Spray Drying: What Are The Benefits Of Spraying And How Does It Work?

A spray dryer is something that converts a liquid into a solid powder. It is used in several areas such as food processing, pharmaceutical industry, etc. The some spray dried products include instant coffee, milk powder, paint powder, egg powders, resins and detergents.

To say in simple words, spray drying system is what undertakes the complete process – right from receiving liquid feed at an end and packing into a container at the other end from where it is ready to transport.

However, sometimes, mainly in larger plants, a few other processes are added as to make the processing cost as much affordable as possible. Take for example milk processing plant where evaporation technologies are used to raise the feed solids as much as possible.

What are the advantages of spray drying?

Most industries where drying is required, use the spray drying method for its several incredible benefits. In addition to the benefits for mil processing plants, spray drying also has many benefits for pharmaceutical industry, such as:

·         Spray-drying is a scalable process for the production of dry pharmaceutical powders.

·         New devices enable pure drug nanonization and production of submicron drug carriers.

·         Controlling particle properties during process allows specific therapy applications.

·         Spray-drying is an effective means to overcome biopharmaceutical drawbacks of drugs.

·         This technology has become a key player for the production of inhalable drugs.

How does spray drying work?

There are different types of spray drying systems, and spray dryers come in various shapes and sizes but the way they work remains the same.

Spray drying is an evaporation process –widely used method to producing powder from liquids.

Basically, spray drying system has three main parts: a large chamber through which extremely hot air (or a different gas) is passed, a feed pump to supply raw liquid, and an atomizer that helps the formation of droplets.

In addition, there is a drum of cyclone which is used to collect the resulting products.

The solution is fed into spray dryer using a nozzle called atomizing device – which breaks down the feed solution into individual spheres. The work of nozzle is to make the droplets as small as possible and maximize the heat transfer and vaporization rate. The size of droplets varies, depending on the size of nozzles used.

Drying chambers is like a storage silos. The volume of the chamber depends on the heath exposure time required for the feed materials being dried. A burner heats the gas (often air) to force it into the main chamber where feed solution is atomized to develop into small droplets.

On contact with the hot gas the visible powder particles are case hardened, but the core is still in molten state.  The particles then are made to get into contact with hot air that strips remaining moisture from the rest of particles. And thus come out solid particles which are easily made into powder.

Spray Drying Process: Its Method, Uses, And Scope!!

Spray drying is basically a dehydration method that pharmaceuticals and food industries use for drying some of the liquid products into a completely dry state. Unlike other drying methods that form particles which further require grinding and sizing, a spray drying method easily makes free-flowing particles with narrow size distributions. It is mainly used in the manufacturing of products that are very sensitive to changes in temperature including some of the food materials and various pharmaceutical items.

The process of spray drying

The process of spray drying starts with the process of atomization where a nozzle transforms the liquid into droplets. This process also includes a quick drying of liquid materials by the usage of hot gases. These dryer’s nozzle work to distribute the liquid into regulated and even amounts. They further turn liquid substance into dry powders and the swiftness of the entire method offers various advantages to companies as compared to techniques including freeze and other types of drying.

Benefits of spray drying

1.    Spray drying process has adaptability and speed:

Spray drying method’s ability to complete the drying process within seconds is a major advantage over other industrial drying techniques which are slow and are also expensive. In the food industry specifically, fast drying plays an important role in ensuring a minimum loss. The process of spray drying, on the other hand, is adaptable to a huge range of industries and their product feedstock.

2.    The process has quality control:

Spray drying process creates powders of even particle size and overall quality. Being able to control the parameters makes the spray drying process more desirable and reliable for industries like pharmaceuticals, where the absorption of drugs mainly depends on its particle size.

3.    The method is cost-effective:

The entire spray drying method is reasonable and inexpensive. Unlike other drying methods, spray drying is much easier and is relatively cost-effective. One of the reasons why this method is being utilized so rapidly is because of its inexpensive and cost-effective nature.

So, these are some of the benefits that industries gain by utilizing spray drying methods for their products. However, to ensure that the method takes place smoothly and without any issue, it is important to use high-quality spray dryers. Top quality spray dryers are more likely to give excellent and fast results as compared to dryers which are not that good in quality. Therefore, it is crucial to use only good machines for drying the products in order to get excellent and accurate results.

The scope of spray drying

The spray drying method has been used for generating powdered items from fluid feed streams primarily with the use of motor-driven machines from a long time and since then; this process has become very famous particularly in food and pharmaceutical industries. Besides, with the above-given advantages, you can make out the importance of spray drying and its uses in several major industries.

An Insight In To X-Ray Tomography Services

X-rays are history when technology has now advanced to CT scans, which are very commonly heard of. To start with, CT scan is Computed Tomography scan, also known as CAT scan - Computerized Axial Tomography, which is a sophisticated x-ray procedure. During the scan, multiple images are taken and are compiled into cross-sectional images of bone, soft tissue, and blood vessels. The advantage of CT scan is that it can obtain images of those parts which a standard x-ray tomography cannot and hence, it helps in earlier diagnosis and successfully alleviating many diseases. Although CT imaging involves X-rays, its diagnostic benefits outweigh the harm of the exposure to radiation.

The history of Computerized Tomography Scan can be traced back to 1970s, when it was discovered by a British engineer by the name of Dr. Alan Cormack and Sir Godfrey Hounsfield and they have jointly won the 1979 Nobel Prize for it. First CT scanner was installed in 1974 and currently the number exceeds 6000 in the US. Advanced medical services have now made the procedure more comfortable and faster and the outcomes are also improved diagnostic capabilities and high-resolution images, which is beneficial for the radiologists.

CT scans help the doctors focus on small nodules and tumors, which are not visible in an X-ray. These scans are often used to examine the brain, chest, neck, spine, abdomen, sinuses and pelvis. This scan has revolutionized medicine as Computerized Tomography Scan helps to find minute details which could earlier be found only with an autopsy or a surgery. Computerized Tomography Scan can be called a non-invasive and safe procedure.

Though CT scan and MRI are considered similar, the comparison of MRI vs. CT scan shows that MRI uses radio waves and a magnetic field to produce images, unlike a CT, which uses x-rays. The comparison can be done, depending on what needs to be visualized and the reason for the test. While Computerized Tomography Scan is preferred modality for cancer, bleeding in the brain due to injury, abnormal chest x-rays and pneumonia, MRI is the best choice for tendons and ligaments, like density and composition of the spinal cord, or tumor in the brain. CAT is superior when it comes to examining the lungs and organs in the chest cavity and hence people mostly prefer chest Computerized Tomography Scan along with Computerized Tomography Scan brain.

CT scan procedures are painless and generally take about five to ten minutes. However, more complicated scans or inaccuracies can make some scans last up to 30 minutes in length. The majority of these scans are fast and easy. New innovations are decreasing the amount of time that the procedure takes, making it more efficient.

The pictures collected by the Computerized Tomography Scan are slices of the different part of the body which helps focus on a particular area. The new technology offers the multi-slice spiral CT scanners which collect 8 times more data than the previous ones. Technology proves to be a boon for the medical field.