Vacuum Belt Dryer Series

Pilotech Vacuum Belt Dryer Series

• Realize continuous feeding and continuous discharging under vacuum condition;
• Complete drying and crushing under vacuum condition;
• It can dry high-viscosity materials such as Chinese herbal medicine extract, etc.;
• Start discharging in 30-60 minutes, and the powder discharging rate is 99%;
• Heat sensitive materials will not be deformed;
• Low operating cost, the cost is 1/3 of the cost of spray drying;
• It can be equipped with online CIP system, in line with GMP specifications.

The vacuum belt type continuous dryer has solved the problems which exists in the traditional Chinese medicine industry for a long time: many extracts are difficult to dry, the spray drying temperature is too high and the heat sensitive substances are easily destroyed. The vacuum oven has a long drying time, high energy consumption and intermittent operation. It is easy to contaminate bacteria and absorb moisture, and cannot meet GMP quality standards.

The successful development of the vacuum belt dryer has played a very active role in promoting the drying problems in the industries of traditional Chinese medicine, pharmaceutical intermediates, fine chemicals, food and health products, and is the best product to replace spray drying and vacuum oven drying. Such as traditional Chinese medicine industry: Salvia miltiorrhiza, compound salvia miltiorrhiza, Chuanxiong, Angelica, Andrographis paniculata, Ganoderma lucidum, Sophora flavescens, ginseng, Acanthopanax senticosus, etc.; food and health products industry: coffee, malted milk extract, fruit treasure, instant milk powder, instant tea, etc.;

It has very good application effects to fine chemicals, pigments, pesticides and other industries.

The vacuum belt dryer not only has low drying temperature and continuous production, and also has small loss, less waste and easy operation in the drying process. The most important thing is to reduce labor intensity and save a lot of energy. Compared with vacuum drying ovens of the same output, it can save 65% electricity consumption, 70% steam saving. It can save 75% electricity and 85% steam compared with spray dryers of the same output.

2. Vacuum Belt Dryer Principle

The material to be dried is fed into the vacuum chamber of the dryer through a screw metering pump, and is uniformly shoaled on the conveyor belt by the cloth motor. A special roller drive conveyor belt driven by a motor and runs at a set speed. There are independent heating plates and a set of cooling plates under the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt is closely attached to the heating plates and cooling plates, and transfers the heat required for drying to the materials and cooling by contact heat transfer. Set the operating speed of the conveyor belt according to the nature of the material. When the material is transported by the conveyor belt from one end of the cylinder to the other, the material has been dried and cooled. When the conveyor belt is folded back, the dried material cake is peeled off from the conveyor belt. After being pulverized by the pulverizing device, it is discharged through the butterfly valve. The obtained particles can be directly made into capsules or tablets.

The whole equipment adopts PLC control. Operate the equipment through the man-machine interface of the PC. Set up a touch screen operation panel near the dryer and configure a graphical interface, which can display various process parameters, production data and other parameters, which can be modified and adjusted in real time.

3. Schematic Diagram of Vacuum Belt Dryer Structure

4. Technical Characteristics of Vacuum Belt Dryer

（1）Low drying temperature, low energy consumption, no pollution, continuous production, automatic control, meeting GMP requirements;

（2）Drying at low temperature, and can be adjusted according to different materials (35℃-90℃);

（3）The product has a certain degree of crystallization during the drying process. After crushing, the pellets have good fluidity and can be directly filled into capsules.；

（4）The feeding speed can be adjusted accurately, even when the feeding amount is small, the distributing device can distribute evenly；

（5） Each conveyor belt in the box is individually controlled by a frequency conversion motor；

（6）Automatic granulation, continuous discharge of dry particles into the storage tank under vacuum, the storage tank for dry particles can be replaced during the automatic drying process；

（7）Low energy consumption and low noise；

（8） The movement of the conveyor belt is controlled by a frequency conversion speed motor, with correction and tension adjustment functions；

（9）The preparation tank is equipped with a stirring device and a constant temperature device, which can be heated and mixed when adding auxiliary materials；

（10）PC-based control system, friendly man-machine interface, convenient operation, flexible modification of process parameters；

（11）The conveyor belt has a variety of specifications from 1 to 10 layers, customized according to user requirements.

Note: The equipment can be customized according to customer requirements and product characteristics.

Vacuum Belt Dryer Guide 

Over the years, Vacuum Belt Dryers (VBDs) have gained popularity, thanks to their ingenious technology that effectively dries a wide range of liquid and paste materials. Unlike the traditional dryers, VBDs makes it possible to dry thermal-sensitive products (easily destroyed by high temperatures) and high-viscosity raw materials. The viscosity of a liquid corresponds with the concept of “thickness.”

We’ve discussed all you need to know about Vacuum BeltDryers – from its range of application, production process to its market selection techniques. 

How a Vacuum Belt Dryer Works 

A VBD is a continuous and automated in-feed (liquid & paste) and discharge drying equipment that uses a vacuum to control the drying process. Using a high vacuum, the raw materials’ boiling point (temperatures) reduces, and the moisture sublimes to gas directly. 

An infeed pump conveys liquid products into the dryer body. Belts move the heating plates evenly, and this is critical for getting quality end products. What follows is a continuous process –evaporation of moisture, drying, cooling to discharging. All these happen at controlled temperatures, typically decreasing from one cycle to the next. 

A vacuum crusher equipment turns the solid raw material into powder or granules of varying sizes (depending on the required specifications and use).

VBD Range of Application 

A Vacuum belt dryer finds its application in a wide range of industries – especially for products that are difficult to dry and process using the traditional dryer techniques. These include, but are not limited to: conventional and western pharmaceutical products, biological products, food, health foods, chemicals, and food additives, etc. We’ve highlighted each of these below.

  Food Products 

VBDs are used to produce food products such as malt extract, tea powder, corn paste, instant beverage, and cocoa powder. The fineness of the powder and the granules’ size for food products such as coffee can be controlled using specific crusher equipment. Other food products include: Rice protein powder, hops extract, wheat essence, vegetable juice concentrate, meat extracts, chocolate products, instant soup, etc. 

Pharma products

Pharma products such as Chinese medicine extracts, embryos, plant extracts, and PVPK products are primarily produced using Vacuum Belt Dryers. Before VBDs came into the market, producing traditional Chinese medicine was a headache. Most of these extracts are difficult to dry while some are thermal-sensitive and should be handled properly to avoid losing their medicinal properties. Other pharma products processed using VBDs are vitamins, fermentation broth, antibiotics, and active medicinal substances, etc. 

Chemical Products

VBDs are also used to produce chemical products such as emamectin benzoate (an insecticide used in pest control) and the lithium battery used in a wide range of electronic products.

Laboratory VBD applications 

Several organizations, learning institutions, and research companies use vacuum belt dryers in their Research and Development needs. Their specific applications often vary based on the type of research and the elements they are using to conduct the study – could be food, chemicals, or pharmaceutical products.

The Step by Step VBD Drying Process 

A vacuum dryer is designed more like an industrial boiler or a horizontal silo, with synthetic mesh-like belts on the inside. Depending on the design, the dryer belts sit on hot water or steam-heated elements. All the parts used, from the vacuum chamber to the conveyor belt, are food-grade.   

 Most vacuum belt dryers will operate at vacuum conditions from 10mbar to around 80mbar. This is designed so it can suit a wide range of production needs. The moving belt surface varies in size, and you can choose one based on your preference. A single vacuum band dryer is used for small-scale production, while a typical ten-belt VBD is used for commercial production. 

VBDs offer a continuous working mechanism that’s easily customizable to suit your production applications. The raw materials go through many processes: from feeding the raw materials in liquid or paste form to getting end products as granules or powder.

As highlighted above, these processes include: 

Evaporation 

The heating temperatures can be adjusted from 30-150 degrees Celsius, depending on the raw material’s nature and expected end-product. The typical moisture content of raw materials would range from 20-80 percent.

Drying 

The conveyor belt is attached to the heating and cooling plates. These plates transfer the required amount of heat (by contact heat transfer) instantly for the drying and cooling process. All these take place under vacuum conditions. The drying process is continuous and controlled by the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) module.  

Automatic granulation and Crushing 

One thing about drying raw materials at relatively low temperatures is that they crystallize, making it easy to crush into a particular grain size. Depending on the expected end-product, crushing is controlled to ensure end-products have the desired feel and fluidity.

A VBD handles liquids, viscous products, and concentrates. Since all the processes are automated, there’s no room for human errors – hence no oxidation or inconsistent quality issues. 

Benefits of Vacuum Belt-Dryer continuous process

 A vacuum belt dryer comes with several benefits. In itself, the continuous drying process is a bespoke engineering solution that came when the change was more than a necessity. We’ve highlighted some VBD advantages below. 

Sustainable Technology

VBD is a combination of advanced tech-solution and practicality. It does an excellent job of retaining the aroma, color, and flavor in its end products; this is something that traditional drying technologies don’t guarantee. An example is the spray dryer that destroys heat-sensitive substances due to the high drying temperatures. 

Energy-Efficiency 

The low energy consumption of VBDs is an added advantage for companies in the commercial processing industry. This translates to low electricity bills and reduced overhead costs, which drives profitability. Unlike the vacuum oven that has a long drying time with high energy consumption, VBDs use 1/3 of the energy consumption of a typical spray dryer.

Retains Critical Elements with enhanced quality  

One of the properties of a vacuum belt dryer is enhanced evaporation at reduced pressure. This helps eliminate oxidation while preventing undue damage to the raw material’s integrity – for example, the chemical composition of a product or the plant extract’s effectiveness as a pharmaceutical product. When making powdered sweeteners, VBDs preserve unique product characteristics such as essential amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and mineral components.

The solubility of End Products 

The solubility of VBDs’ end-products is unmatched. Due to the consistent and high-quality production process, the powder produced is highly soluble in cold liquids.

Better Customizations 

Temperature zones allow for product-specific feeding with the option to adjust the feeding parameters to suit your individual needs. This is made possible by a PLC control system.

Due to the high-quality processing, continuous drying by VBD meets and even exceeds the Good Manufacturing (GMP) standards. With a Clean-In-Place (CIP) system, you won’t have to worry about the tedious daily cleaning procedures.

The Vacuum Belt Dryer Production Process

Manufacturing a Vacuum Belt dryer takes more than just a one-step process. For efficiency, accuracy, and quality, the production follows a step-by-step procedure. At each step, there’s a quality control inspection to ascertain that everything is proceeding as required. With such a process, it’s easy to increase productivity, which allows for mass production without compromising quality.

Assembling Raw Materials

As with any production line, the VBD production process begins with the sorting and assembly of high-quality raw materials. These include food-grade stainless steel, heating and cooling plate materials, conveyer belt, etc. This process is necessary to ensure the success of the entire project. From here, it’s possible to know which materials to source before preparing for the next production step.

Processing the Parts

When receiving raw materials, they are often in a form that cannot be used immediately. Processing of parts means getting them ready for the job. More often, this involves cleaning the parts, resizing them, etc.  

Welding

Joining the several metallic parts of a vacuum belt dryer is a challenging task that requires the best of talents, leverage, and experience. More often, the welding process is automated to ensure fast and uniform production. However, this isn’t to say that every part of the welding process is automated. There are those areas where manual welding is necessary to guarantee quality work. Every product goes through inspection before and after manual or machine welding.

Parts Polishing

After joining the various parts of the VBD, it’s necessary to do some polishing to preserve the adjoined parts’ integrity. This is done to remove heat tints, reshape misaligned parts, and ensure a smooth and even finish. A weld polishing machine will get the job done in most cases, but manual polishing may be required when getting around the corner welds. 

Assembling Parts

The majority of the polished parts need to be assembled before moving ahead with the production process. This isn’t the final assembly, but one that comes before the mirror-polishing of stainless steel casting. The assembly process may or may not require further welding. It all depends on the parts being assembled. 

Casting Polishing

Across major industries, there’s usually an element of casting involved in the production process. Casting polishing needs to be done to remove the sprues and tough skin from the stainless steel. Choosing the right casting polishing tool is key to ensuring a mirror polish while preserving the material’s quality and functionality. This step could involve a sequential polishing process to ensure a subtle and well-blended finish. The tools used include large abrasive flap wheels, interleaved flap wheels, etc. 

 Final Assembling

The major VBD parts enter a final assembly. This process is often automated, with little to no human labor. However, it’s necessary to check that all the pieces click into place and that every element occupies its rightful position. While this step may not be labor-intensive, it’s one that needs accuracy and precision to avoid costly errors that may propagate and affect the products’ lifetime.

Inspection

Inspection is often done by the quality assurance team that consists of professionals from all the major departments – from control and safety engineers to the top-level management roles. Before a machine is tested, inspection is done to ensure all parts are intact and minimize incidents and probable damage. All the individual products are inspected before testing to ensure only the best machines get to the market.

 Electrical Control Inspection

Besides inspecting the various parts of the Vacuum belt dryer, a thorough inspection of the electrical control system is done for advanced safety. The control system is one of the most critical parts of any machinery. If a control unit fails, there’s very little that can be done to bring the machine under control. This makes it a priority to inspect and test the different electrical components making up the VBD.  

 Pneumatic Control Inspection  

VBDs’ pneumatic system comprises all the components that use compressed air to transfer energy from one part of the machine to the other. For example, a compressor used to power all the motors, pumps, and cylinders is an essential part of the pneumatic system that needs proper inspection. Any component that stores, moves, controls, or provides compressed air should also be inspected. 

 Vacuum Belt-Dryer Buying Guide

Choosing a vacuum belt dryer from the market can be a daunting task. If you’re like many, you would want to invest in a quality, durable, and reliable product that will serve all your needs without incurring extra costs. With the many options from several manufacturers on the market, convenience and quality should always be your top considerations. That said, we’ve covered some of the crucial factors you should consider when buying a VBD.

Vacuum Belt-dryer Features 

There are different types, models, and designs of vacuum belt dryers. While the principle of operation remains the same, certain unique features come with each vacuum dryer set. These include the size, heating exchange area, heating source, and heating temperature range. You can always ask for further clarification on what these features mean and their importance as far as continuous drying is concerned.

Production capacity 

When choosing a VBD that will suit your production needs, you always want to prioritize both the present and future needs. You don’t want to buy a small capacity VBD that won’t be relevant in the next five years or so. Always have your priorities right and invest in a model that’s both scalable and sustainable. 

A great manufacturer will specify the size and production capacities in ranges that make sense to the customer. That means the customer should have an easy time making a choice based on their needs, and not based on what the manufacturer offers. 

Warranty period

Many people don’t give a product’s warranty the attention it deserves. While a warrant is an assurance of quality and trust between the manufacturer and the customer, there’s more to having a long-term warranty than just the number of years your VBD remains covered.

A warranty product’s period is often an assurance of quality. A confident manufacturer will offer nothing less of a 1-year warranty. This gives you enough time to use the vacuum belt dryer and test every aspect of it before using it for the long term.

Purchasing Process 

When buying such a high-investment product, the purchasing process should be procedural, legal, and professional. Purchasing good practices begin with a show of interest and a request to purchase/requisition. What follows is the customer selection, purchase order, fulfillment, receipt, invoicing, and payment.

Many times, when the customer isn’t knowledgeable enough about the product, it’s essential to begin with a consultation process, which could involve technical scheme determination and testing to ensure everything works as you would expect. Business negotiation follows, after which the procurement process can begin.    

The purchasing process is crucial as it allows you and the manufacturer to communicate effectively and share vital thoughts about the product.

Manufacturer Reputation 

Trust in business is hard to come by. The manufacturer’s reputation is one of the critical factors to consider when buying a Vacuum belt dryer. While the manufacturer’s years of experience in the industry is one of the determining factors, it’s not the only recipe for success in selecting and buying a VBD. Here’s why:

• The technology used in the production process is of greater importance
• Quality often begins in the product design and material selection process
• Customer satisfaction speaks volumes – this is often a measure of the quality of services, from customer support to troubleshooting and other services.

An excellent way to measure the company’s reputation is to look around and see who is using the product. More often, a product used by institutions for learning and research purposes, large production companies, or government facilities is enough to convince you of the product integrity and the manufacturer’s reputation. 

Cost 

If you’re on a budget, you want to purchase a product that fits your needs. Several factors determine the cost of a product, from internal factors such as the cost of production to external factors such as the market dynamics and government policies. You always want to do your research and make sure you’re not making decisions based on the pricing alone and ending up buying what you don’t want. 

Why Choose Pilotech Vacuum Belt Dryer? 

At Pilotech, there’s more than meets the eye. Your search for a vacuum belt dryer ends here as you find a wide range of high-quality vacuum belt dryers to suit your unique needs. Below are some of the reasons why choosing us is the best investment you can make:

Quality Products and Services 

Buying a high-quality product is not enough. You want to purchase it from a manufacturer that cares about you and wants to solve your problems and everything that may arise along the way. At Pilotech, we evaluate your unique needs and provide just the perfect product for your specific production requirements. 

Not only are our products of high quality, but our customer support is also exceptional. We are intentional about this – since a quality product without effective customer support remains a significant source of frustration to the end consumer.

Market Experience 

With more than 20 years in the VBD industry, we fully understand what it takes to amaze our customers. More than 3,500 scientific institutions use our products across the world. 

This is a big deal for us, and our work is to ensure consistency and unmatched support services to all of them. 

As a leader in the vacuum belt dryer technology, we believe that your production needs are unique, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. When you come to us, we keenly listen to understand what you need. We then weigh the options to see if there’s a ready product in the market to meet your requirements. If there’s none, we’ll proceed to customize a product to match your needs and product characteristics. 

A great team of exceptional talent 

As a manufacturer specializing in high-tech products, acquiring a team of outstanding talent is part of our top priorities. This is what we have done over the years – investing heavily in our Research and Development. We are always striving to keep up with ever-changing technology to keep developing advanced market products.

Besides the above reasons, below are the other advantages you get by working with us:

• You get a variety of options to choose your perfect VBD model 
• All the VBDs meet the GMP standards.

One of our greatest perks is that we built our products to last a lifetime. Thus, our products serve more than 70% of China’s market, with exports to more than 60 counties and regions worldwide.

Wrapping It Up 

Vacuum belt dryers are becoming the go-to option for industries looking for a continuous drying machine that guarantees automated processing and high-quality end products. The vacuum technology isn’t only a game-changer, but an innovative solution that has helped solve several industry problems. 

Not long ago, it was almost impossible to dry heat-sensitive products without deforming them. Now, even the difficult to dry traditional Chinese medicine has seen a significant production in the market. 

When buying a vacuum belt dyer, it’s recommended you do your research and weigh the options before making a purchase a decision. Hopefully, this guide has been of great importance on your journey to selecting a VBD for your production needs.

If you would love to inquire more about our Pilotech Vacuum belt dryer, contact us today, and we’ll be glad to be of help.  

Vacuum Belt Dryer: The Ultimate FAQ Guide

In this guide, you will find all information you’re looking for about vacuum belt dryer.

From design, working principle, features, parts to uses, among other fundamental aspects.

So keep reading to learn more.

What is a Vacuum Belt Dryer?

A vacuum belt dryer is an assembly that employs a vacuum in the drying process of substances.

Consequently, you find the VBD allows you to effectively dry highly viscous products and those susceptible to high temperatures.

You pump the product for drying via an in-feed, after which a specialized device spreads it out across the belt.

The vacuum environment lowers the boiling point of the solvents, thus making the drying process faster and less damaging.

The VBD processes encompass evaporation of the solvent, drying and cooling of the product before discharge.

 Vacuum Belt Dryer

What are the Applications of a Vacuum Belt Dryer?

You employ the vacuum belt dryer across various industries where other conventional drying efforts are ineffective.

For instance, you use VBD when your product is highly viscous and sensitive to high temperatures.

Some of the areas you employ the vacuum belt dryer include:

Food Industry

You use the vacuum belt dyer in the extraction of different food substances such as:

• Malt and hops extract.
• Cocoa and tea powder.
• Corn paste and wheat essence.
• Chocolate products and rice powder with protein.
• Concentrate of vegetable juice and seasoning.
• Instant beverage and soups.
• Broths and meat extracts.

You can employ a grinder after extraction to deliver the extracts in powders of different particle sizes.

Pharmaceutical Industry

The vacuum belt dryer is especially useful in the extraction of Chinese medicines for pharmaceutical use. Before the advent of the VBD, extracting Chinese medicine from herbs was difficult due to their thermal sensitivity.

Additionally, the VBD finds use in the extraction of:

• Desired plant matter and embryos.
• Vitamins and active medicinal ingredients.
• Antibiotics
• Fermentation broth

Chemical Industry

The VBD is also helpful in the chemical industry in the production of insecticides such as emamectin benzoate.

Furthermore, you employ VBD in the production of lithium batteries widely popular in electronics.

Laboratory Application

You find small constructions of vacuum belt dryers in laboratories across the world aiding research operations.

The research undertaken can cut across various industries such as food, pharma and chemicals.

What are the Features of Vacuum Belt Dryer?

You find various feature attached to the vacuum belt dryer that make its use popular across industries.

Some of these features are:

• VBD supports the drying process in a vacuum with a continuous feeding process through an infeed pump and discharging.
• The processing time using a VBD is quick, taking at most an hour before beginning the discharge process.
• You can use the VBD on products with high viscosity without destroying their content matter.
• You incur a low operational cost using a VBD compared to spray or freeze-drying with low labour requirements.
• Your VBD can integrate computer programming in automation efforts enhancing good manufacturing practices.
• With a VBD, you undertake complete crushing and drying of your product with minimal wastage.
• While using a VBD, you can adjust the temperatures depending on the product to achieve different levels of dryness.
• When using a VBD, you retain product aspects like colour and smell while attaining control over characteristics such as bulk density.
• The energy savings in using the vacuum belt dryer are much higher than using an electric vacuum oven.

What are the Components of a Vacuum Belt Dryer?

You find the following components of a vacuum belt dryer:

Product Inlet

You allow the material you intend to dry into the dryer via the product inlet. Here, you employ a feed pump to administer the product in desired amounts to the vacuum chamber.

Vacuum Plant Dryer

The vacuum plant dryer is a chamber containing the conveyor belts carrying the product through the different sections. In this chamber, you control the temperature and pressure conditions in the vacuum to attain the desired quality.

Conveyer Belt Drive

The conveyer belt drive consists of the rollers consisting of the driving system and the conveyer belts themselves. The conveyor carries the materials through the sections within the vacuum chamber.

Product Crusher

You can also have a crusher at the end of the drying plant to deliver the finer form. The use of a crusher is ideal, primarily where crystallization occurs during the drying process.

Vacuum Discharge Plant System

The discharge plant system of the VBD allows you to eliminate the dry product at the process end.

You can follow up discharge with packaging or further processing depending on your production needs.

 Vacuum Belt Dryer Line

How Does a Vacuum Belt Dryer Operate?

The operation of a vacuum belt dryer revolves around the vacuum environment in which you conduct the drying process.

The vacuum environment allows you to evaporate solvents at much lower temperatures due to a reduced boiling point.

You feed material for drying via an infeed pump into the VBD vacuum containment. Here, a distribution device evenly spreads out the material across the belt powered by a motor with a known speed.

Below the conveyor, you find the separate plates providing heating and cooling to the belt system. Heat transfer is via contact and is necessary for the evaporation and drying process.

Cooling of the material also occurs via contact transfer allowing you to discharge the material for packaging or further processing. The product nature determines your VBD’s conveyor speed and the set temperature conditions for evaporation and drying.

Along the VBD, you find sections for evaporation, drying, cooling and discharging distributed from the inlet to the outlet.

You scrape the material from the conveyer belt at its termination before directing it to a butterfly valve for discharge.

You can directly package the dry powder material you obtain in food substances such as cocoa powder. You can also subject the powder to further processing, such as tabletting in pharmaceutical production.

Many vacuum belt dryers employ automated controls via a human-machine interface control panel, making the process efficient. From this panel, you can adjust the dryer’s temperature depending on the product and the conveyer belt speed.

What are the Technical Aspects of a Vacuum Belt Dryer?

Some of the common technical aspects of a vacuum belt dryer are as follows:

• VBDs employ low temperatures during the drying process accompanied by low consumption of energy and limited pollution.

Additionally, the process is under programmed control, ensuring it meets good manufacturing practices.

• While you can achieve drying at low temperatures, you can adjust the temperatures to respective products. The VBD has a wide temperature range of between 35 ⁰C and 90 ⁰
• During drying, you observe to a limited extent crystallization succeeding the crushing process. Consequently, the extract achieves impressive fluidity levels allowing you to encapsulate them directly.
• Frequency conversion motors control the movement of the conveyor belts with one for each conveyor. Regardless of the material amount, the distributor on the conveyer ensures uniform distribution.
• During operation, VBDs exhibit automatic granulation and, upon completion of the drying process, discharge the particles to a collector cistern.
• You can achieve a multi-conveyer belt configuration with the VBD to meet your production needs.

What are the benefits of a vacuum belt dryer?

You find the following advantages in employing a vacuum belt dryer:

       i.          Technologically Sustainable

Compared to other dryers, the VBD is heads above to preserve the material odour, colour and taste.

Furthermore, using VBD is preferable where materials are thermal sensitive due to the high temperatures during drying.

      ii.          Increased Energy Efficiency

The high vacuum conditions when using the VBD allow you to employ much lower energy when conducting drying operations.

Consequently, you get more production output for a unit of energy, thus lowering operational costs.

    iii.          Increased Product Quality

When using the VBD, you conduct a thorough evaporation process at lower temperature and pressure.

You observe the absence of material deterioration through oxidation, ensuring the preservation of plant content.

    iv.          High Product Solubility

The powder you form using a vacuum belt dryer possesses high solubility thanks to the elaborate production process. You find this drying process especially useful for substances such as tea and cocoa powder.

      v.          Improved Customization Ability

The vacuum belt dryer allows you to elaborate on your operation parameters for your drying process to suit your production needs.

Such fine-tuning is possible by employing automation via an HMI with the added benefit of a CIP system.

 Large Vacuum Belt Dryer

What Inspection Types are Necessary for a Vacuum Belt Dryer?

When inspecting the vacuum belt dryer, it is necessary to carry the following:

Electrical Control Inspection

In this inspection process, you examine the correctness and safety of the electrical system. The electrical control system encompasses the control panel functions and the PLCs, which determine the success of the automation process.

Pneumatic Control Inspection

In this inspection scenario, you evaluate the workability of pressure systems and the handling of compressed air.

Pneumatic systems in a VBD guide the rotary motors for the belts and the vacuum chamber pump.

What Factors should you Consider when Purchasing a Vacuum Belt Dryer?

When purchasing a vacuum belt dryer, it is essential to consider the following factors:

• With many VBD types, you need to select one with features that best suit your production needs.

Some of the aspects you consider are the size, the source of heat and achievable temperature range.

• The cost of the vacuum belt dryer is essential to ensure you make a purchase you can pay. Usually, having a budget guides you on what vacuum bel dryer to buy.
• Your production capacity influences your choice of vacuum belt dryer.

Where you have significant production needs, you need to select a VBD with a large capacity.

• VBDs and other commercial equipment typically have attached warranties that assures you of your product’s quality.

You need to evaluate the warranty option of your VBD with a preference for extended warranties.

• The purchasing process is essential when considering an acquisition of a VBD. Especially when purchasing for commercial use, you need to ensure you undertake the necessary processes during negotiation.
• Whomever you are purchasing from is another factor of consideration you need to prioritize.

It is prudent to buy from a reputable seller with years of experience and quality.

Can you Use a Vacuum Belt Dryer for Malted Barley Extract?

Yes, the vacuum belt dryer offers you the best alternative for extracting malt from barley without destroying the active ingredients.

Unlike spray dryers, when you employ the VBD, you retain the barley’s taste, flavour, colour, and mineral content.

What is a Laboratory Vacuum Belt Dryer?

A laboratory VBD is a small construction that you employ in confined areas of research departments across industries. Usually, the laboratory VBD is mobile or permanently fixed with a small drying area of about a meter square.

Laboratory Vacuum Belt Dryer

What is the Difference Between Small and Large Vacuum Belt Dryer?

You can differentiate vacuum belt dryers by their size with two distinct measures of small and large.

You consider a VBD small when it has an effective drying area of less than twenty square meters.

Furthermore, a small VBD has a loading capacity of at most 150 kilograms per hour. You also find these VBDs with a maximum of three conveyor belts and five heating areas.

A large VBD has an effective drying area of over 30 square meters, with some reaching hundreds of square meters. The belt count in such a VBD is between four and ten, with about half a dozen heating areas.

How do you Clean a Vacuum Belt Dryer?

Cleaning the vacuum belt dryer involves removing material from the conveyor surface and trapped within the conveyor chain. Cleaning ensures you have no contamination where you have different product cycles.

Many VBDs have an automatic cleaning system, CIP (Clean-In-Place), which quickens the process reducing downtime. The CIP can run in between production schedules, ensuring the removal of particles from previous material.

How does a Vacuum Belt Dryer Compare to a Spray Dryer?

A spray dryer is an equipment piece that utilizes the atomization of solutions into droplets that you dry.

You typically employ a hot gas for drying upon which you extract individual particles from the atomized droplets.

When using the spray dryer, you employ a nozzle system to disseminate the solution into droplets.

The smaller the nozzles, the smaller the droplets and hence the higher the vaporization rate.

A vacuum belt dryer achieves solvent vaporization at much lower temperatures than the spray dryer due to the vacuum environment.

Consequently, you find using a VBD prevents the loss of material characteristics such as colour and taste through oxidation.

Furthermore, the particle formation when using VBD is fine and highly soluble in cold solvents compared to spray drying.

As a result, you find the former utilized to extract malt and formation of instant powder.

What Functional tests do you Carry Out on a Vacuum Belt Dryer?

Testing a vacuum belt dryer is essential in determining its capacity to perform the desired functions to the expected standards.

These functional tests are necessary when purchasing a vacuum belt dryer:

• Testing the dryer’s vacuum condition during operation.
• Determining a pressure test for the chamber.
• Testing the conveyer belt’s driving system.

What Material do you Use in Making the Belts of Vacuum Belt Dryers?

When making belts for vacuum belt dryers, you can employ both open and closed mesh synthetic fabrics.

These fabrics have to be food grade standard such that they cannot contaminate food material when in contact.

The most popular synthetic fabric you find in conveying and drying processes is the Polyethylene terephthalate or PET polymer.

You can employ this polymer with pores in different sizes depending on the food material.

What are the Types of Belts you Employ in a Vacuum Belt Dryer?

When installing conveyor belts in vacuum belt dryers, you have different belt options that you can employ.

The type of product and its characteristics can influence your belt type selection.

You can employ the following belt types in your VBD:

Chain-Guided Conveyer

Some of the chain-guided conveyor types include steel plate conveyor, wire mesh belts and hinge conveyors.

 Chainless Woven Mesh Conveyer

For the chainless woven mesh conveyer, you employ an active approach in driving the rollers instead of chain guides.

The difference between these two conveyers is using a chain laden driving mechanism to move the belts.

How do you Influence the Drying Process when Using the Vacuum Belt Dryer?

The drying process in VBD is continuous with a flow of hot and cool air for drying and cooling. The vacuum pressure conditions influence the temperature conditions in the dryer, ensuring non-destructive heating.

When conducting the drying process, a distribution device uniformly spreads the product on the belt surface, allowing equal treatment.

The belt moves through different sections with hot air circulating in the evaporating and drying sections.

You can have a heat exchanger or convectional fans for every section to allow separate sectional regulation.

Consequently, you can influence the drying process by adjusting the flow of air and the temperature.

Furthermore, by adjusting the speed of the conveyor, you can determine the duration of interaction with the hot airflow.

As a result, you will determine how long a material takes to dry at a given temperature and pressure.

What are the Types of Vacuum Belt Dryers?

You have different vacuum belt dryers you can select for your drying operations.

The differentiating factor with these VDB types lies in the configuration of the conveyor belts.

Some of the setups that give rise to the VBD types are:

Single Belt VBD

You have a single conveyer belt setup in this VBD type usually employed for mounds of dusty material.

When drying the material, you can reverse the airflow as it passes the material over the belt.

Multi-stage Belt VBD

The multi-stage belt dryer is useful for drying highly compacted products such as dump mounds of material. You find this set up allows you to transfer the material from one belt section to another without crumbling.

Multi-belt VBD

When you have an enormous amount of material with an extended drying time, you find the multi-belt dryer most effective.

You can heat the material on the belt either externally using an air control unit or internally.

 Type of Vacuum Belt Dryer

How does the Vacuum Band Dryer differ from the Vacuum Belt Dryer?

A vacuum band dryer is a configuration you set up to dry non-solid substances with high viscosity, much like a paste.

The drying process in a vacuum band dryer is continuous with conveyers of the wire mesh type.

The vacuum band dryer consists of a large spherical vacuumed drum which differentiates it from a vacuum belt dryer.

You use steam or hot water as the heat media for this dryer with the capacity to employ multiple belts.

What Heat Sources can you Employ for your Vacuum Belt Dryer?

When using a VBD, you need a heat source to provide the thermal difference for eliminating solvent in a material.

The heat source conducts plates positioned below the belt across the different sections.

You can use the following as heat sources for your VBD:

• Steam
• Hot water
• Hot oil

Can you Control the Product Quality when Using a Vacuum Belt Dryer?

You can influence the quality of your product when using the vacuum belt dryer by amending the following factors:

• Speed of the conveyer belt.
• Thickness of the material during distribution on the belt.
• Temperature in the dryer.
• Degree of vacuum and pressure.
• By employing a unique vacuum grinder at discharge.

How does Vacuum Belt Dryer Preserve Product Quality?

Unlike other drying processes, here continuous vacuum belt dryer guarantees very low water evaporation temperature.

As a result, you can easily preserve both the color and aroma of the products you’re drying.

It does not matter whether you are drying concentrates of liquids into powders or granules.

The final product from continuous vacuum belt dryer is always of high quality.

Does Much Energy does Continuous Vacuum Belt Dryer use?

Although the amount of energy you will need for the drying process varies, it is quite low that most alternative drying techniques.

This is because you can evaporate water at very low temperature since the system reduces its boiling point.

Consequently, you will reduce the production costs significantly.

What are the Important Quality Certifications for Continuous Vacuum Belt Dryer?

The design and functionality of continuous vacuum belt dryer must conform to certain quality standards.

Some of the most important certifications include cGMP, FDA Approval, CE, DVE and RoHS, amongst others.

Remember, these quality standards and certifications varies depending on the geographical location.

More importantly, the vacuum belt dryer must be safe to handle all food products.

Is there difference between Vacuum Belt Dryer and Vacuum Drying Cabinet?

The design of vacuum belt dryer is suitable for continuous drying process. This is not the case for vacuum drying cabinet.

However, the two systems depend on the vacuum drying technology.

As you can see, there are many factors you should consider when choosing vacuum belt dryer.

At Pilotech, we help you get the reliable and high performance vacuum belt dryer that meet your unique processing needs.

Whether you need our standard or customs designs of vacuum belt dryer, Pilotech offers a perfect solution for you.

Contact us now for all your vacuum belt dryer needs.