THE INFLUENCES OF PROCESS VARIABLES ON THE DRYING OF A POROUS MATERIAL IN A PULSED FLUID BED

A four-section pulsed-fluid bed (PFB) apparatus with a 0.18 m² cross section area was used to investigate the influence of pulsed-fluidization variables on the drying process of molecular sieves, a test material that was chosen for it presents an initial constant drying rate period. A two-level factorial design was developed to evaluate the influences of the inlet gas temperature (40 °C and 70 °C), the frequency of pulsation (250 rpm and 900 rpm) and the airflow rate (500 Nm³/h and 600 Nm³/h) on the drying rate. Results showed that all the investigated variables affect the drying rate somehow.