Equipment, technology, perspectives and modeling of pulse combustion drying

The paper presents the analysis of potential and real benefits of pulse combustion process applied in drying. The phenomenon of pulse combustion, its mechanism, pulse combustors designs, advantages and disadvantages of this technology were described and reviewed. Pulse combustion applications in industry were analyzed and evaluated. Experimental investigations carried out at the Faculty of Process and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Lodz, on development of pulse combustion spray drying system were also presented. Laser techniques were used to characterize precisely flowfield in a drying chamber, spray structure and evaporation kinetics. An example of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations of pulse combustion spray drying process was also given. The prospects of future development of this technology were discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.