drum drying, agitated thin film drying and refractance window drying. The comparison is carried out for a drying capacity of 500 kg water/h by evaporation. Taken all boundary conditions into account, it is concluded that for the evaluated conductive thin film drying processes a reduction in primary energy (15% to 35%), capital costs (45% to 65%) and operational costs (37% to 50%) can be expected.