From Guest Blogger Charlie Hill: What You Can Do With a Rotary Dryer?

Fossil fuel resource is limited in this world. Coal, oil, gas will someday go to the end of its destiny. Government and institutes are advocate substitute fuel. Biomass energy is emerging and growing rapidly in recent years, not only because they are sustainable, but also less pollution.

Many agricultural and forest residues could be used for biomass briquettes production, rather than simply burning. Many materials, like sawdust, wood chips, barks, stalk, bagasse, vinasse, husk and hull, are dried and briquetted/pelleted.

These fresh plant residues contain water up to 30-50%wt. It reduces the gross heat value when they are used as fuels, as the water would absorb heat and get vaporized. Wet, loose powders are hard to form pellets or briquettes. A drying process is required.

In thermal drying process, there are many equipment that could be used to reduce moisture content. Ring dryer, flash dryer, fluid bed dryer, steam tube dryer. Rotary dryer is one of them. Due to its easy operation and high capacity, rotary dryer is considered “work horse”.

Generally consisted of heating system, feeding system, driving system, dryer drum, discharge system, dust collection system, rotary dryer is simple in construction structure. This design results directly low maintenance and downtime.

Inside rotary dryer, heat transfer is completed under high temperature. Water turns into vapor. Exhaust gas brings vapor away at the outlet.