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CN-122028965-A - High total solids spray drying process

CN122028965ACN 122028965 ACN122028965 ACN 122028965ACN-122028965-A

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for high total TS spray drying. The system and method include (1) a high concentration evaporation step in addition to conventional evaporation, (2) additional cavitation after high concentration, and (3) heating of the product prior to spray drying. Prior to spray drying, heating of the product may be achieved using cavitation after high concentration or via the use of a heater (e.g., ohmic heater) that provides rapid heating, low residence time, and no heated surface.

Inventors

  • JASON K.
  • PETER WAGNER

Assignees

  • SPX流动技术丹麦公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20240830
Priority Date
20230901

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A method for high total solids spray drying comprising: a. concentrating the product in an evaporator; b. further concentrating the product in a high concentration evaporator with integrated storage volume, eliminating the need for a separate storage tank, and C. spray drying the product, wherein the spray drying comprises heating the product immediately prior to atomization.
  2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the product in the integrated storage volume is in a high shear state.
  3. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the spray drying comprises pressurizing and heating the product using a high pressure pump.
  4. 4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the spray drying comprises pressurizing the product using the high pressure pump and heating the product prior to pressurizing.
  5. 5. A method according to claim 3, wherein the spray drying comprises pressurizing the product using the high pressure pump and heating the pressurized product.
  6. 6. The method of claim 5, comprising heating the pressurized product in an ohmic heater.
  7. 7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the spray drying comprises pumping the product through a heater.
  8. 8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising mixing the product from step b prior to cavitation.
  9. 9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising homogenizing the product after step b and before spray drying in step c.
  10. 10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising cavitation of the product after step b.
  11. 11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the spray drying comprises centrifugal atomization, low pressure atomization, or high pressure atomization.
  12. 12. The method of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein heating the product comprises heating the product to about 90 ℃.
  13. 13. The method of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the product in step b has a total solids content of about 65%.
  14. 14. The method of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein step b increases the total solids content by about 10%.
  15. 15. The method of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the heating comprises heating the product for 1 to 4 seconds.
  16. 16. A system for high total solids spray drying of a product comprising: An evaporator; A high concentration evaporator connected to and downstream of the evaporator; The high concentration evaporator comprises an integrated storage tank/volume, and the product to be spray dried is in a high shear state; A pump connected to and upstream of the cavitation unit, said cavitation unit being technically placed as close to the atomization as possible, and A spray dryer, wherein the spray dryer is connected to the pump, and wherein the product to be spray dried is heated immediately before the spray dryer.
  17. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein a heater heats the product to be spray dried immediately prior to the spray dryer.
  18. 18. The system of claim 16, wherein the cavitation device heats the product to be spray dried.
  19. 19. The system of any of claims 16 to 18, wherein the high concentration evaporator is a forced circulation evaporator or a forced circulation flash evaporator.
  20. 20. The system of any one of claims 16 to 19, further comprising an oil mixer disposed upstream of the cavitation device and downstream of the high concentration evaporator.

Description

High total solids spray drying process Cross Reference to Related Applications The present application claims priority from U.S. provisional application No. 63/580,005 (filed on 1 at 9 at 2023), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field The present invention relates to a method and system for high total solids drying using pre-evaporation and high concentration evaporation steps. Background In existing spray drying systems and methods, the Total Solids (TS) content of the feed is typically limited by the viscosity of the feed at the time of atomization. A buffer is typically required between the evaporator and the spray dryer to balance the capacity. The viscosity after evaporation and before atomization may increase due to aging thickening, which means that some margin is typically required for TS at the evaporator outlet to absorb changes in feed aging thickening. Furthermore, there is a buffer system between the systems of the conventional evaporator and spray dryer in order to facilitate operation in case the evaporator and spray dryer are difficult to match in capacity. Residence times of 5-10 minutes (if not 15 minutes) are not uncommon. Because of this residence time, the outlet concentration of the evaporator is typically kept low enough so that the viscosity range of the concentrate allows the product to atomize even after initial aging thickening. What is needed are systems and methods that allow for higher TS spray drying. Disclosure of Invention The present invention provides systems and methods for high Total Solids (TS) drying. One embodiment of the present invention is a process for high total solids spray drying comprising a concentrating the product in an evaporator, b further concentrating the product in a high concentration evaporator with integrated storage volume (e.g. forced circulation evaporator) thereby eliminating the need for a separate storage tank, and c optionally cavitation the product from step b, and d spray drying the product, wherein spray drying comprises heating the product immediately prior to atomization. Or the method comprises a concentrating the product in an evaporator, b concentrating the product further in a high concentration evaporator with integrated storage volume, no longer requiring a separate storage tank, and c spray drying the product, wherein spray drying comprises heating the product immediately prior to atomization. In one embodiment, spray drying includes pressurizing the product. In another embodiment, the step of spray drying includes pressurizing the product using a high pressure pump and heating the product. Heating of the product may be performed before or after pressurization. In certain embodiments, spray drying includes pressurizing and heating the product using a high pressure pump. In other embodiments, spray drying includes pressurizing the product using a high pressure pump and heating the product prior to pressurizing. In certain embodiments, the cavitator is used to heat the product prior to pressurizing the product. In some embodiments, the step of spray drying includes pressurizing the product using a high pressure pump and heating the product in an ohmic heater. In another embodiment, the step of spray drying comprises pumping the product through a heater. In other embodiments, the method further comprises mixing the product from step b prior to cavitation. In another embodiment, the method comprises homogenizing the product after cavitation of step c and before spray drying of step c. In yet another embodiment, step b further comprises maintaining the concentrated product prior to cavitation. In certain embodiments, spray drying comprises centrifugal atomization, low pressure atomization, or high pressure atomization. In one embodiment, the spray drying is high pressure atomization. In another embodiment, the spray drying is centrifugal atomization. In certain embodiments, heating comprises heating the product to about 90 ℃. In other embodiments, heating includes heating the product for 1 to 4 seconds. In some embodiments, the product in step b has a total solids content of 65%. Or step b increases the total solids content of the product stream by 10%. Another embodiment of the invention is a system for high total solids spray drying comprising an evaporator, a high concentration evaporator connected to and downstream of the evaporator, a cavitation device connected to and downstream of the high concentration evaporator, a pump connected to and downstream of the cavitation device, a heater connected to the pump, and a spray dryer. In some embodiments, a system for high total solids spray drying includes an evaporator, a high concentration evaporator connected to and downstream of the evaporator, a cavitation device (configured to heat) connected to and downstream of the high concentration evaporator, a pump connected to and downstream of the cavitation device, and a spray dryer. In certain em