DOMACO APPLICATION SHEET

Drycool Engineering Systems Ltd built 16 Heat pump Dehumidification Chambers for this customer.

Drycool Engineering Systems Heat pump Dehumidification allows the traditional heat and vent drying schedules to be used whilst providing a substantial reduction in energy and running costs. These savings over conventional systems are achieved with the benefits of Dehumidifier drying and the fastest possible drying times.

Drycool Engineering Systems Ltd provided a complete turnkey project solution to suit all of this customer’s requirements. The project included the Drying Chamber, Heatpump Dryers and the Control System from concept, through design, to installation and commissioning.

The Drying System

The Chamber is constructed of insulated panels incorporating 100mm (4″) of thermal insulation material. It is finished internally in food-safe laminate and externally with a coated steel laminate. The high efficiency of thermal insulation with the vapour-sealed structure is essential to ensure the highest possible drying efficiencies.

The customer required a Chamber capacity of approximately 3960 trays. Two Drycool DHD5000 machines have been installed in each Chamber. Drying of Domaco ‘sugar-free’ products – Dr Doolittle’s, Minis and Pastilles. A primary air flow of between 1.5 and 2.0 m/s through the stack is produced by five fans mounted in a baffle board above the load. One 9kW heater bank is mounted in the machine to provide heating when required. Normally heating is only called for at the start of each drying cycle or between scheduled step changes. In fact during normal operation and especially at lower drying temperatures, the heat loss through the walls may be much less than heat input from fan and compressor motors. If the Chamber temperature rises above the desired value a small, roof-mounted, vent operates to maintain a set level.

To complement and control the entire system, Drycool has installed a Control Console that monitors the Chamber condition whilst displaying the state of drying functions. It also incorporates all of the interlocks needed to ensure the closest possible control of the air condition. The system is very easy to operate and requires a minimum of supervision.

Drying Conditions and Drying Time

Drying takes place at various temperatures and humidity levels in accordance with the customer’s recipes. The R.H. is set very low at 30% R.H. to give a maximum drying effect over the whole cycle.

The drying time was reduced from 3 days to approximately 24 hours, using Drycool. Heat Pump Dehumidification system.

Cost Of Drying The approximate cost of drying each tray using the heat pump dehumidification system is just pence.

DOMACO CHAMBER SPECIFICATIONS

Unit: Drycool DH5000

6.4m W x 7.2m H x 2.5m H

2304 trays

32 trays high

2.4 kg

6 double stacks on the width of the chamber and 6 stacks on the length of the chamber

65-90°C

820mm L x 400mm W x 50mm H

820mm x 890mm x 2400mm

Pharmaceutical pastilles

70% Solids content

95% Solids content

1200 grams

8.5% m.c.

6.1% m.c.

5-6kg

36 hours

40 hours