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TE.CO.MA. GATEDRYER®
the newest reality in suspension and solution drying


The 25 years experience acquired by TE.CO.MA.'s technical staff in different industrial fields, concerning the application, thorough studies, dimensioning and realization of different spray-dryers has carried out the decision to develop a new machine capable of replacing the extremely expensive and bulky existing ones. Therefore, after months of research, in September 1996, TE.CO.MA. has presented the first prototype of Gatedryer® a patented direct horizontal spray-dryer.
By using the term "drying" we intend to define the operation required to reduce water (or other liquids like solvents) content found in a generally solid substance. The project of the machine is based on the reduction of drying time which is achievable by increasing wet material-air exchange surface, to work on the slow process step: the diffusion of the liquid phase from inside to outside the solid material.
The material to be dried , first dispersed in a liquid phase, is delivered by a pump to a controlled spray-nozzle system where it is transformed in microscopic particles having the desired size.
These particles meet a narrow area (called "GATE" area") of about 20 cm where the hot air, adjustable between 200 and 1200 C, is introduced causing the almost instantaneous removal of the liquid phase of the particles themselves. Dried particles are sucked by means of a depression generated by an efficient sucking system and, while heaviest ones immediately drop down on the bottom of the drying chamber, the lightest ones are collected by a bag filter. An automatic cleaning system permits the release of the particles kept by the bags letting them drop down on the bottom of the drying chamber where they are collected, along with coarser ones, by means of an archimedean screw. The sucking system clears away the humid air helping evaporation and maintaining the depression inside the chamber.

Setting up of "Gate" and exit temperature, both electronically controlled, it is possible to obtain a product having the desired final moisture content (between 0,1 - 5,0 %) while adjusting pressure atomization it's possible to control particles sizes.

Gatedryer® range of production is extremely wide as well as its range of employment.

ORGANIC PRODUCTS
  1. Synthetic products: Antibiotics, anticryptogamics, pigments, tensioactives e detergents, acrilic polimers, epoxy resins, etc.
  2. Vegetal Extracts : the, aromatic flawour, etc.
  3. Milk derivatives : proteins, lactose, whey
  4. Aminoacids and peptides, enzymes, yeast,etc.
  5. Blood, haemoglobin, plasma
  6. Meat extracts and glandular extracts
  7. Other : vitamins, albumins, tannin, decolorant clays, etc.
INORGANIC PRODUCTS
  1. Salts : sodium chloride, iron chloride, sulphates, sulphides, carbonates, etc.
  2. Oxides and hydroxides : cuprous oxichloride, aluminum hydroxide, etc.
  3. Ceramic products : slips, china clay, glazes, porcelains, caolin, bentonite, silica, zirconium silicate, allumina, sodium aluminate, cryolite, pigments, porcelain, steatite, porphyrite, etc.
  4. Other : ferrite, etc.
SLUDGE
  1. Biological and chemical-physics water depuration sludge

Considering the characteristics of the substances to be processed "drying Gate" will be conceived in 3 different ways:
  • Direct Flame (using high velocity burners)
  • Hot Air Generator (direct/indirect)
  • Heat exchanger
Besides, it is already available a closed circuit Gatedryer® (with re-condensation of outcoming steam and exhaust air treatment) and an exhaust gases drying system, to be utilized for extremely hazardous products, is being tested.
The extremely restrained dimensions of the machine, with respect the traditional ones currently employed in such a kind of process, make also possible to apply a water cooling system on walls chamber. This cooling system becomes particularly useful in order to process thermo-sensible and inflammable products.
As showed by the chart above (2), the thermal performance of the Gatedryerâ (continuos line) is characterized by short contact time between flame and product along with low temperature inside the main chamber. These factors are in strong contrast with the situation commonly found on traditional spray-dryers as appears on the chart above (sketch line).
ADVANTAGES OF THIS TECHNOLOGY

Along with the possibility to process a great variety of products, key points of this technology may be summarized as follows:

Installation Costs
Installed Electric Power
Requested area
Air delivery at chimney
Drying Time		 60% lower
40% lower
50% lower
50% lower
microseconds instead of seconds

Not to be underestimated the extremely easy control and operation of the machine itself.

TE.CO.MA. spraying nozzle system, utilized on the Gatedryer®, allows to handle products that usually are processed on traditional spray-dryers only if equipped with spinning wheel spraying system.

Making a comparison between a traditional spray-dryer equipped with a spinning wheel spraying system and the Gatedryer® having the same evaporation capacity (500 l/h) and granulometric distribution on final product and with hot air at 500°C it's quite clear the difference:

Type
Inner Diameter
Height
Kw installed
Nmc/h air
Thermal Specific Consumption
Thermal losses
Spray dryer
4.560 mm
13.800 mm
53
3.220
850 Kcal/l
80.000 Kcal/h
GATEDRYER®
1.500 mm
6.000  mm
27
1.800
850 Kcal/l
67.000 Kcal/h

A simple comparison of numbers is useful to understand the overwhelming superiority of Gatedryer® concept non only because of installed electric power and dimensions which are almost halved with respect the traditional machines but, even more because of lower air delivery at chimney that allows a large reduction (abt 20%) of thermal losses.