ABSTRACT
Thermal removal of water from solids or slurries is an important operation carried out in numerous mineralprocessing and metallurgical-processing applications. Although drying is a highly energy-intensive operation that is also increasingly difcult at lower moisture contents, no special attention is generally given to the technical and economical aspects of the drying process employed in the mineral-or metallurgical-processing industry. It is therefore not surprising that most dryers found in these industries are of the conventional type, as discussed later in this chapter. Detailed descriptions and design considerations of specic dryer types (e.g., rotary, ¤uid bed, and spray) are presented elsewhere in this handbook. The interested reader is referred to relevant sections for further information. The objective of this chapter is to summarize the types of dryers currently used in practice, to discuss any special aspects with illustrations, and to identify possible new concepts that may be applicable in the mineral industry.
