Numerical Study and Experimental Validation of Skim Milk Drying in a Process Intensified Counter Flow Spray Dryer

Umair Jamil Ur Rahman and Artur K. Pozarlik
Additional contact information
Umair Jamil Ur Rahman: Department of Thermal and Fluid Engineering, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
Artur K. Pozarlik: Department of Thermal and Fluid Engineering, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-24

Abstract: This research presents 3D steady-state simulations of a skim milk spray drying process in a counter-current configuration dryer. A two-phase flow involving gas and discrete phase is modeled using the Eulerian–Lagrangian model with two-way coupling between phases. The drying kinetics of skim milk is incorporated using the Reaction Engineering Approach. The model predictions are found to be in accordance with the experimental temperature measurements with a maximum average error of 5%. The validated computational model is employed further to study the effects of nozzle position, initial spray Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD), air inlet temperature, and feed rate on the temperature and moisture profiles, particle impact positions, drying histories, and product recovery at the outlet. The location of the nozzle upwards (≈23 cm) resulted in maximum product recovery and increased the mean particle residence time at the outlet. A similar trend was observed for the highest feed rate of 26 kg/h owing to the increased spray penetration upstream in the chamber. The maximum evaporation zone was detected close to the atomizer (0–10 cm) when the spray SMD is 38 µm, whereas it shifts upstream (40–50 cm) of the dryer for an SMD of 58 µm. The high air inlet temperature resulted in enhanced evaporation rates only in the initial 10–20 cm distance from the atomizer. The results obtained in this study are beneficial for the development of the novel vortex chamber-based reactors with a counter flow mechanism.

Keywords: spray drying; counter-current mechanism; process intensification; skim milk; CFD; REA; experimental validation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/16/4974/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/16/4974/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:16:p:4974-:d:613875

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().