Print Back
Procedyne fluid bed processors are used when it is necessary to heat a powder or granular food material. Our fluid bed food processors are constructed of stainless steel or other suitable alloy. The fluid bed food processor can operate from 60° up to 660°F (15-350°C) and offers excellent temperature uniformity and precise temperature control. Indirect heating provides high capacity and protection of the product.

Areas of Application

  • Drying
  • Toasting
  • Roasting
  • Dehydrating
Typical Products
  • Starch
  • Sugar
  • Non-Calorie sweetener
  • Coffee
  • Sunflower
  • Flavor additives
  • Salt
Our systems are designed and built for reliable, long-term commercial operation. Materials of construction are selected for high-temperature strength, corrosion resistance, and compatibility with respect to product purity.

The fluid bed food processor is designed for to facilitate quick and easy cleanout after the product treatment is completed.

Procedyne systems operate on electricity, natural gas or fuel oil, thermal fluids, steam, or hot air or water, and are highly efficient, even at high temperature.

Precise temperature control, combined with uniform and complete fluidization, provide for reproducible, high-quality product with extremely high yield.

An array of batch and continuous food processors can be custom designed to each application.

Unit of Measure

Fine Particle Processing

N/A Procedyne's unique fluid bed technology is ideal for fluid bed processing of even very finely divided, and/or lightweight materials. Materials with particle sizes as small as single-digit micron and densities as low as 0.02 g/cc can be successfully handled.

Procedyne fluid bed technology is primarily based on dense-phase fluidization, at the lower end of the fluidization regime. The low fluidizing velocities - and accordingly low gas flows - typically employed in Procedyne fluid bed systems translate to very effective, efficient and low-cost operation.

This capability for processing of very fine and/or lightweight materials arises from the unique design features we can employ. Prominent among these are:

    Procedyne Patented Screw Plate Gas Distributor
    Our proprietary design gas distributor allows for full cross-sectional distribution of the fluidizing gas, even at very low velocities and pressure drop. This design is both flexible and robust; it can be tailored to suit a wide range of conditions, and will withstand very harsh process environments.

    Indirect Heating
    As Procedyne systems typically operate at very low gas flow rates, indirect heating of the process is possible. This feature allows for processing at bed temperatures up to 1200C, with capability to maintain specific atmospheric conditions. Virtually 100% of the process heat requirement is via the indirect through-wall radiant/convective heat transfer mechanism.

    Integral High-Temperature Gas Filtration
    Even at very low gas velocities, elutriation of fine particles from the fluidized bed can be an issue. Procedyne has a solution in its high-temperature gas filtration system, which can be integral to the fluid bed process vessel, for virtually 100% solids retention in the process environment and particulate-free exhaust.

Batch Processors

N/A Procedyne designs and builds batch fluid bed processors for drying, calcining, activations and other chemical processes. Batch units are typically cylindrical in shape, and can be configured with a range of accessories and ancillary equipment. Designs range from low-temperature units operating at only slightly elevated temperature, to units operating at nominal 1200°C bed temperature. We can supply small bench- or lab-scale systems from few inches in diameter, up to large commercial systems exceeding 10' in diameter.

Continuous Processors

N/A Procedyne designs and builds continuous fluid bed processors for drying, calcining, activations and other chemical processes. Batch units are either cylindrical in shape, for a back-mixed processing method, or trough (rectangular) for a plug-flow processing method. For continuous processes requiring very tight approximation of true plug flow, with exacting residence time requirements, we offer a specialized configuration of a trough-style processor - our multi-stage continuous processor. Continuous processors can be configured with a range of accessories and ancillary equipment. Designs range from low-temperature units operating at only slightly elevated temperature, to units operating at nominal 1200°C bed temperature. We can supply small bench- or lab-scale systems for a few kg/hr up to units providing capacities in the tons per hour magnitude.

Indirect Heating

N/A With the typically-low gas flows utilized in our fluid bed systems, indirect heating of the process is possible. The indirect heating mechanism maintains complete physical separation of the heat source and the thermal process being facilitated.

The complete physical separation of the heat source from the process imparts several distinct advantages, such as:

  • True maintenance of a specific process atmosphere, to facilitate a desired solids/gas phase reaction, or conversely, prevent or inhibit undesirable reactions, either inside or outside the process retort. Unlike many other types of indirectly-heated process equipment, Procedyne units are truly positively sealed against leakage in or out of the process. Operating pressures from atmospheric to up to nominal 100 psig can be facilitated. Our units can thus effectively and safely operate under virtually any process atmosphere, including:

    • inert
    • reducing
    • oxidizing
    • nitriding
    • chloriding
    • dehumidified or dessicated

  • Capability for temperature and heat-input profiling of a continuous process, as the temperature of the retort can be varied along its length.

  • No dilution or contamination of the process gas exiting the process retort, allowing for effective and economical treatment and recycling of the process gas.

  • In a fuel-fired system, the furnace exhaust gas is free from any potential gaseous or particulate contaminant or pollutant from the process side of the operation, suitable for direct heat recovery or exhaust to atmosphere.

Direct Heating

N/A Content to come.

Temperature Uniformity

Bed Temperature Uniformity Test Data
20" Pilot Fluid Bed Reactor

N/A The data presented was obtained in a test program in Procedyne's 20" diameter cylindrical pilot fluid bed processor at the Procedyne Process Technology Laboratory.

The test was preformed to illustrate the temperature uniformity achievable in a Procedyne fluid bed. The pilot unit is an indirectly-heated system, with capability for preheating of the fluidizing gas. In this test, no gas preheating was utilized, and the maximum bed temperature was targeted, to present the most difficult conditions for temperature uniformity.

The temperatures were recorded using a three-point measurement in a radial direction, with the points of measurement at the vessel centerline [A], vessel wall [C], and midpoint between the two [B]. The temperature probe was traversed in the axial direction from top to bottom (nominal 2" above the gas distributor) in 4" increments. Temperatures were recorded in the downward and upward traverses of the fluidized bed. The time duration for these traverses was roughly one hour. The data shown in the table below is from the downward traverse; the upward traverse yielded values within the tolerance displayed in the downward traverse

Vessel Diameter

N/A 20 in

Depth of Fluidized Bed

N/A 24 in

Bed Material

N/A Aluminum Oxide

Particle Size

N/A 150 mesh

Bulk Density

N/A 110 lb/cu ft

Table

N/A &nbsp

Minimum Temperature

N/A 1157.8°C

Maximum Temperature

N/A 1161.0°C

Temperature Spread

N/A 3.2°C

Average Temperature

N/A 1159.7°C

Standard Deviation

N/A 0.746°C

Coefficient of Variance

N/A 0.064%

Mechanical Agitation

N/A For processing of materials which exhibit less-than-ideal fluidization characteristics, Procedyne offers mechanically agitated fluid bed processors. These units employ an internal, typically-low-speed, motor-driven agitator to assist with the gas-phase fluidization of the solids material.

The mechanical agitation of the solids bed can often facilitate effective fluid bed processing of materials that otherwise would not be suitable, including fibers and flakes, and materials which tend to adhere or agglomerate.

These agitated units are available for both batch and continuous processors, large or small, and operating at low or high temperature.

Procedyne performs fluidization trials on all candidate materials, to determine the fluidizing characteristics of the material.