We support productivity and quality improvement of existing processes. If there is a concern that productivity or quality may deteriorate due to changes in operating conditions, such as changes of applications or recipes, we will review the design conditions and/or operating conditions, and identify necessary adjustments required. In addition to our own products, we actively support the products and processes made by other suppliers.
Productivity & Quality improvement examples
- Improvement of productivity in powder processes (improvement of yield rate and throughput, reduction of material loss, etc.)
- Quality improvement in powder processes (particle size distribution, shape, density, moisture content, solubility, viable bacteria rate, color, etc.)
- Improvement of productivity and quality in microbial culture processes (viable bacteria rate, pH, dissolved oxygen rate, oxygen transfer rate, illumination, etc.)
- Improvement of productivity in precision cleaning processes (shortening cycle time, improvement of yield rate, reduction of cleaning chemicals loss, etc.)
- Quality improvement in precision cleaning processes (improvement of cleaning quality, reduction of physical load, etc.)
Case study
Improvement of spray dryer productivity (USA)
Our customer, an American fine ceramics manufacturer, has been using our spray dryers for many years. Demand for high-performance SiC products manufactured by the customer was increasing year by year, and as their product lineup was expanded, improving the productivity of their spray dryers became an urgent issue. One of the existing spray dryer was a standard, manually controlled process, so their skilled production team used years of experience to manage the process. However, there was some room for improvement in terms of quality stabilization and product yield, so the customer decided to implement our improvement proposal.
In order to stabilize the spray drying conditions and the powder quality, we replaced the manual adjustment of the pump’s liquid feed rate with our automatic liquid feed system that uses feedback control of the process outlet gas temperature. By automatically controlling the flow rate, spray drying conditions in the process were stabilized and variations in particle size and moisture content of the granules were reduced. By eliminating adjustment work during production, the operator’s work load was reduced to only selecting recipes at start-up and monitoring operating parameters during operation. Operating parameters can automatically be adjusted through the new feedback control, so product quality is always stable unless something irregular happens. As a result, operators have used their newly created time to perform their analysis and measurement tasks.
Regarding yield, the problem was that there was a large amount of raw material loss due to granules adhering to the inner walls of the drying chamber. As the customer expanded their product lineup, they needed to produce larger granules they had not anticipated when they first introduced the spray dryer. Since it is not possible to increase the chamber size of the existing spray dryer, the customer was producing large granules with accepting a certain amount of yield loss. We proposed the use of our newly developed Coanda disc. Our Coanda disc, a patented technology, is a rotary atomizer disc that utilizes Coanda effect, where a jet fluid is attracted to a nearby wall. The design of the lower plate of the disc extends downward in a curving shape, so that the atomization flow, which would normally be horizontal, is directed downward. This effect increases the droplets’ fall down time and allows efficient use of the drying chamber space. In other words, when introducing a production process with the same raw materials, particle size, and throughput, by adopting the Coanda disc, it is possible to increase the throughput per hour or produce larger particle sizes. By using Coanda disc, the customer has successfully increased the yield for the production of larger granules.
* Images may differ from the actual project and may be used for illustrative purposes only.
Improvement through process design support (UK)
Our customer, an engineering company, was participating in a project to build a new mass production spray drying plant for a British chemical manufacturer. In addition to our customer, the project team included a technology consulting company selected by the user. Due to time constraints on the project, the user had planned to set the powder quality parameters established on a laboratory scale as their target standard and set up a mass production plant without verifying the quality parameters with a pilot plant. After the project was launched, demonstration trials were conducted multiple times at a test plant owned by an European supplier, but the target particle size and yield could not be achieved and the progress on the project stalled.
At the request of our customer, we became involved in the project midway through. We firstly examined the required specifications and the conceptual design materials that had been developed up to the time of our participation, and worked with the customer to identify any possible problems. After verifying the material and heat balance calculations, chamber volume calculations, process flow and functional specifications at the design stage, we revised the set capacities of the main components. Regarding the atomization system, the user discovered that the nozzle used in the laboratory trials could not be applied to a mass production plant, so the selection process of the atomization system was delayed. Therefore, we selected multiple alternative nozzles and decided the final model after conducting a trial using actual liquid material. Additionally, along with finalizing the nozzle selection, we changed the design of the process gas disperser to our own scope, ensuring consistency in the design philosophy in the atomized droplets and the process gas contacting area. Regarding product yield, the team had already decided to use a standard multi-stage cyclone system without any verifications even the guarantee rate of the collection efficiency was stipulated in the required specifications. We introduced a specialized efficient cyclone systems manufacturer to the team and the user agreed on the change. For the CIP process, we supported equipment selection and layout design such as cleaning nozzles and pumps. In the final stage of the basic design, we conducted a risk assessment of the entire process in collaboration with the user, and compiled automatic sequence interlocks and safety measures at each stage and completed our scope of service.
* Images may differ from the actual project and may be used for illustrative purposes only.
Improvement of chemical consumption efficiency through nozzle optimization (Japan)
Our customer, a Japanese electronics manufacturer, used an in-line shower cleaning system during their flux removal process. The net conveyor type continuous shower cleaning system had been in operation for many years and its flux removal performance had always met quality standards. The rate of non-standard products had also remained low. Although there was no problem with the system’s performance, the customer was considering measures to reduce the operating costs of the cleaning system while formulating a plan to regularly improve productions throughout the factory. Initially, they looked for another cleaning chemical that could be used as an alternative to reduce the cost of cleaning agents, but they were unable to find a product that was cheaper than the existing cleaning chemical and had the same level of cleaning performance. Since the customer was using our cleaning systems in other processes in their factory, so that they asked us for the investigation.
Together with the customer, we investigated the rate of cleaning chemical consumption during the operation. In addition to the nozzle spray angle, spray pressure, and liquid flow rate, we measured the degree of mist generation and the amount drawn into the exhaust line. As a result, we found that the large amount of mist generated when the cleaning chemical was sprayed by the single-fluid nozzles was being sucked into the exhaust line. Therefore, by installing a demister trap in front of the exhaust line and adjusting the air volume of the exhaust fan, we were able to reduce the amount of mist exhausted. In addition, we replaced the single-fluid nozzles used in the existing cleaning system with slit nozzles. A slit nozzle generates a liquid film with uniform impact pressure distribution and the flow of the generated liquid film acts on the surface. The liquid film produced by a slit nozzle can significantly suppress mist generation compared to the spray flow by a single-fluid nozzle. Therefore, the customer has successfully reduced the loss of cleaning chemical while maintaining the same level of cleaning performance as single-fluid nozzles operation.
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Improvement of flavor powder quality in spray drying (Türkiye)
Our customer, a Turkish food manufacturer, produces extracts and powders of naturally derived plants such as red beet. The customer is a top player in the domestic market in food coloring and also exports its products to multinational companies in countries such as Europe and Japan. The customer participates in the product development stage of their users and customizes colors and flavors according to the users’ requests. The customer originally manufactured only liquid food extracts, but in response to their users’ requests, they started manufacturing natural plant extract powders as their new business. They introduced a spray dryer made by a local supplier in Türkiye, but due to a lack of knowledge and experience regarding spray dryer operation, they were plagued by material losses due to substandard products that did not meet the users’ required quality ranges. Therefore, they decided to receive our support with the aim of stabilizing the quality and improving product yield.
The customer operates productions in high-mix low-volume with recipes customized to their users’ individual requirements. Although the main ingredients, such as red beets and black carrots, are fixed, the required physical properties such as color, moisture content, and bulk density vary depending on the product. Additionally, due to a lack of practical experience in spray drying, even when powder that met the required quality was obtained, product yields were low. We investigated the specifications of their existing spray dryer and the operating conditions of major recipes, and organized adjustments that could be made for each recipe. In addition, our powder technical center conducted analysis of actual product samples and suggested necessary adjustments for each item. Even setting ranges for particle size distribution, bulk density, moisture content, etc. vary depending on the individual item, there is a certain quality level that should be met as a general powder product in food industry. Spray drying of natural plant extracts generally requires gentle drying with low temperature setting. Under low temperature operating conditions, the liquid dries slowly and tends to have a higher bulk density. On the other hand, high temperature conditions dry the droplets in a short time, leading to faster particle shell formation. As a result, dried granules may expand, burst, or become hollow due to internal evaporation. The moisture content becomes higher under low temperature conditions and lower under high temperature conditions. In order to balance the powder quality with product yield, we determined the parameter ranges to be adjusted for each item and conducted an on-site operational training session. We provided our hands-on training on how to adjust liquid materials such as concentration and viscosity, types and amounts of additives to be used, spray dryer operating conditions setting, and adjustment of operating conditions according to changes in atmospheric air such as season and weather. Finally, for quality targets that cannot be achieved due to the existing spray dryer’s specifications, we proposed modifications of some components step by step according to the customer’s budget. Currently, the customer is producing products that meet quality standards for major items and maintain appropriate product yields. In addition, by modifying some of the components in the existing spray dryer, they have improved to adjust color, bulk density, and moisture content to levels that had not been achieved before.
* Images may differ from the actual project and may be used for illustrative purposes only.
Quality improvement using Auto PSD control atomizer system (Japan)
Our customer, a Japanese fine ceramics manufacturer, is a global company that manufactures a wide range of ceramic products, from general-purpose industrial ceramics to semiconductor packages. The customer continually invest in upgrading their existing production lines to improve the quality and performance of their products. As part of a periodic production line improvement project, they decided to introduce our Auto PSD control atomizer system to their existing spray dryer. In spray drying of fine ceramics industry, a rotary atomizer is generally used as the atomization system. Granules produced in spray drying in the fine ceramics manufacturing process are required an exquisite granule strength that is strong enough not to collapse when handled, but weak enough to be compressed uniformly and densely when molded after filling. It is desirable for the granules to be spherical in shape and maintain excellent fluidity as well as to have a sharp particle size distribution. Currently, the mainstream for rotary atomizer controls in operation around the world is to fix the rotational speed at an arbitrary set value. Fixed speed operations run the risk of the product deviating from the targeted particle size range if other environmental conditions change. Most of the manufacturers control powder quality by periodically measuring particle size by ex-situ. In-situ real-time monitoring is an effective way to improve quality stability.
Our patented technology, the automatic PSD control atomizer system, measures the particle size of the powder flowing through the process in real time, and the rotational speed of the rotary atomizer is automatically adjusted by our original algorithm. Since the particle size is automatically controlled as a set value without fixing the rotational speed, the system can precisely keep the set PSD during the operation. Like other companies do, the customer was operating its existing spray dryers with a fixed rotational speed of the rotary atomizer. The slurry manufacturing process is a batch-type production and there are certain variations in the concentration, viscosity, pH, physical properties of primary particles and dispersion state in the slurry tank. Additionally, atmospheric air is generally used as the process gas for spray dryers in fine ceramics industry. Therefore, fluctuations in outside temperature and humidity also cause changes in process conditions. These changes have a considerable effect on the physical properties of the spray dried granules. By introducing our Auto PSD control atomizer system to their existing spray dryer, the customer achieved to produce granules with constant particle size distribution and reduce the effects of changes in conditions caused by environmental changes and variations of slurry material lots. Additionally, they successfully reduced product adhesion during the process led to reducing the product loss.
* Images may differ from the actual project and may be used for illustrative purposes only.
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