AMANDUS KAHL

Conti FB - Continuous Fluidised Bed Plants

The continuous fluidised bed technology offers ideal possibilities for a targeted modification or customised optimisation of the product properties of bulk goods. In continuous fluidised bed plants, the processes are fully automatic. They are reproducible at any time and ensure a high product quality. Unlike batch plants, the product passes through several zones in one apparatus, in which run various processes such as agglomeration, granulation and drying take place simultaneously.

The continuous fluidised bed plants are especially used where high efficiency is required by reducing the operating and production costs. Depending on the size of the plant, e.g. 200, 2.000 or more kilograms per hour pass through the entire process with one or more functionalities such as drying, agglomeration, spray granulation, coating or micro-encapsulation.

Optimum Heat and Mass Transfer

In our continuous fluidised bed system, the input product is proportioned into the apparatus on the front side e.g. via a differential proportioning weather with downstream double flap system. From below, air is supplied through an air distribution plate. This fluidisation air turns the product into an expanded fluidised bed. The forced convection in the fluidised bed leads to an optimum heat and mass transfer, which enables highly efficient drying processes. In an apparatus with zone division, the air quantity and the temperature of each section can be set individually. At the end of the apparatus, the product is continuously discharged and supplied to downstream process steps. The process air leaves through an exhaust air hood. Depending on the plant design, filters are integrated into the hood which clean the exhaust air, so that the fine dust content remains in the fluidised bed plant. If a classification of the product or a coarse-grained product is desired, the exhaust air is cleaned by means of a cyclone and optionally a downstream total separator.

Examples for the use of continuous fluidized bed technology

• Agglomeration of instant drinks such as cocoa, fruit drinks
• Spray granulation of calcium lactate
• Agglomeration of baby food
• Spray granulation of fertilisers
• Agglomeration of curry powder
• Agglomeration of instant soups and sauces
• Uniform drying of pharmaceutical wet granules or pellets
• Drying and cooling of plastic granulate
• Spray granulation of vitamin suspensions
• Agglomeration of special flours
• Spray granulation of ceramic slurry
• Continuous layering processes
• Encapsulation of flavourings
• Gentle drying/spray granulation of fermentation products

Industry Expertise

Demanding sectors such as the food, the fine chemical, the chemical and the biotechnological industries appreciate the continuous fluidised bed technology for its efficient operation. Even in the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry, the continuous process is becoming increasingly important as it is meanwhile exactly reproducible and can be automated. The agglomeration or spray granulation in continuous top and bottom-spray fluidised bed processes have gained acceptance for example in the production of instant products or compressible granulate.

Continuous fluidised bed plants of NEUHAUS NEOTEC offer maximum flexibility in size, equipment and functionality. Thanks to the zone division, many parameters of the continuous NEUHAUS NEOTEC plants can be adjusted individually and the equipment can also be used for batch-wise processing if required.

Our Range of Services

• Advice on technical applications
• Product and process development
• Scale-up
• Plant design
• Manufacturing, assembly
• Qualification, commissioning
• Service, Training

Industrial Grinder WMC

The chemical grinder WMC allows a size reduction with a narrow particle size distribution, without dust. The narrow particle spectrum is achieved by a continuous pressure-shear stress between two corrugated rolls and a defined roll gap.

Roller grinding mills WMC crush soft, brittle to tough-hard products, e.g:

• Superabsorbents
• Urea
• Polyacrylate
• Calcium sulphate
• Pectin
• Ammonium bicarbonate - 
• Polymer 
• Potash
• Phenoplastics
• Ammonium nitrate
• Tablet breakage
• Electronic scrap

Product feed/ Dosing

• Uniform feeding over the entire roll length is ensured by a roll metering device or alternatively by a vibrating conveyor trough.
• Power infinitely variable
• Viewing window for control of the product flow
• Dust-tight

Grinder sections

• Main drive via V-belt and spur gear
• Roller drive via constant velocity drive shafts
• Product-specific corrugated rollers
• Servo motors for roll gap adjustment
• Disengaging of the rolls in case of external passage and readjustment of the required roll gap
• Quick release of the rollers
• Interchangeable drive modules. Drive power up to 30 kW per section depending on requirements
• Smooth interior surfaces
• Dust proof

Design and options

•  All parts in contact with the product are made of stainless steel, material no. 1.4571
• Electrical switch cabinet with visualization
• Explosion protection version
• high Cr-alloyed rolls
• Cooling rollers
• Potential equalisation against static charge
• Contact-free roll sealing
• Aspiration connection
• Connection for inert gas supply
• Permanent magnet above the rollers
• Technically gastight design

Performance range

5 roll lenghts: 700 - 1000 - 1400 - 1500 - 1700 mm
Roll diameter: 250 mm

The sectional design results in the following combinations:

• Type WMC 1 – one  grinding passage
• Type WMC 2 – two grinding passages
• Type WMC 3 – three grinding passages
• Type WMC 4 – four grinding passages

Laboratory Grinder LWM

When it comes to applications with high demands on the particle size distribution, the laboratory grinder LWM 100 is the optimum machine. The fast roll change resulting from the special roll suspension and the precise control via a PLC make this grinder the ideal machine for product development.

A high reproducibility of the grinding results as well as maximum flexibility of the grinding parameters are ensured by the roll grinder. The roll speeds and gaps in the two grinding sections can be adjusted individually and continuously. The special bearings and the design of the roll elements ensure fast change of the grinding elements for cleaning or changing the corrugations. NEUHAUS NEOTEC offers customer-specific roll corrugations for this grinder, ranging from axial and radial corrugations with all conceivable serrations to smooth rolls.
As the roll diameter is identical to that of our large production machines of the WMK series, grinding profiles once developed can be scaled up directly to the production plant.

Design Features

• Two grinding sections
• Continuously adjustable grinding speed of the individual rolls up to 16 m/s
• Precisely adjustable grinding gap
• Disengagement of the roll in case of foreign object passage
• Uniform product supply by means of a vibration channel
• Dust-tight connection of product collecting bin with quick-action closures
• PLC control with user-friendly touch panel
• Compact design in stainless steel housing, mounted on casters
• Optimum access to the grinding chamber through a large transparent front door with safety interlock
• Roll diameter    250 mm
• Roll length        100 mm

Small Grinder WMS-C

The grinders of the WMS series have been specially designed for smaller capacities. The WMS-C grinder allows size reduction with a narrow particle size distribution. The narrow particle spectrum is achieved by a continuous compressive and shearing stress between two corrugated rolls and a defined roll gap.

Roller grinders for smaller capacities

• One, two and three passage grinder
• Central drive
• Simple roller change
• Dust-tight design for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry

Features:

• One, two or three stage, gradual grinding
• Central drive for all grinding sections
• Central drive via double V-belt
• Low-dust, uniform particle size distribution
• Dust proof design
• Sound insulation of the entire grinding plant
• Precise grinding gap adjustment

Design and options:

• All parts in contact with the product are made of stainless steel, material no. 1.457
• Electrical control cabinet
• High Cr-alloyed rolls
• Cooling rollers
• Potential equalisation against static charge
• Aspiration connection
• Connection for inert gas supply
• Magnetic separator via feeder

Product examples:

Roller grinding mills WMS-C crush soft, brittle to tough-hard products, e.g.:

• Superabsorbents
• Urea
• Polyacrylate
• Calcium sulphate
• Pectin
• Ammonium bicarbonate
• Polymer
• Potash
• Phenoplastics
• Ammonium nitrate
• Tablet breakage
• Electronic scrap

• Maximum product hardness: 4-6 Mohs
• Achievable product fineness: approx. 100 µm
• Narrow particle size distribution of the end product

Performance range:

• 3 roll lengths: 200 - 400 - 600 mm
• roller diameter: 200 mm

Roller grinding mills WMS-C possible combinations:

• Type WMS-C 1: one grinding passage
• Type WMS-C 2: two grinding passages
• Type WMS-C 3: three grinding passages