Hot-air fluidized bed drying equipment for CMC and PAC production lines. Vibration-assisted fluidization achieves uniform drying and low final moisture content at lower capital cost than steam-heated alternatives. Engineered to your production capacity.
The Vibrating Fluidized Bed Dryer is installed after the centrifuge and alcohol recovery stage, once residual solvent has already been separated from the wet CMC or PAC cake. Its role is to reduce moisture content to the target specification using hot air rather than indirect steam heating.
Compared to the steam stripping dryer, this equipment is suited to material streams that no longer carry significant residual solvent — typically granular or pre-dried product — and offers a lower capital cost drying route where solvent stripping has already been completed upstream.
Wet CMC or PAC material is fed onto a perforated horizontal bed running the length of the vessel. A vibration drive imparts continuous mechanical vibration to the bed, keeping the material loosely distributed and preventing channeling or dead zones as it travels the length of the dryer.
Hot air is blown upward through the perforated bed plate, fully fluidizing the material bed. This combination of vibration and air fluidization brings every particle into direct contact with the drying air, giving uniform moisture removal across the bed. Moisture-laden exhaust air is drawn off, and the dried product discharges at the outlet end of the vessel.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Type | Horizontal vibrating fluidized bed |
| Process Medium | CMC / PAC |
| Operating Temperature | 110°C |
| Operating Pressure | Atmospheric (normal pressure) |
| Design Temperature | 150°C |
| Design Pressure | 0.09 MPa.G |
| Diameter | 0.8 m |
| Length | 8 m (8000 mm) |
| Installed Power | 55.4 kW |
| Material of Construction | 304 stainless steel |
| Unit Weight | 10,000 kg |
Specifications above reflect a completed reference project (0.8 m dia. × 8 m / 55.4 kW configuration, 1 unit). Bed dimensions, airflow, and motor power are engineered to your target production capacity.
Standard delivery time is approximately 120 days from down payment. ZHAOYUAN can also arrange these excluded items and full installation as part of an EPC project scope — contact us to discuss.
| CMC Production Lines | Final drying of CMC after solvent recovery and washing, where material no longer requires solvent stripping. Suitable for granular or pre-dried CMC grades. |
| PAC Production Lines | Moisture reduction of polyanionic cellulose after the washing stage, ahead of crushing and blending. Compatible with both PAC-HV and PAC-LV production processes. |
| Cellulose Ether Production | Applicable across CMC, PAC, and related cellulose ether lines wherever a lower-capital-cost, solvent-free drying step is preferred over steam stripping. |
| Plant Revamping | Replacement or supplementary drying capacity in capacity expansion or energy efficiency improvement projects for existing cellulose derivative plants. |
After washing and solvent recovery, wet CMC or PAC cake still needs to be reduced to a target moisture level before crushing and packaging. The vibrating fluidized bed dryer uses hot air combined with mechanical vibration to fluidize the material bed, driving off moisture uniformly across the full length of the vessel before the product is discharged for downstream milling.
A steam stripping dryer uses indirect steam heating and a vacuum system to both strip residual solvent and dry the product in one step, and is built with heavier duplex stainless steel to handle that duty. A vibrating fluidized bed dryer uses hot air and vibration for drying only, assuming solvent has already been removed upstream — this makes it a lower capital cost option in 304 stainless steel for lines where a separate stripping step isn't required.
The vessel operates at normal atmospheric pressure in practice, but the hot air circulation system carries a small positive pressure during fluidization. The 0.09 MPa.G design pressure provides a safety margin above this normal operating condition — it reflects a low-pressure air duct system rather than a pressurized reaction vessel, which is why the design pressure is far lower than steam-jacketed equipment.
Because this dryer handles material after solvent has already been stripped out upstream, the product-contact surfaces are not exposed to the same corrosive residual-solvent environment as a stripping vessel. 304 stainless steel provides adequate corrosion resistance for dry or near-dry CMC/PAC powder handling at a lower material cost than 316 or duplex grades.
The standard package includes the vibrating bed vessel, vibration drive, hot air blower, and discharge outlet. It does not include the electrical control cabinet, frequency converter, air heating source, installation labor, or feeding/discharging valves — these are typically sourced locally or supplied by the customer to match site utilities and layout. ZHAOYUAN can also supply these items and full installation as part of a complete EPC project.
Yes. The 0.8 m dia. × 8 m / 55.4 kW specification on this page reflects a completed reference project (1 unit). Bed dimensions, airflow volume, and motor power are engineered to match your target production capacity and product characteristics. Contact ZHAOYUAN with your requirements for a tailored equipment specification.