Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a system for converting liquid products for the cheese making or casein producing industry into substantially free-flowing powdery products, by subjecting the liquid product to heating to a temperature above the crystallisation temperature of any component in the liquid product in a heat exchanger, flash separating volatile components from said heated liquid product to obtain a past concentrate, pre-cooling a fraction of said past concentrate, and drying said combination product. By the pre-cooling it is possible to create lactose crystals by an extremely rapid in-line pre-cooling without any significant increase in viscosity (which would lead to an un-pumpable paste). It is assumed that only a fraction of the paste gets into contact with the walls of the cooler causing a rapid formation of a high number of seed crystals. Further, it is assumed that the seed promote the formation of lactose crystals during the subsequent drying process.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a system for converting liquid products from the cheese making or casein producing industry into substantially free-flowing powdery products, by heating the liquid product to a temperature above the crystallisation temperature of any component in the liquid product in a heat exchanger, flash separating volatile components from said heated liquid product to obtain a paste concentrate, and spray drying said paste to obtain a free flowing powder. By the present method it has been found that it is possible to substantially avoid formation of crystals before atomization and thereby on the one hand render atomization possible. Secondly it has been found that the crystallisation process according to the present method takes place in the spray dryer during the drying process and probably during the conditioning /cooling in the fluid bed. This means that there is no need for crystallisation tanks and for heavy-duty mixers.

Abstract: A process and an apparatus for drying of a material in the form of a paste or a filter cake in a spin flash dryer. Particles are separated by a classifier (6) in the chamber (1) in such a way that oversize fraction is withheld in the chamber (1) and the desired fraction is removed (3, 9). A possible undesired undersize fraction is strained off and recycled (4, 10, 11) externally back to the dryer chamber (1). The spent drying gas is recycled to the dryer chamber (1). In either, the energy in the spent drying gas may be made use of in a heat exchanger and there is no or only little emission to the environment. Products preferably dried according to the invention are fruit and beet pulps, destillers residues, pesticides, pigments, dyes, ceramics, active coal, sludge and zeolites.

Abstract: A process and an apparatus for converting liquid by-products, such as whey and permeates of whey, derived from cheese making processes into substantially free-flowing, non-caking powdery products. The process comprises the stages of vacuum evaporation of the whey to a solids content of 65-80%, crystallization of the whey concentrate and air drying the whey, wherein the main stream of initially cooled whey concentrate passing through stages of crystallization, is fed with a secondary and/or tertiary stream to be mixed with the main stream. The apparatus is provided with a secondary and/or a tertiary conduit for feeding a secondary and/or tertiary stream to the main stream in the main conduit connecting means for collection and pretreatment of whey, vacuum evaporation of the whey, crystallization of the whey concentrate and air drying the whey.

Abstract: An agglomerated powder is produced in an apparatus where the product is agglomerated in two stages. First, a liquid concentrated feed of the product is atomized by an atomizer in a drying chamber. The fine particles are transferred to a separating device to be split up in a first and second fraction. The first of these is led to the atomizer in the drying chamber to perform a first agglomeration and the resulting agglomerates are accommodated in an external fluid be in the drying chamber and from this transferred to an external fluid bed. Also the second fraction is transferred to the external fluid bed where water by a second atomizer is atomized over a fluidized layer of agglomerates to perform a second agglomeration of product.

Abstract: A process for spray drying of ceramic suspensions for the production of a powder which is dust free, sufficiently stable for storage and with good flow characteristics. The ceramic suspension is spray dried in a chamber (1) to a powder with a water content which is 0.1-10% higher than required in the final powder and hereafter fluidized in a fluid bed (6) with ambient air for an evaporative cooling process, whereby the water content is reduced to the required value at the same time as the powder is cooled. The produced powder has a high water content without tendency to lumping.