CFD Modeling and Simulation of Maltodextrin Solutions Spray Drying to Control Stickiness

摘要

Particle stickiness during spray drying can lead to operational problems or be used to perform agglomeration inside the chamber. A simplified computational fluid dynamics approach is proposed to simulate the spray drying of 40% w/w aqueous solutions of maltodextrin DE12 and DE21 in a pilot cocurrent spray dryer equipped with rotary atomizer. Drying was simulated at steady state considering the geometry of the equipment (drying chamber, air inlet, atomizer) and the close relation between drying air and product properties. To take into account the lower drying rate of liquid solutions compared to pure water, the water vapor pressure of the drying particles was decreased with a coefficient determined from experimental data on air temperatures and humidities measured in the chamber. The evolution of particle temperature and water content was simulated. From these values and glass transition temperatures of the considered materials, it was possible to determine zones and operating conditions for which particles could be sticky inside the chamber. Maltodextrin DE12 was quickly dried close to the atomizer reaching a stable nonsticky state below glass transition temperatures Tg, while maltodextrin DE21 with lower Tg could exhibit a sticky behavior in a wider part of the chamber, depending on the liquid flow rate. This approach provides a methodology to evaluate possible stickiness to avoid fouling of the plant or to optimize powder insertion position for agglomeration.