CFD study of air flow patterns and droplet trajectories in a lab scale vortex chamber spray dryer

Abstract

In order to develop an alternative spray drying technology, a high drying rate in a smaller volume must be achieved. In this paper, results of CFD study are presented, carried out to investigate the possibility of spray drying in a novel design vortex chamber. The model is validated against experimental data, that makes a good agreement with an average error of 7% with only air and 24% with water spray. Results of temperature fields and droplet impact positions are discussed. The computations demonstrate that vortex chamber spray dryer can be an attractive solution for drying technology. Keywords: CFD; spray drying; vortex chamber; atomization;