Moving Bed Dryer
ASRA ABID
October , 2025
www.tuf.edu.pk
unioffaisalabad
TYPES OF MOVING BED DRYER
1. TURBO TRAY DRYERS
2. ROTARY DRYERS
• TURBO TRAY DRYERS
• PRINCIPLE
• Drying particles are partially separated so that they flow over each other.
Motion may be induced either by gravity or mechanical agitation.
www.tuf.edu.pk
unioffaisalabad
DESIGN AND WORKING
• Turbo dryer consist of a series of rotating angular
trays arranged in vertical stack. Heated air is
circulated over the trays by turbo-type fans. Wet
mass fed through the roof of the dryer and is
leveled by a stationary wiper.
After about 7-8 of the revolution the material
being dried onto the tray below where it is again
spread and leveled. The same procedure is
continued throughout the height of the dryer until
the dried material is discharged at the bottom.
www.tuf.edu.pk
unioffaisalabad
• ADVANTAGES
• Because turbo dryers continuously expose new surfaces to air, drying rates
are considerably faster than tray dryers.
• DISADVANTAGES
• Expensive, Complicated.
www.tuf.edu.pk
unioffaisalabad
2.ROTARY DRYERS
• The rotary dryer is modified form of tunnel dryer in
which particles are passed through a rotating cylinder,
counter current to stream of heated air. Due to the
rotation of cylinder, the material is turned over and
drying takes place from individual particles and not from
a static bed.
• The cylindrical shell is mounted with a slight slope so
as to discharge the material and make the operation
continuous. Baffles or flights in the shell may increase
the rate of drying.
www.tuf.edu.pk
unioffaisalabad
www.tuf.edu.pk
unioffaisalabad
Generation and action of
microwaves
• Microwaves are produced by an electronic device known as a
magnetron. Microwave energy can be reflected down through
a window into a drying chamber.
• The penetration of microwaves into the wet product is so
good that heat is generated uniformly within the solid.
www.tuf.edu.pk
unioffaisalabad
• The application of microwave energy to the drying of solids
represents a radical departure from conventional means of
drying.
• Instead of applying heat externally to a material, energy in
the form of microwaves is converted into internal heat by
interaction with the material itself.
• This permits extremely rapid heat transfer throughout the
material, which in turn can lead to rapid drying.
www.tuf.edu.pk
unioffaisalabad
The use of microwave
radiation
• Although energy in the IR region is more easily
generated there are other, longer, wavelengths that
can generate heat when the radiation is absorbed by
a wet solid. Microwave radiation in the wavelength
range 10 mm to 1m penetrates much better than IR
radiation. Microwave driers are used now in
pharmaceutical industry.
www.tuf.edu.pk
unioffaisalabad
Advantages of
microwave drying
1- It provides rapid drying at low temperature.
2- The thermal efficiency is high, as the drier casing and the air remain cool.
Most of the microwave energy is absorbed by the liquid in the wet material.
3- The bed is stationary, avoiding the problems of dust and attrition.
4- Solute migration is reduced as there is uniform heating of the wet mass.
5- Equipment is highly efficient; all the requirements of product and operator
safety follow the GMP considerations.
6- Granulation end-point can be detected by measuring the residual microwave
energy, ( it is rises sharply when there is little solvent left to evaporate).
www.tuf.edu.pk
unioffaisalabad
Disadvantages of
microwave drying
• 1- The batch size of microwave driers is smaller
than those available for fluidized-bed driers.
• 2- Care must be taken to shield operators from the
microwave radiation, which can cause damage to
organs such as the eyes and testes. This is ensured
by “Failsafe” devices preventing the generation of
microwaves until the drying chamber is sealed
