Fluidized bed drying of supported Catalysts: Effect of process parameters

Fluidized bed drying is an important unit operation in the manufacturing of supported catalysts. This unit operation remains a challenging step due to simultaneous heat and mass transfer, making it difficult to predict and scale up. This work focuses on applying a mathematical model to predict drying curves and drying rates in a fluidized bed dryer. The model was compared to experiments in a Glatt GPCG-1 fluidized bed dryer. Experiments were conducted by varying air flow rate, bed loading, inlet air temperature, and initial moisture content using water impregnated supports. Results from the model showed good agreement with experimental drying curves. The model predicted the drying time for cases that were not initially fluidized. The model predicts drying curves for changes in single process parameters when the experiments started in the same drying period. Lastly, the model prediction was extended to multiple changes in process parameters and showed good agreement.