WO2017000967A1 - A cooling system and a method of cooling dry intake air to drying systems - Google Patents
A cooling system and a method of cooling dry intake air to drying systems Download PDFInfo
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- WO2017000967A1 WO2017000967A1 PCT/DK2016/050231 DK2016050231W WO2017000967A1 WO 2017000967 A1 WO2017000967 A1 WO 2017000967A1 DK 2016050231 W DK2016050231 W DK 2016050231W WO 2017000967 A1 WO2017000967 A1 WO 2017000967A1
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F26—DRYING
- F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
- F26B21/00—Arrangements or duct systems, e.g. in combination with pallet boxes, for supplying and controlling air or gases for drying solid materials or objects
- F26B21/06—Controlling, e.g. regulating, parameters of gas supply
- F26B21/08—Humidity
- F26B21/083—Humidity by using sorbent or hygroscopic materials, e.g. chemical substances, molecular sieves
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F26—DRYING
- F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
- F26B3/00—Drying solid materials or objects by processes involving the application of heat
- F26B3/02—Drying solid materials or objects by processes involving the application of heat by convection, i.e. heat being conveyed from a heat source to the materials or objects to be dried by a gas or vapour, e.g. air
- F26B3/06—Drying solid materials or objects by processes involving the application of heat by convection, i.e. heat being conveyed from a heat source to the materials or objects to be dried by a gas or vapour, e.g. air the gas or vapour flowing through the materials or objects to be dried
- F26B3/08—Drying solid materials or objects by processes involving the application of heat by convection, i.e. heat being conveyed from a heat source to the materials or objects to be dried by a gas or vapour, e.g. air the gas or vapour flowing through the materials or objects to be dried so as to loosen them, e.g. to form a fluidised bed
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F3/00—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems
- F24F3/12—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems characterised by the treatment of the air otherwise than by heating and cooling
- F24F3/14—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems characterised by the treatment of the air otherwise than by heating and cooling by humidification; by dehumidification
- F24F3/1411—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems characterised by the treatment of the air otherwise than by heating and cooling by humidification; by dehumidification by absorbing or adsorbing water, e.g. using an hygroscopic desiccant
- F24F3/1423—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems characterised by the treatment of the air otherwise than by heating and cooling by humidification; by dehumidification by absorbing or adsorbing water, e.g. using an hygroscopic desiccant with a moving bed of solid desiccants, e.g. a rotary wheel supporting solid desiccants
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Microbiology (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Central Air Conditioning (AREA)
Abstract
A cooling system for supplying, and a method of supplying, cooled intake air to a fluid bed dryer (20) for use as cooled intake air in cooling a warm or hot material in said fluid bed dryer (20); said method comprising in a cooling system according to the invention, supplying primary air along a primary air flow path (41) to a dry side of an indirect evaporative cooler (40), and secondary air along a secondary air flow path (42a,42b) to a wet side of said same indirect evaporative cooler (40); permitting said primary air to traverse said dry side of said indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled intake air, and permitting said secondary air to traverse said wet side of said indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled and moist secondary air; and supplying said cooled intake air to said fluid bed dryer (20) via a fluid bed dryer intake air flow path (21) connecting said dry side of said indirect evaporative cooler (40) to said fluid bed dryer (20).
Description
TITLE
A cooling system and a method of cooling dry intake air to drying systems.
FIELD
In the field of drying systems and fluid bed drying there is suggested a cooling system with improved energy efficiency for providing cold and dry intake air to a drying system e.g. a fluid bed dryer and a method of cooling and drying intake air to a drying system e.g. a fluid bed dryer.
BACKGROUND
In the industrial production of powders such as e.g. milk powders, cheese powders, or pharmaceutical powders, it is routinely a part of the production line that a starting material is, in a first step, spray dried in a spray dryer to the generate a powderous material or powder, which spray drying step is followed in a second step by fluid bed drying, wherein the powderous material or powder is cooled and further dried. This two-step process is often necessary due to the high exit temperature of the powder from the spray dryer, which renders the generated powders highly hygroscopic during cool-down to ambient temperatures.
In the fluid bed dryer, drying is typically a multi-step process characterized by supplying dry intake air to the fluid bed dryer, wherein the dry intake air is being reduced in temperature from a starting temperature, which is comparable to the exit temperature of the powder from the spray dryer; to ambient (or close to ambient) temperature in a series of consecutive steps, often two, by lowering
the temperature of the dry intake air between steps. A conventional process of the art is described in WO 95/ 14644. In the art, it is customary to produce cooled and dry intake air for the fluid bed drying process by passing ambient air through a condensation dryer, typically comprising an ice- water unit. Here, the air is cooled to below the dew-point where, in response, the air exudes water and the absolute humidity [g/kg] is reduced. However, because the temperature drops concomitantly the relative humidity increases towards 100%. This constitutes a significant problem for the subsequent drying. To compensate for this drawback, the drying air is subsequently heated.
Conventional drying air systems in the art have several drawbacks, some of which are listed here. They are unnecessary energy demanding, as energy is required both for cooling and for subsequent heating, and they pose a significant hygiene problem, as both the condensation water and the resulting high humidity pose a significant risk for bacterial growth in the condensation cooler, as the bacteria may subsequently be transported by the air-flow into the powder product. This can partially be compensated for by the heating being carried out in an adsorption de- moisturizer, which at the same time heats the intake air and reduces bacterial inflow, however this system remains unnecessary energy demanding.
It is the aim of the present invention to solve at least some of the above problems of drying air systems for fluid bed dryers. To this purpose the present inventors suggest the use of indirect evaporative cooling for drying and
cooling intake air for fluid bed dryers as detailed in the claims and description of the present disclosure.
US 6,018,953 describes a method of conditioning a process stream of air to a building in an air conditioning system, wherein a process stream of air is dehumidified and cooled to provide a conditioned stream of air for introduction to a conditioned space. The method comprises the steps of providing an adsorption wheel having a multiplicity of passages through which process air can flow for adsorbing moisture therefrom, the wheel capable of adsorption of moisture from the process air and of regeneration on a continuous basis as the wheel rotates. An indirect evaporative cooler is provided having a dry side and a wet side separated by a moisture-impervious wall wherein heat is extracted from the dry side through the wall to the wet side. Cooling in the dry side is achieved by evaporation of water into air passing through the wet side. The process air is passed through the adsorption wheel to remove moisture therefrom to provide a moisture-depleted stream of process air exiting the adsorption wheel. The adsorption wheel is regenerated by passing hot gases therethrough to remove moisture from the adsorption wheel. The moisture- depleted stream of process air exiting the adsorption wheel is divided into a relatively hot stream and a relatively cool stream, and the relatively hot stream of process air is introduced into the wet side of the indirect evaporative cooler, and the relatively cool stream is introduced into the dry side, the relatively hot stream evaporating water there-into thereby cooling the moisture-impervious wall and removing heat from the relatively cool stream to provide cooled air to be introduced to a conditioned space. The air flow rates provided by this system to the building spaces
are between 2 to 5 m/s and laminar flows with Reynolds numbers not exceeding 2000.
Other systems for conditioning air for buildings are detailed in e.g. US 5890372 and US 4910971. Due to the intended use in buildings of the cooling systems of the prior art, they are not suited for use with fluid bed dryers, which require very fast flowing air masses to achieve fluidization .
WO 2005/106343 details the construction of an enthalpy exchanger (an indirect evaporative cooler in the parlance of the present invention) , which reference is incorporated into the present disclosure in its entirety. The indirect evaporative cooler of WO 2005/106343 is manufactured and sold by Statiqcooling B.V. of Holland and is considered particularly suitable for use in the systems and units of the present invention. In the present invention, we describe a flexible, inexpensive, and simple system that is capable of delivering a dry and cold airstream for ventilating a drying process in a fluid bed dryer. In operation the system creates dry air, thereby eliminating condensation in the ventilation system; and furthermore the outlet and inlet airstreams are separated which minimize the risks of contaminating the inlet air stream.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is detailed in the description, the claims and in the drawings. In particular, there is disclosed :
In a first embodiment; a cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) for supplying cooled intake air to a fluid bed dryer (20); the cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) comprising: an indirect evaporative cooler (40) comprising a dry side and a wet side; a primary air flow path (41) connecting to the dry side upstream from the indirect evaporative cooler (40); a secondary air flow path (42a, 42b) connecting to the wet side upstream (42a) and downstream (42b) of the indirect evaporative cooler (40), a fluid bed dryer intake air flow path (21), for connecting to a fluid bed dryer, connecting to the dry side downstream from the indirect evaporative cooler (40); the cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) arranged to: permit a flow of intake air for the fluid bed dryer to reach the dry side of the indirect evaporative cooler (40) as primary air along the primary air flow path (41) ; permit a flow of secondary air to reach the wet side of the same indirect evaporative cooler (40) along the secondary air flow path (42a); permit the primary air to traverse the dry side of the indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled intake air; and permit the secondary air to traverse the wet side of the indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled and moist secondary air; and supply the cooled intake air to a fluid bed dryer (20) via the fluid bed dryer intake air flow path (21); the cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) further comprising air moving units for moving air along the air flow paths (21, 41, 42a, 42b) .
In a second embodiment, a cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) according to the first embodiment further comprising a bypass air flow path (43) for directing and mixing a flow of primary air to the cooled intake air exiting the indirect evaporative cooler (40) at a first temperature, to obtain cooled intake air of a second temperature, the second temperature higher than the first temperature.
In a third embodiment, a cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) according to either the first or second embodiments further comprising a redirection air flow path (44) for redirecting and/or mixing a flow of cooled primary air to the secondary air upstream from the indirect evaporative cooler (40) along the secondary air flow path (42a) .
In a fourth embodiment, a cooling system (2,3,5,6,7) according to any of the first to third embodiments further comprising a primary air dehumidifier (50), preferably a desiccant dehumidifier, and most preferably a rotary desiccant wheel, arranged on the primary air flow path (41a, 41b) upstream from the indirect evaporative cooler (40) .
In a fifth embodiment, a cooling system (2,3,5,6,7) according to the fourth embodiment wherein the primary air dehumidifier is a rotary desiccant wheel (50) arranged on the primary air flow path (41a, 41b) upstream from the indirect evaporative cooler (40), the rotary desiccant wheel (50) comprising a process section (51) and a regeneration section (52), the primary air flow path (41a, 41b) traversing the rotary desiccant wheel (50) by the process section (51); the cooling system further comprising at least one regeneration air heating unit (54) for heating intake air to obtain heated regeneration air, which can be led to the regeneration section (52) of the rotary desiccant wheel (50), along a regeneration air flow path (53), and at least one air moving unit for moving intake air and heated regeneration air along the regeneration air flow path (53) .
In a sixth embodiment, a cooling system (2,3,5,6,7) according to the fifth embodiment wherein the at least one regeneration air heating unit (54) has been replaced, at least partially, by heat exchangers ( 54a, 54b, 54c) for recovery of heat stored in release air.
In a seventh embodiment, a cooling system (2,3,5,6,7) according to either the fifth of the sixth embodiments wherein the at least one regeneration air heating unit (54) is replaced by at least one regeneration air heat exchanger (54) located on one or more exhaust air flow paths (12,22) for release air from a spray dryer (10) and/or a fluid bed dryer (20) . In an eighth embodiment, a cooling system (2,3,5,6,7) according to either the fifth of the sixth embodiments wherein the at least one regeneration air heating unit (54) is partially replaced by a primary air heat exchanger (54a) located downstream from the rotary desiccant wheel (50) on a second stretch (41b) of the primary air flow path (41) augmented by a supplementary regeneration air heating unit located on the regeneration air flow path (53) between the heat exchanger (54a) and the rotary desiccant wheel (50) . In a ninth embodiment, a cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) according to any of the previous embodiments wherein the secondary air is dehumidified prior to traversing the wet side of the indirect evaporative dryer (40) . In a tenth embodiment, a cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) according to any of the previous embodiments further comprising a secondary air dehumidifier (60), preferably a desiccant dehumidifier, and most preferably a rotary
desiccant wheel, arranged on the secondary air flow path (42a) upstream from the indirect evaporative cooler (40) .
In an eleventh embodiment, a cooling system (6,7) according to the tenth embodiment wherein the secondary air dehumidifier is a rotary desiccant wheel (60) arranged on the secondary air flow path (42a) upstream from the indirect evaporative cooler (40), the rotary desiccant wheel (60) comprising a process section (61) and a regeneration section (62), the secondary air flow path (42a) traversing the rotary desiccant wheel (60) by the process section (61) ; the cooling system further comprising at least one secondary air heating unit (64) for heating intake air to obtain heated regeneration air, which can be led to the regeneration section (62) of the rotary desiccant wheel (60), along a regeneration air flow path (63), and at least one air moving unit for moving intake air and heated regeneration air along the regeneration air flow path ( 63 ) .
In a twelfth embodiment, a cooling system (4,5,6,7) according to the eleventh embodiment wherein the at least one secondary air heating unit (64) has been replaced, at least partially, by heat exchangers ( 54a, 54b, 54c) for recovery of heat stored in release air.
In a thirteenth embodiment, a cooling system (4,5,6,7) according to either the eleventh or the twelfth embodiments wherein the at least one secondary air heating unit (64) is replaced by at least one secondary air heat exchanger (64) located on one or more exhaust air flow paths (12,22) for release air from a spray dryer (10) and/or a fluid bed dryer (20) .
In a fourteenth embodiment, a cooling system (4,5,6,7) according to either the eleventh to thirteenth embodiments wherein the secondary air heat exchanger (64) and the primary air heat exchanger (54a) is one unit in which the primary (41b) and secondary (42a) air flow paths are crossing and heat exchanging, such that primary air is cooled while regeneration air is heated thereby augmenting the cooling capacity of the indirect evaporative heater (40) .
In a fifteenth embodiment, a cooling system (2,3,4,5,6,7) according to any of the eleventh to fourteenth embodiments wherein the at least one regeneration air heating unit (54) and the at least one secondary air heating unit (64) forms a combined regeneration air and secondary air heating unit, and wherein the air flow paths for regeneration air (53,63) and/or the secondary air flow path (42) are split from each other only after passage of the combined regeneration air and secondary air heating unit.
In a sixteenth embodiment, a cooling system (2,3,4,5,6,7) according to any of the fourth to fifteenth embodiments comprising only one desiccant dehumidifier, the desiccant dehumidifier having capacity to produce dry air to supply both the needs for primary air and for secondary air in the cooling system, and wherein the primary (41) and the secondary (42) air flow paths are split from each other only after passage of the only one desiccant dehumidifier. In a seventeenth embodiment, a cooling system (2,3,4,5,6,7) according to the sixteenth embodiment wherein the only one desiccant dehumidifier is a rotary desiccant wheel supplying dry air for a spray dryer (10) along a spray dryer drying air flow path (11), and wherein the primary
(41) and the secondary (42) air flow paths are in fluid connection with the spray dryer drying air flow path (11) .
In an eighteenth embodiment, a fluid bed dryer (20) comprising a cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) according to any of the first to seventeenth embodiments.
In a nineteenth embodiment, an arrangement comprising a spray dryer (10) and a fluid bed dryer (20), sequentially arranged to allow transport of a powderous material from the spray dryer (10) to the fluid bed dryer (20), the fluid bed dryer (20) comprising a cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) according to any of the first to seventeenth embodiments. In a twentieth embodiment, use of a fluid bed dryer (20) according to the eighteenth embodiment and/or an arrangement comprising a spray dryer (10) and a fluid bed dryer (20) according to the nineteenth embodiment, for drying a powderous material.
In a twenty-first embodiment, a method of supplying cooled intake air to a fluid bed dryer (20) for use as cooled intake air in cooling a warm or hot material to be dried in the fluid bed dryer (20); the method comprising in a cooling system according to any of the first to seventeenth embodiments, supplying primary air along a primary air flow path (41) to a dry side of an indirect evaporative cooler (40), and secondary air along a secondary air flow path (42a, 42b) to a wet side of the same indirect evaporative cooler (40); permitting the primary air to traverse the dry side of the indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled intake air, and permitting the secondary air to traverse the wet side of the indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled and moist secondary
air; and supplying the cooled intake air to the fluid bed dryer (20) via a fluid bed dryer intake air flow path (21) connecting the dry side of the indirect evaporative cooler (40) to the fluid bed dryer (20) .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1: Basic cooling system and arrangement according to the invention.
Figure 2: Basic cooling system and arrangement according to the invention further comprising a desiccant dehumidifier .
Figure 3: Basic cooling system and arrangement according to the invention further comprising heat exchangers for heating regeneration air.
Figure 4: Basic cooling system and arrangement according to the invention comprising a secondary air drying unit.
Figure 5: Basic cooling system and arrangement according to the invention comprising a secondary air heating unit.
Figure 6: Basic cooling system and arrangement according to the invention comprising a secondary air desiccant dehumidifier .
Figure 7: Basic cooling system and arrangement according to the invention comprising a distant desiccant dehumidifier .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The basic cooling unit (40) and cooling system (1) according to the invention is disclosed in Figure 1. This basic cooling unit and cooling system forms the starting
point for the further disclosed embodiments of the present invention .
With the present invention, and as detailed in the figures, there is disclosed a cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) for supplying cooled intake air to a fluid bed dryer (20); the cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) comprising: an indirect evaporative cooler (40) comprising a dry side and a wet side; a primary air flow path (41) connecting to the dry side upstream from the indirect evaporative cooler (40); a secondary air flow path (42a, 42b) connecting to the wet side upstream (42a) and downstream (42b) of the indirect evaporative cooler (40); a fluid bed dryer intake air flow path (21), for connecting to a fluid bed dryer, connecting to the dry side downstream from the indirect evaporative cooler (40); the cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) arranged to: permit a flow of intake air for the fluid bed dryer to reach the dry side of the indirect evaporative cooler (40) as primary air along the primary air flow path (41) ; permit a flow of secondary air to reach the wet side of the same indirect evaporative cooler (40) along the secondary air flow path (42a); permit the primary air to traverse the dry side of the indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled intake air; permit the secondary air to traverse the wet side of the indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled and moist secondary air; and supply the cooled intake air to a fluid bed dryer (20) via the fluid bed dryer intake air flow path (21); the cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) further comprising air moving units for moving air along the air flow paths (21, 41, 42a, 42b) .
In a preferred embodiment, the material to be dried is a powderous material. As the method and cooling unit of the invention has a very low risk of bacterial infestation it
is particularly preferred that the powderous material shall be a powderous material in hazard of being infected by bacteria, in particular and even more preferred that the powderous material shall be milk powder, cream powder, cheese powder or pharmaceutical powders, such as e.g. powders for inhalation or powders for tableting.
In a further embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed a method of supplying cooled intake air to a fluid bed dryer (20) for use as cooled intake air in cooling a warm or hot material in the fluid bed dryer (20) ; the method comprising in a cooling system according to any of the embodiments detailed herein, supplying primary air along a primary air flow path (41) to a dry side of an indirect evaporative cooler (40), and secondary air along a secondary air flow path (42a, 42b) to a wet side of the same indirect evaporative cooler (40) ; permitting the primary air to traverse the dry side of the indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled intake air, and permitting the secondary air to traverse the wet side of the indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled and moist secondary air; and supplying the cooled intake air to the fluid bed dryer (20) via a fluid bed dryer intake air flow path (21) connecting the dry side of the indirect evaporative cooler (40) to the fluid bed dryer (20) .
Further there is disclosed a use of an indirect evaporative cooler (40) in a method of supplying cooled intake air to a fluid bed dryer (20) for use as cooled intake air in cooling a warm or hot material in the fluid bed dryer (20) ; the method comprising supplying primary air along a primary air flow path (41) to a dry side of an indirect evaporative cooler (40), and secondary air along a secondary air flow
path (42a, 42b) to a wet side of the same indirect evaporative cooler (40) ; permitting the primary air to traverse the dry side of the indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled intake air, and permitting the secondary air to traverse the wet side of the indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled and moist secondary air; and supplying the cooled intake air to the fluid bed dryer (20) via a fluid bed dryer intake air flow path (21) connecting the dry side of the indirect evaporative cooler (40) to the fluid bed dryer (20) .
In Figure 1, a generalized layout of a process plant for producing a powderous material is detailed. The powderous material is generated in a spray dryer (10) as a hot and most often also moist powderous material, whereupon it is transported along the flow path indicated by the thick black line to a fluid bed dryer (20) . In the fluid bed dryer, the powderous material is further dried and cooled to ambient temperature upon which it is transported (along the thick black line) to a powder collection unit (30) (not detailed) as a dried and cooled powderous material for further use or processing. Not detailed in the drawing are the necessary means for transporting a powderous material between the various process units. In general, this is considered outside the scope of the present invention.
The spray dryer (10) can be any type of spray dryer known to the skilled person and the current invention is not limited by this choice. From the spray dryer (10), a spray dryer exhaust air flow path (12) is indicated from where hot and humid exhaust air leaves the spray dryer (10) after partaking in a spray drying procedure. Normally this air is released to the surroundings as release air.
Likewise, the fluid bed dryer (20) can be any type of fluid bed dryer known to the skilled person and the current invention is not limited by this choice. From the fluid bed dryer (20), a fluid bed dryer exhaust air flow path (22) is indicated from where hot and humid exhaust air leaves the fluid bed dryer (20) after partaking in a cooling and drying fluid bed drying procedure. Normally this air is released to the surroundings as release air. According to the invention, intake air for cooling and drying in the cooling and drying fluid bed dryer procedure is supplied to the fluid bed dryer (20) via a fluid bed dryer intake air flow path (21) connecting an indirect evaporative cooler (40) to the fluid bed dryer (20) . The indirect evaporative cooler (40) together with the above and below detailed air flow paths
(21, 41, 41a, 41b, 42a, 42b, 43, 44) form a cooling system (1,2,3,4,5, 6,7) . Further comprised in the cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) of the invention are a plurality of air moving units for moving air along the air flow paths ( 21 , 41 , 4 la, 4 lb, 42a, 42b, 43 , 44 ) comprised in the cooling system. Fans are most suitable for use with the present invention as air moving units, however, bellows and pumps may serve the intended purpose as well. Other air moving units as are known to the skilled person are contemplated for inclusion into the invention as well. The skilled person will know how to apply such air moving units according to the design requirements of the system.
Indirect evaporative coolers have a cooling section, often called a "dry" section or "dry side", and an evaporation section, often called a "wet" section or a "wet side". By
providing a dry side and a wet side separated by a moisture- impervious wall, heat can be extracted from (primary) air traversing the indirect evaporative cooler by the dry side through the wall to (secondary) air traversing the indirect evaporative cooler by the wet side. Water is required for the operation of indirect evaporative coolers. In the drawings and in the claims conduits and means for supplying water to the indirect evaporative coolers forming part of the invention have not been indicated or included. The skilled person will know how to supply water to an indirect evaporative cooler for its correct operation.
When in operation, (primary) air traversing the indirect evaporative cooler by the cooling section, the dry side, will cool through heat exchange with the indirect evaporative cooler without absorbing moisture, while (secondary) air traversing the indirect evaporative cooler by the evaporation section, wet side, will absorb water, thereby cooling the indirect evaporative cooler, itself becoming moisture laden and cooler.
Throughout the text there is made use of the expressions upstream and downstream relative to the indirect evaporative cooler included in the cooling systems of the invention. Upstream and downstream are used in their conventional meaning, such that air approaching the indirect evaporative cooler is on a flow path upstream of the indirect evaporative cooler, while air moving away from the indirect evaporative cooler is on a flow path downstream from the indirect evaporative cooler.
Numerous indirect evaporation coolers are known in the art and are considered suitable for use with the present invention. However, it is particularly preferred that the
indirect evaporation cooler used with the present invention is a counter-flow indirect evaporation cooler as detailed in the drawings of the present disclosure. One example of a counter-flow indirect evaporation cooler is the "wet bulb cooler". In the wet bulb cooler, the secondary air flow, as it traverses the wet bulb cooler, is continuously cooled to 100% relative humidity and reheated by absorbing heat due to heat exchange with the primary air, whereupon it can absorb more water, cool further, become reheated, and absorb more water etc. This thermodynamic cycle will approach the wet bulb temperature of the secondary air, hence the name. Another example of a counter-flow indirect evaporation cooler is the dew-point cooler. In dew-point coolers, a fraction of the primary air, typically between 25-40%, is diverted from the primary air flow to be used as secondary air. Such systems are self-suppliant in secondary air and further allows for a lower resulting temperature of the primary air exiting the indirect evaporative cooler, as the primary air is cooled towards the dew-point of the primary air, rather than the wet bulb temperature. Accordingly, the wet-bulb cooler and the dew-point cooler are considered particularly preferred in the present invention .
In Figure 1, a primary air flow path (41) is indicated. Primary air is supplied to the indirect evaporative cooler (40) along a primary air flow path (41), and traverses the indirect evaporative cooler (40) by the cooling section, the dry side, whereupon it is cooled, becoming cooled intake air. From there it can be directed to a fluid bed
dryer (20) along a fluid bed dryer intake air flow path (21) after having traversed the indirect evaporative cooler. Secondary air is supplied to the evaporation section, the wet side, of the indirect evaporative cooler (40) along a secondary air flow path (42a, 42b) .
Also disclosed with the present invention is a fluid bed dryer (20) comprising a cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) of the present invention and as detailed in the present disclosure, as well as an arrangement comprising a spray dryer (10) and a fluid bed dryer (20) sequentially arranged to allow transport of a powderous material from the spray dryer (10) to the fluid bed dryer (20), the fluid bed dryer (20) comprising a cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) of the present invention and as detailed herein.
A bypass air flow path (43) is indicated in Figure 1. By supplying a bypass air flow path, primary air can be mixed to the cooled intake air for the fluid bed dryer transported along the fluid bed dryer intake air flow path (21) . This allows the temperature of the intake air to be controlled to between 0 and 100% of the temperature the primary air had prior to entering the indirect evaporative cooler, with 100% matching the temperature of the original primary air, and 0% being the temperature of the cooled intake air upon exiting the indirect evaporative cooler without any mixing in of bypassed primary air.
In an exemplary embodiment, the bypass air flow path (43) connects to the fluid bed dryer intake air flow path (21) via an air regulation valve, preferably an air regulation valve for automated gas delivery. In general, and throughout the present disclosure, whenever air flow paths connect, the use of air regulation valves, preferably air
regulation valves for automated gas delivery, is ubiquitously contemplated and applied. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited by the manner in which air flow paths connect, rather it is considered within the skills of the person in the art how to combine and divide airflows whether by passive or active regulation.
Accordingly, there is disclosed in an embodiment of the invention, a method of supplying cooled intake air to a fluid bed dryer (20) ; wherein the cooled intake air exiting the indirect evaporative cooler (40) at a first temperature is mixed with a fraction of primary air to obtain cooled intake air of a second temperature, the second temperature higher than the first temperature.
Also disclosed is a cooling system (1) as detailed above further comprising a bypass air flow path (43) for directing and mixing a flow of primary air to the cooled intake air exiting the indirect evaporative cooler (40) at a first temperature to obtain cooled intake air of a second temperature, the second temperature higher than the first temperature .
In Figure 1, there is further indicated a redirection air flow path (44) . This redirection air flow path can redirect a fraction of cooled intake air exiting the indirect evaporative cooler (40) to the secondary air flow path (42a) prior to, i.e. upstream to, entering the indirect evaporative cooler. Thereby the evaporative capacity of the secondary air can be augmented. When the indirect evaporative cooler (40) is a dew-point cooler, the redirection air flow path (44) is the secondary air flow path (42a) and no further secondary air is supplied beyond the flow redirected along the redirection air flow path
(44) from the cooled intake air exiting the indirect evaporative cooler (40) .
Accordingly, there is further disclosed a cooling system (1) as detailed above further comprising a redirection air flow path (44) for redirecting and/or mixing a flow of cooled primary air to the secondary air upstream from the indirect evaporative cooler (40) along the secondary air flow path (42a) .
It is further contemplated that the cooling system (1) shall comprise a primary air dehumidifier, preferably a desiccant dehumidifier, and most preferably a rotary desiccant wheel dehumidifier, arranged on the primary air flow path (41) upstream from the indirect evaporative cooler (40) . A cooling system (2) according to the invention comprising a primary air dehumidifier is detailed in Figure 2 using the most preferred embodiment, the rotary desiccant wheel, as an exemplary embodiment.
By introducing a dehumidifier into the primary air flow path prior to cooling, it can be assured that the cooled intake air entering the fluid bed dryer (20) is also dry. Thereby cooling can take place in the fluid bed dryer without compromising the dryness of the material in the fluid bed dryer. Also significant advantages are obtained in the construction of the cooling systems of the present invention, including energy savings and bacterial growth prevention .
An effect of the drying of the intake air in a desiccant dryer in particularly in the rotary desiccant wheel is that the heat of absorption stored by the water in the intake air is released, such that intake air exiting e.g. the
rotary desiccant wheel during operation exits as dried and warmed exit air. The cooling systems of the present invention must compensate for this effect in order to provide adequately cooled air to a fluid bed dryer as contemplated by the invention.
Desiccant dehumidifiers comprise a range of different dehumidifiers with varying desiccants and constructive layouts to match the desiccant. Preferably contemplated for use with the present invention are liquid desiccants, or solid state desiccants such as e.g. silica gels, zeolites, or combinations thereof. Preferably, however, the desiccant dehumidifier is a rotary desiccant wheel comprising a solid state desiccant, preferably a silica gel, a zeolite, or a combination thereof. Most preferably, the desiccant is a silica gel.
When the desiccant dehumidifier is a rotary desiccant wheel, the rotary desiccant wheels for use with the present invention operate according to known principles of operation of rotary desiccant wheels as they are usual in the art of drying moist intake air using rotary desiccant wheels. The present invention is detailed using rotary desiccant wheels (50) comprising only a process section (51) and a regeneration section (52) ; however, this is solely for exemplary use. The skilled person is aware that it is common to employ one or more purge zones for the operation of rotary desiccant wheels, and may employ such purge zones at his wish without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Further comprised in the cooling system (2) comprising a dehumidifier, is at least one heating unit (54) for heating intake air to obtain heated regeneration air, which can be
led to a regeneration section (52) of the dehumidifier, preferably the rotary desiccant wheel (50), along a regeneration air flow path (53) . Accordingly, in an embodiment of the cooling system (2) of the invention there is disclosed a cooling system (2) further comprising a rotary desiccant wheel (50) arranged on the primary air flow path (41a, 41b) upstream from the indirect evaporative cooler (40), the rotary desiccant wheel (50) comprising a process section (51) and a regeneration section (52), the primary air flow path (41a, 41b) traversing the rotary desiccant wheel (50) by the process section (51); the cooling system further comprising at least one regeneration air heating unit (54) for heating intake air to obtain heated regeneration air, which can be led to the regeneration section (52) of the rotary desiccant wheel (50), along a regeneration air flow path (53), and at least one air moving unit for moving intake air and heated regeneration air along the regeneration air flow path (53) .
In order for sufficient regeneration of the rotary desiccant wheel (50) the regeneration air should be from about 50°C to about 150°C. Fortunately, which is an advantage of the present invention, numerous sources of reusable heat are present in a spray drying and/or fluid bed drying plant, wherefore the cost of supplying heated regeneration air is minimal when the plant is in operation. Nevertheless, diverse burners or electricity can be used to supply hot regeneration air from the at least one heating unit (54), however, this is less advantageous from an energy perspective.
In an embodiment of the cooling system (2) further comprising a desiccant dehumidifier, but not detailed in the figure, the bypass air flow path (43) further connects directly to the secondary air flow path (42a) at a position upstream to the indirect evaporative cooler (40) . Thereby the cooling capacity of the indirect evaporative cooler (40) can be augmented by dry primary air from the desiccant dehumidifier, e.g. the rotary desiccant wheel (50), thereby increasing the water absorptive capacity of the secondary air, and thereby its cooling capacity.
Following the setup as detailed in Figure 2, intake primary air enters the desiccant dryer, in the figure the rotary desiccant wheel (50), along a first stretch (41a) of the primary air flow path (41a, 41b) . It is then dried and heated in the desiccant dryer (50), thereby becoming dried and heated primary air, before being transported along a second stretch (41b) of the primary air flow path (41a, 41b) to the indirect evaporative cooler (40) . Upon traversing the dry side of the indirect evaporative cooler, the dried and heated primary air becomes dried and cooled intake air, whereupon it is directed to a fluid bed dryer (20) along the fluid bed dryer intake air flow path (21) . In Figure 3 there is detailed an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the desiccant dehumidifier is regenerated using excess energy generated by other processes in the production plant wherein the systems of the invention are installed. In the figure, the at least one regeneration air heating unit (54) detailed in Figure 2 has been replaced, at least partially, by heat exchangers ( 54a, 54b, 54c) for recovery of heat stored in release air from the process elements, e.g. spray dryer (10) or fluid bed dryer (20), of the plant.
In one embodiment the at least one regeneration air heating unit (54) is replaced by a regeneration air heat exchanger (54) located on one or more of the exhaust air flow paths (12,22) for release air of the spray dryer (10) and/or the fluid bed dryer (20) .
In one embodiment, the regeneration air heating unit (54) is partially replaced by a heat exchanger (54a) located downstream from the desiccant dehumidifier (50), in the preferred embodiment detailed in the drawing a rotary desiccant wheel, on the second stretch (41b) of the primary air flow path. Thereby some of the heat contained in the dried and warmed primary air is removed prior to the air entering the indirect evaporative cooler (40), which will improve the cooling effect of that unit. The regeneration flow path (53) accordingly will cross the second stretch (41b) of the primary air flow path downstream from the desiccant dehumidifier.
However, since in this embodiment only a part of the energy needed for regeneration of the desiccant dryer can be recovered in this manner, a supplementary heating unit (54) will still be needed. In one embodiment, this supplementary heating unit (54) is a conventional heating unit, i.e. a burner or an electrical heater; however, preferably the supplementary heating unit is a second heat exchanger as detailed below. It is namely one of the significant advantages of the present invention that heat for regeneration of the desiccant dehumidifiers used in the invention is readily available from the release air of the various process units (spray dryer (10), fluid bed dryer (20) etc.) . In Figure
3, this is indicated by heat exchangers (54b, 54c) located at positions on the spray dryer exhaust air flow path (12) and/or the fluid bed dryer exhaust air flow path (22) . The regeneration flow path (53) accordingly crosses these flow paths at the positions of the heat exchangers. When the heat exchanger (54a) located at a position on the second stretch (41b) of the primary air flow path is present, the regeneration temperature can be augmented by further heated air from heat exchangers (54b, 54c) located elsewhere in the production plant.
In general, where energy saving is in focus, the solutions comprising desiccant dryers regenerated using heat obtained by heat exchange from exhaust air is preferred. However, if the cooling systems of the present invention are to be installed in existing spray drying and fluid bed drying plants, requirements for space (footprint) and lack of possibility for installing additional heat exchangers on the exhaust air flow paths (12,22) from spray dryer (10) or fluid bed dryer (20) may necessitate a self-contained cooling system of the invention. In such self-contained cooling systems of the invention burners or electrical heaters may be the preferred options. In a further embodiment of the invention, independently of, or in combination with, the further embodiments of the invention, the secondary air is dried prior to its entry into the wet side of the indirect evaporative dryer (40) . This is detailed in Figure 4.
The secondary air is dried in at least one secondary air drying unit (60) positioned on the secondary air flow path (42a) upstream from the indirect evaporative dryer (40) . The at least one secondary air drying unit (60) preferably
is a desiccant dehumidifier of the types discussed previously in the present disclosure.
Drying the secondary air prior to its entry into the wet side of the indirect evaporative dryer has the added advantage of augmenting the cooling capacity of the secondary air, thereby allowing the system to produce either colder intake air for a fluid bed dryer (20) and/or allow a higher production rate of cooled intake air for a fluid bed dryer (20) .
Accordingly, there is disclosed, a cooling system (4) of the invention further comprising at least one secondary air drying unit (60) for heating the secondary air prior to traversing the wet side of the indirect evaporative dryer (40) .
In a further embodiment of the invention, independently of, or in combination with, the further embodiments of the invention, the secondary air is heated prior to its entry into the wet side of the indirect evaporative dryer (40) . This is detailed in Figure 5.
In general, it is unnecessary to heat the secondary air prior to its entry into the wet side of the indirect evaporative dryer (40) as the dew point of the air is not changed by this action. However local climate restrictions may require heating and the embodiment is hereby included by example. However, the embodiments for secondary heating disclosed in connection with Figure 5 are, as will be detailed further below, with little modification very suitable for use with the above detailed drying of the secondary air and is disclosed supplementary to this as detailed further below.
The secondary air is heated in at least one secondary air drying unit (64) positioned on the secondary air flow path (42a) upstream from the indirect evaporative dryer (40) . The at least one secondary air heating unit (64) preferably is a desiccant dehumidifier (60) of the types discussed previously in the present disclosure.
Heating and drying the secondary air prior to its entry into the wet side of the indirect evaporative dryer has the added advantage of augmenting the cooling capacity of the secondary air, thereby allowing the system to produce either colder intake air for the fluid bed dryer (20) and/or allow a higher production rate of cooled intake air for the fluid bed dryer (20) . Accordingly, there is disclosed a cooling system (4) of the invention further comprising at least one secondary air drying unit (60) for heating the secondary air prior to traversing the wet side of the indirect evaporative dryer (40) .
In a one embodiment, the heating unit (64) is a heat exchanger. This is detailed in Figure 5 in combination, for exemplary reasons, with the embodiment wherein the cooling system of the invention further comprises a desiccant dehumidifier for drying the primary air.
In one embodiment of the cooling system (5) of the invention further comprising at least one secondary air heating unit (64), the at least one secondary air heating unit being a secondary air heat exchanger (64) positioned on the secondary air flow path (42a) upstream from the indirect evaporative dryer (40) . The embodiment is detailed using the embodiment wherein the cooling system of the invention further comprises a desiccant dehumidifier for drying the
primary air for the below reasons, can however just as easily be used independently thereof.
One of the problems in drying the primary air in the desiccant dryer is the concomitant heating thereof. In one embodiment of the cooling system (5) further comprising a secondary air heat exchanger (64), the secondary air heat exchanger (64) and the primary air heat exchanger (54a) are identical. By crossing the primary (41b) and secondary (42a) air flow paths at this position, the primary air is advantageously cooled while the secondary air is advantageously heated and the cooling capacity of the indirect evaporative heater (40) is thereby augmented. In further embodiments, the secondary air heat exchanger (64) is a heat exchanger (54b, 54c) as indicated in the drawings, where the secondary air heat exchanges with exhaust air from process equipment such as a spray dryer (10) or a fluid bed dryer (20) to gain advantage of the energy in form of heat stored in these flows of exhaust air. The secondary air flow path (42a) accordingly crosses these flow paths (12,22) at the positions of these heat exchangers (54b, 54c) . As detailed above it is further contemplated that the cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) shall comprise a secondary air dehumidifier, preferably a desiccant dehumidifier, and most preferably a rotary desiccant wheel dehumidifier, arranged on the secondary air flow path (42a) upstream from the indirect evaporative cooler (40) .
A cooling system (6) according to the invention comprising a secondary air dehumidifier (60) is detailed in Figure 6 using the most preferred embodiment, the rotary desiccant
wheel, as an exemplary embodiment. As detailed in the figure, the secondary air dehumidifier (60) may be used together with the primary air dehumidifier (50) . It may however also be used without. When the secondary air dehumidifier (60) is a rotary desiccant wheel as detailed in the figure, the cooling system (6) further comprises at least one heating unit (64) for heating intake air to obtain heated regeneration air, which can be led to a regeneration section (62) of the dehumidifier, preferably the rotary desiccant wheel (60), along a regeneration air flow path
(63) , and a process air section (61) of the same rotary desiccant wheel in parallel to what was detailed above for the rotary desiccant wheel (50) for drying primary air. Accordingly, in an embodiment of the cooling system (6) of the invention there is disclosed a cooling system (6) further comprising a rotary desiccant wheel (60) arranged on the primary air flow path (42a) upstream from the indirect evaporative cooler (40), the rotary desiccant wheel (60) comprising a process section (61) and a regeneration section (62), the primary air flow path (42a) traversing the rotary desiccant wheel (60) by the process section (61); at least one regeneration air heating unit
(64) for heating intake air to obtain heated regeneration air, which can be led to the regeneration section (62) of the rotary desiccant wheel (60), along a regeneration air flow path (63); and an air moving unit for moving intake air and heated regeneration air along the regeneration air flow path ( 63 ) .
As the secondary air exiting the desiccant dehumidifier will be dry, the cooling capacity of the secondary air is thereby significantly augmented. This in particular may be necessary if the cooling systems of the invention are
installed in climates where the ambient air serving as secondary air is already hot and humid.
In one embodiment, as detailed in Figure 6, the at least one secondary air heating unit (64) as detailed above, serves the purpose of the at least one regeneration air heating unit (64) . The unit will however no longer be located on the secondary air flow path (42a) but on the regeneration air flow path (63) .
In one embodiment, the at least one regeneration air heating unit (54) and the at least one secondary air heating unit (64) forms a combined regeneration air and secondary air heating unit, and wherein the air flow paths for regeneration air (53,63) and/or the secondary air flow path (42) are split from each other only after passage of the combined regeneration air and secondary air heating unit. Thereby equipment and equipment footprint is saved. E.g. the exhaust air from a spray dryer (10) will typically contain far more energy in the form of heat, as is necessary for optimal operation of the cooling systems of the present invention. Therefore, an air heat exchanger located at position 54b will usually generate enough heated supply air to the cooling systems of the invention, such that any of the processes of the cooling systems requiring heated air in the cooling systems can all be adequately supplied from this one unit. Likewise, where demands on space make heat exchange with other process equipment impractical or unfeasible, a single heating unit, e.g. a burner or an electrical heater, may take the place of the separate heating units (54,64) in the manner detailed above.
In one embodiment of the invention, the cooling system (7) comprises only one desiccant dehumidifier which produces enough dry air to supply both the needs for primary air and for secondary air for efficient operation of the cooling systems of the invention. As can be easily observed from Figure 6, the setup required to operate both desiccant dryers (50, 60) are identical, so it will be just as expedient to use a single desiccant dryer with capacity to service both primary and secondary air needs. In the cooling system of this embodiment, both the primary air flow path (41) and the secondary air flow path (42) originate from the same source.
This is detailed in an embodiment in Figure 7. In this embodiment of the invention, a rotary wheel desiccant dryer already forms part of the production plant as a means for supplying hot and dry air to a spray dryer (10) along a spray dryer drying air flow path (11) . A part of this dried air for the spray dryer (10) is then diverted as primary air and secondary air, along the primary (41) and secondary (42) air flow paths, which flow paths are in fluid connection with the spray dryer drying air flow path (11) . The air obtained in this manner is then used further downstream to cool a powderous material in a fluid bed dryer (20) after passage of the cooling system (7) of the invention .
In the embodiments and aspects of the present invention it has been detailed above, how cooling can be undertaken efficiently, and with an improved bacteriological risk profile, by using cooling systems incorporating an indirect evaporative cooler according to the embodiments of the invention .
The invention has been detailed in connection with a fluid bed dryer, however, other drying systems and process equipment where simple, cheap and energy efficient cooling is needed, can be used equally well with the cooling systems of the invention in lieu of the fluid bed dryer detailed herein .
CLOSING COMMENTS The term "comprising" as used in the claims does not exclude other elements or steps. The term "a" or "an" as used in the claims does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several means recited in the claims.
The skilled person will know how to apply such necessary pipes and air ducts for transporting air through the system flow paths and/or water to the evaporative coolers as required. Likewise, a rotary desiccant wheel is dependent for its operation on adequate rotation of the wheel, which requires one or more motors for rotating the wheel. Other constructional elements for the proper operation may be necessary; however, the skilled person will know how to employ such elements, while not detailed in the present application.
Although the present invention has been described in detail for purpose of illustration, it is understood that such detail is solely for that purpose, and variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.
Claims
CLAIMS : l.A cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) for supplying cooled intake air to a fluid bed dryer (20) ; said cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) comprising:
- an indirect evaporative cooler (40) comprising a dry side and a wet side;
- a primary air flow path (41) connecting to said dry side upstream from said indirect evaporative cooler (40) ;
- a secondary air flow path (42a, 42b) connecting to said wet side upstream (42a) and downstream (42b) of said indirect evaporative cooler (40),
- a fluid bed dryer intake air flow path (21), for connecting to a fluid bed dryer, connecting to said dry side downstream from said indirect evaporative cooler (40) ;
said cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) arranged to:
- permit a flow of intake air for said fluid bed dryer to reach said dry side of said indirect evaporative cooler (40) as primary air along said primary air flow path (41) ;
- permit a flow of secondary air to reach said wet side of said same indirect evaporative cooler (40) along said secondary air flow path (42a);
- permit said primary air to traverse said dry side of said indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled intake air;
- permit said secondary air to traverse said wet side of said indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled and moist secondary air; and
- supply said cooled intake air to a fluid bed dryer
(20) via said fluid bed dryer intake air flow path
(21) ;
said cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) further comprising air moving units for moving air along said air flow paths (21,41,42a, 42b) .
2. A cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) according to claim 1 further comprising a bypass air flow path (43) for directing and mixing a flow of primary air to said cooled intake air exiting said indirect evaporative cooler (40) at a first temperature, to obtain cooled intake air of a second temperature, said second temperature higher than said first temperature.
3. A cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) according to either claim 1 or claim 2 further comprising a redirection air flow path (44) for redirecting and/or mixing a flow of cooled primary air to said secondary air upstream from said indirect evaporative cooler (40) along said secondary air flow path (42a) .
4. A cooling system (2,3,5,6,7) according to any of the claims 1 to 3 further comprising a primary air dehumidifier (50), preferably a desiccant dehumidifier, and most preferably a rotary desiccant wheel, arranged on said primary air flow path (41a, 41b) upstream from said indirect evaporative cooler (40) . 5. A cooling system (2,3,
5,6,7) according to claim 4 wherein said primary air dehumidifier is a rotary desiccant wheel (50) arranged on said primary air flow path (41a, 41b) upstream from said indirect evaporative cooler (40), said rotary desiccant wheel (50) comprising
a process section (51) and a regeneration section (52), said primary air flow path (41a, 41b) traversing said rotary desiccant wheel (50) by said process section (51); said cooling system further comprising at least one regeneration air heating unit (54) for heating intake air to obtain heated regeneration air, which can be led to said regeneration section (52) of said rotary desiccant wheel (50), along a regeneration air flow path
(53) , and at least one air moving unit for moving intake air and heated regeneration air along said regeneration air flow path (53) .
6. A cooling system (2,3,5,6,7) according to claim 5 wherein said at least one regeneration air heating unit
(54) has been replaced, at least partially, by heat exchangers ( 54a, 54b, 54c) for recovery of heat stored in release air.
7. A cooling system (2,3,5,6,7) according to either claim 5 or claim 6 wherein said at least one regeneration air heating unit (54) is replaced by at least one regeneration air heat exchanger (54) located on one or more exhaust air flow paths (12,22) for release air from a spray dryer (10) and/or a fluid bed dryer (20) .
8. A cooling system (2,3,5,6,7) according to either claim 5 or claim 6 wherein said at least one regeneration air heating unit (54) is partially replaced by a primary air heat exchanger (54a) located downstream from said rotary desiccant wheel (50) on a second stretch (41b) of said primary air flow path (41) augmented by a supplementary regeneration air heating unit located on said regeneration air flow path (53) between said heat exchanger (54a) and said rotary desiccant wheel (50) .
A cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) according to any of the previous claims wherein the secondary air is dehumidified prior to traversing said wet side of said indirect evaporative dryer (40) .
.A cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) according to any of the previous claims further comprising a secondary air dehumidifier (60), preferably a desiccant dehumidifier, and most preferably a rotary desiccant wheel, arranged on said secondary air flow path (42a) upstream from said indirect evaporative cooler (40) .
.A cooling system (4,6,7) according to claim 10 wherein said secondary air dehumidifier is a rotary desiccant wheel (60) arranged on said secondary air flow path (42a) upstream from said indirect evaporative cooler (40), said rotary desiccant wheel (60) comprising a process section (61) and a regeneration section (62), said secondary air flow path (42a) traversing said rotary desiccant wheel (60) by said process section (61); said cooling system further comprising at least one secondary air heating unit (64) for heating intake air to obtain heated regeneration air, which can be led to said regeneration section (62) of said rotary desiccant wheel (60), along a regeneration air flow path (63), and at least one air moving unit for moving intake air and heated regeneration air along said regeneration air flow path (63) .
.A cooling system (4,5,6,7) according to claim 11 wherein said at least one secondary air heating unit (64) has been replaced, at least partially, by heat
exchangers ( 54a, 54b, 54c) for recovery of heat stored in release air.
A cooling system (4,5,6,7) according to either claim 11 or claim 12 wherein said at least one secondary air heating unit (64) is replaced by at least one secondary air heat exchanger (64) located on one or more exhaust air flow paths (12,22) for release air from a spray dryer (10) and/or a fluid bed dryer (20) .
A cooling system (4,5,6,7) according to any of the claims 11 to 13 wherein said secondary air heat exchanger (64) and said primary air heat exchanger
(54a) is one unit in which said primary (41b) and regeneration (63) air flow paths are crossing and heat exchanging, such that primary air is cooled while regeneration air is heated thereby augmenting the cooling capacity of said indirect evaporative heater
(40) .
A cooling system (2,3,4,5,6,7) according to any of the claims 11 to 14 wherein said at least one regeneration air heating unit (54) and said at least one secondary air heating unit (64) forms a combined regeneration air and secondary air heating unit, and wherein said air flow paths for regeneration air (53,63) and/or said secondary air flow path (42) are split from each other only after passage of said combined regeneration air and secondary air heating unit. A cooling system (2,3,4,5,6,7) according to any of the claims 4 to 15 comprising only one desiccant dehumidifier, said desiccant dehumidifier having capacity to produce dry air to supply both the needs
for primary air and for secondary air in said cooling system, and wherein said primary (41) and said secondary (42) air flow paths are split from each other only after passage of said only one desiccant dehumidifier .
17. A cooling system (2,3,4,5,6,7) according to claim 16 wherein said only one desiccant dehumidifier is a rotary desiccant wheel supplying dry air for a spray dryer (10) along a spray dryer drying air flow path
(11) and wherein said primary (41) and said secondary (42) air flow paths are in fluid connection with said spray dryer drying air flow path (11) .
18. A fluid bed dryer (20) comprising a cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) according to any of claims 1 to 17.
19. An arrangement comprising a spray dryer (10) and a fluid bed dryer (20), sequentially arranged to allow transport of a material to be dried from said spray dryer (10) to said fluid bed dryer (20), said fluid bed dryer (20) comprising a cooling system (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) according to any of the claims 1 to 17.
20. Use of a fluid bed dryer (20) according to claim 18 and/or an arrangement comprising a spray dryer (10) and a fluid bed dryer (20) according to claim 19, for drying a powderous material.
21. A method of supplying cooled intake air to a fluid bed dryer (20) for use as cooled intake air in cooling a warm or hot material to be dried in said fluid bed dryer (20); said method comprising in a cooling system according to any of the claims 1 to 17, supplying
primary air along a primary air flow path (41) to a dry side of an indirect evaporative cooler (40), and secondary air along a secondary air flow path (42a, 42b) to a wet side of said same indirect evaporative cooler (40); permitting said primary air to traverse said dry side of said indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled intake air, and permitting said secondary air to traverse said wet side of said indirect evaporative cooler (40), thereby becoming cooled and moist secondary air; and supplying said cooled intake air to said fluid bed dryer (20) via a fluid bed dryer intake air flow path (21) connecting said dry side of said indirect evaporative cooler (40) to said fluid bed dryer (20) .
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| DKPA201500373 | 2015-07-01 | ||
| DKPA201500373A DK179273B1 (en) | 2015-07-01 | 2015-07-01 | A cooling system and a method of supplying cooled intake air to a fluid bed dryer |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO2017000967A1 true WO2017000967A1 (en) | 2017-01-05 |
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ID=57607901
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/DK2016/050231 WO2017000967A1 (en) | 2015-07-01 | 2016-06-30 | A cooling system and a method of cooling dry intake air to drying systems |
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| Country | Link |
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| DK (1) | DK179273B1 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2017000967A1 (en) |
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| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP1945038A1 (en) * | 2005-09-30 | 2008-07-23 | Niro A/S | An apparatus and a process for drying high carbohydrate content liquids |
-
2015
- 2015-07-01 DK DKPA201500373A patent/DK179273B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
-
2016
- 2016-06-30 WO PCT/DK2016/050231 patent/WO2017000967A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB970762A (en) * | 1961-12-27 | 1964-09-23 | Gen Am Transport | Method of and apparatus for treating agglomerated products |
| US4910971A (en) * | 1988-02-05 | 1990-03-27 | Hydro Thermal Engineering Pty. Ltd. | Indirect air conditioning system |
| WO1995014644A1 (en) * | 1993-11-23 | 1995-06-01 | Apv Anhydro A/S | A process for production of ceramic powders by spray drying |
| US6018953A (en) * | 1996-02-12 | 2000-02-01 | Novelaire Technologies, L.L.C. | Air conditioning system having indirect evaporative cooler |
| US5890372A (en) * | 1996-02-16 | 1999-04-06 | Novelaire Technologies, L.L.C. | Air conditioning system for cooling warm moisture-laden air |
| WO2005106343A1 (en) * | 2004-05-03 | 2005-11-10 | Statiqcooling B.V. | Enthalpy exchanger and method for exchanging enthalpy between two media by means of such an enthalpy exchanger |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| DK201500373A1 (en) | 2017-01-16 |
| DK179273B1 (en) | 2018-03-26 |
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