1st Nordic Drying Conference - NDC'01, Trondheim, Norway, June 27-29, 2001

IMPROVED DRYING OF HEAT SENSITIVE PRODUCTS William H. Butler Wenger Manufacturing, Inc., Wenger Dryers, 7505 N.W. Tiffany Springs Parkway, Suite 510, Kansas City, MO, 64153, USA, E-mail: bbutler@wenger.com Keywords: dryers, driers, conveyor, belt, convection, dehydration ABSTRACT Each product has a unique drying curve (Moisture Content Vs. Time), which dictates the essential drying factors for that product. It is well established that high initial moisture content in a product permits the use of elevated process air temperatures in the first drying zone; and that the product frequently requires reduced process air temperatures once below the Critical Moisture Point. Increased product temperature may result in dramatic product quality reduction, as declines in nutrition, texture, etc. occur. The Wenger TrueTempTM dryer isolates each of the drying zones to a single product conveyor, by using a floor and separate heating chambers for each conveyor. This unique dryer design allows the dryer temperature and airflow profiles to match the drying parameters dictated by the products' drying curve. This increased control and process flexibility will yield higher quality and production yield for an increased number of products being processed in a single dryer.

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