Investigating the effects of operating conditions on the exergetic performance of a pilot-scale spray-drying system

In this study, performance of a pilot scale spray drier was evaluated by exergy analysis method. Performance parameters were investigated for the components of the drying system and overall system. Furthermore, the effects of process conditions such as atomisation pressure, inlet and outlet drying air temperatures on the performance of the spray drier were analyzed. While the most effective system component was determined as heater, atomizer was the most important component with the highest improvement potential rate. Results showed that high inlet and low outlet air temperatures caused high effectiveness for overall system performance.