Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer

WHAT IS FLUID BED DRYING? By forcing enough air through a bed of particles, the particle bed may assume a fluid-like state (resembling a boiling liquid). Heating the incoming air and managing air flow rate through the sample, the Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer provides thorough mixing and maximum contact of solid with moving air. The result; a process producing more even and much quicker drying than conventional methods.

Advantages of the Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer

• The high rates of heat and mass transfer ensure much faster and more homogeneous drying than other methods such as oven and vacuum drying
• Drying times range from a few seconds to minutes. Complete drying is usually achieved in under 15 minutes, the exact time for a given sample, airflow rate and temperature setting being very repeatable. A uniform, reproducible, moisture content can also be achieved with the appropriate settings
• Materials with moisture contents from a few per cent to over 80 per cent may be dried
• The inlet air temperature range from ambient to 200°C covers the majority of drying and solvent removal operations. Due to good mixing, the sample temperature is uniform and under close control during drying. This proves advantageous when drying heat sensitive materials or coating particles
• Among the wide range of materials that can be processed are pharmaceuticals, chemicals, minerals, foods, coals, wood chips, plastics, resins, etc.

• Quick determination of moisture content (e.g. coal, tobacco, food products) by correlation with weight loss over 5 mins, using specified drying conditions
• Mixing and blending of solids
• Granulation and agglomeration
• Rough classification of particle size (i.e. Stokes Law)

Why choose the Sherwood Scientific Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer?

Three Dryers in one

Standalone Fluid Bed Dryer

Programmable Fluid Bed Dryer

Analytical Fluid Bed Dryer

How to specify your dryer and accessories

Accessories also to be specified include:

The table below lists the available options for Tubs, Inlet and Outlet Filters for the M501 Programmable Fluid Bed Dryer.

Click here for a pdf version

		A		B	C
		TUB UNITS		INLET FILTERS	OUTLET FILTERS
		SIZES	MATERIAL
T U B A S S E M B L I E S	F I L T E R B A G O P T I O N S	2 Litre Tub and Base Unit	Glass 50035006 Stainless Steel 50035005	SS 60 Mesh Support Filter (50035113) with 45 Micron Nylon Inlet Filter (50035110) as standard; Also Available SS 250 Mesh 50035114 SS 500 Mesh 50035115	Large Filter Bags Nomex 50035407 Nylon 50035400 Polypropylene 50035404 Terylene 50035402
		5 Litre Tub and Base Unit	Glass 50035009 Stainless Steel 50035008
		Tub Assembly 5 Litre with GL32 port supplied with screw fitted blank plate To fit Humidity Probe 50186500	Glass 50035010 (Must use Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer to use Humidity Probe)
		Multi Tub Unit 50035011	Stainless Steel Tubs 4 x 50035012	SS 60 Mesh Support Filter as standard	Small Filter Bags Nomex 50035408 Nylon 50035401 Polypropylene 50035405 Terylene 50035403
			Glass Tubs 4 x 50035013	SS 60 Mesh Support Filter (50035309) with 45 Micron Nylon Inlet Filter (50035305) as standard; Also available SS 250 Mesh 50035307 SS 500 Mesh 50035308 3 Micron Polyester 50035306
	S E A L E D T U B O P T I O N S *	5 Litre Sealed Glass Tub and Base with Clamp (50035014)		SS 60 Mesh Support Filter (50035113) with 45 Micron Nylon Inlet Filter (50035110) as standard; Also available SS 250 Mesh 50035114 SS 500 Mesh 50035115 3 Micron Polyester Filter for smallest particle size 50035120	Top Cap with 45 Nylon Filter 50035020 Top Cap with SS 250 Mesh Filter 50035021 Top Cap with SS 500 Mesh Filter 50035022 Top Cap with Nylon Filter Bag 50035023 Top Cap + 3 Micron Polyester Filter 50035024
		Tub Assembly 5 Litre Glass Moisture Analysis (Includes ports for sample and Humidity Probe. Both ports supplied with screw fitted blank plates)	Glass 50135020 (Must use Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer to use Humidity Probe 50186500)
		Low Density Classifier Assembly	Glass Tub 50035049		50035020 fitted as standard to Low Density Classifier
		Multi Tub Unit 50035011	Glass Tub 4 x 50035033	Mini Tub, Sealed Tub, Inlet and Outlet Sets Mini 45 Micron Nylon Filter Set 50035310 Mini 3 Micron Polyester Filter Set 50035311 Mini SS 250 Mesh Filter Set 50035312 Mini SS 500 Mesh Filter Set 50035313 (SS 60 Mesh Support Filter (50035309) and 45 Micron Nylon Inlet Filter (50035305) as standard)

* (Includes Silicon "O" Ring and Ground Glass Flange with Clamp)

Specifying Process

Outlined below are prompts about the sample type and required process and hence implications for component selection:

SAMPLE TYPE	SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Sample quantity (weight and/or volume)	A wet sample should occupy about 1/3 of the tub assembly volume.  As a sample dries and its density drops, its apparent volume will increase to about ½ the tub volume.  Tubs should be purchased that are 3 x the volume of the sample size.  The mini tubs are 250ml in capacity and can be used effectively on samples weighing from 5 to 50 grams per tub.  Four tubs can be dried simultaneously.
Moisture content at start of drying process	The Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer is designed for damp materials not slurries with free water.
Flammable Solvents present	The Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer is not spark or explosion proof.  It is not suitable for the removal of flammable solvents with low flash points.
Particle size-minimum to maximum (not just average)	You need to know the minimum particle size in the sample in order to choose a suitable mesh/pore size for inlet and outlet filters to prevent sample falling out the bottom of the tub or being blown out the top.
Tub made from glass or metal	Glass is ideal for developing drying processes; you can observe the material's behaviour as it dries.  The optimum flow rate is easy to select judging by the fluidised samples appearance.  The operator may estimate the state of dryness, shape and particle size distribution by the appearance of the sample flowing in the tub.  Stainless Steel could be useful in the food industry where regulations may not permit use of glass items within food production or preparation areas.
Sealed tub or filter bag	Samples with a wide or bi-modal particle distribution are difficult to fluidise without sample overflow into the bag. A sealed top cap is advisable for such samples and any sample with a particle size less than 40 microns.  3 micron polyester filters can be used for mini tubs, 2 and 5 litre tubs.  These filters are effective for 5 to 25 micron particles but greatly reduce air flow rate through the sample. Drying times normally occurring between 10 to 30 minutes can take up to several hours. Many of the main advantages of fluid bed drying may be lost.
DRYING PROCESS
Simple dryer	Standalone Base Unit
Multistep drying process	Add software and RS232 cable
In-time drying progress feedback	Add Moisture/Humidity Probe which means you have to select a tub with a GL32 side port. Only the 5 litre glass tub assemblies, 500 35 010 and 501 35 020 can have an inlet for the outlet humidity and temperature probe. Only these tubs can fully utilise all the features on the M501.
Data collection	Add software and RS232 cable
Data manipulation with drying curve generation	Add software and RS232 cable
Add sample to dryer without removing outlet filter	Specify Dynamic Moisture Analysis tub (501 35 020)

Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer Configurations - Examples

With a large range of tub assemblies, construction materials and software the Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer offers a flexible platform able to assist with:

• Studies of material drying behaviour
• The optimisation and scale-up of drying processes
• Preparation of small sample batches for subsequent materials studies

Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer* shown with 5 Litre Glass Tub 50035008 and Large Filter Bag. Remember to specify Tub Inlet Filter (mesh size and material type) and bag material required. *Fluid Bed Dryer Base Unit Models 110v # 501 00 200 230v # 501 00 201

Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer shown with 5 Litre Glass Tub with GL32 side port 50035010, Temperature/Humidity Probes and Large Filter Bag. Please specify Tub Inlet Filter (mesh size and material type) and bag material required and remember to order the Temperature/Humidity Probe 50186500.

Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer shown with 5 Litre glass Dynamic Moisture Analysis Tub 50135020 with Sealed Top-Cap Assembly and GL32 side port, Temperature/Humidity Probe plus side port for samples. Please specify Tub Inlet Filter (mesh size and material type) and Top Cap Filter (required mesh size and material type) and remember to order the Temperature/Humidity Probe 50186500.

Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer shown with Multi-Tub unit 50035011 and Glass Mini-Tubs with fixed Top-Caps and bags for drying of small batches of sample. Mixture of Top-Caps and Bags shown are for illustration purposes only. Stainless Steel Mini-Tubs for use with Small Filter Bags are also available.

Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer shown with Low Density Classifier 50035048 which allows for fractionation of samples with wide particle size/density distribution and collection of fractions within that range. It also allows separation of desirable sample elements from bulk samples, for example, removal of tree seed "wings" from the seeds.

Typical Uses

• Rapid drying of many types of chemicals, foodstuffs and minerals with up to 80% moisture content
• Drying of heat sensitive materials at low temperatures under accurately controlled and uniform conditions
• Determining the moisture content of substances such as adhesives, tobacco, dried foods and building materials
• Converting cake or precipitate from chemical or pharmaceutical production into powder or granular form
• Removing solvents such as Methanol or Heptane from plastics and polymers by accelerated vaporization
• Determining thermodynamic parameters for industrial dryer design e.g. heat/mass balance, thermal efficiency and calculating heat transfer coefficients
• Obtaining uniform coatings of evaporation residues on particles
• Simulating large scale process installations to monitor quality, efficiency and carry out small batch treatment

The Basic Design

The Model 501 Programmable Fluid Bed Dryer: THE BASICS

	The microprocessor controlled Model 501 Fluid Bed Dryer can be used as a standalone unit or programmed via a computer interface to step through as many as sixteen drying stages with each stage having the following parameters defined controlled and monitored: Inlet air temperature Blower motor speed Pulse flow function (for difficult to fluidise samples) Without a computer interface the Programmable Fluid Bed Dryer can run one stored program of up to sixteen steps, or can be used as a conventional, manually adjusted, dryer. Additional features of this advanced in-lab dryer include: precise air flow control and membrane sealed controls to prevent ingress of particles into the instrument.
The following items are required to achieve programmable drying: The Fluid Bed Dryer Software Tub Assembly RS232 Computer Interface Cable Computer
The addition of a Humidity/Temperature Probe to the Programmable Fluid Bed Dryer upgrades the instrument to an Analytical Dryer. The following data is captured and stored: Air flow rate Inlet temperature Pulse flow condition Outlet temperature Relative humidity

Inlet air temperature, blower motor speed, in-tub temperature and relative humidity can all be recorded against time (using software and the temperature humidity probe).

To Top