ABSTRACT
The applicability of the spouted bed technique to drying of granular products that are too coarse to be readily fluidized was recognized in the early 1950s. The classic or conventional spouted bed is a cylindrical vessel with a conical bottom fitted with an inlet nozzle for introduction of the spouting air. The wheat drying studies were carried out in a spouted bed predryer of rectangular cross-section equipped with a draft tube, and also in a cylindrical afterdryer. A number of prototype spouted bed dryers have been used to dry shelled corn. The spouted bed is potentially an excellent alternative for drying such materials. Spouted beds for drying of granular materials, pastes, and slurries are an emerging technology. Two-dimensional spouted beds, such as those proposed by Mujumdar, have a decided advantage as far as scaleup and modular design are concerned.
