Novel Feeding System for Pneumatic Dryers

For the good operation of a pneumatic dryer, solids should be fed to the equipment well dispersed and without the presence of lumps. In addition, the material should be introduced to the dryer at a uniform rate. Rotary valve feeders and screw feeders are the most common type of feeding mechanisms used in pneumatic dryers. However, rotary valve feeders cannot be used with sticky material. We used Discrete Element Method (DEM), a numerical model that simulates how particles interact with each other and the surrounding boundaries, to develop a feeder for pneumatic dryers that can handle sticky material. It provides a uniform feeding rate, low maintenance and costs much less than a screw feeder.