Method of controlling the spray droplet size of a spray nozzle apparatus for spray-drying applications, spray drying apparatus and nozzle therefore

1. A method of controlling a spray droplet size of a spray nozzle apparatus comprising a spray nozzle, the method comprises the following steps of:

a) providing a paste of a product to be sprayed by the spray nozzle;

b) continuously determining a shear viscosity of the product paste delivered to the spray nozzle;

c) determining a mass flow rate of the product paste delivered to the spray nozzle;

d) determining a static pressure of the product paste delivered to the spray nozzle;

e) determining a density of the product paste delivered to the spray nozzle;

f) delivering data obtained in steps b) to e) to a control device comprising a computer and a memory;

g) calculating control data for adjusting the spray nozzle on the basis of the data obtained in steps b) to e) and on nozzle geometry parameters stored in the memory; and

h) sending the control data as control signals to a control means of the spray nozzle and adjusting the spray nozzle accordingly.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step b) of continuously determining the shear viscosity of the product paste delivered to the spray nozzle is carried out in a bypass to a product paste stream to the spray nozzle.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the shear viscosity of the product paste is determined by the following steps:

b1) providing a constant feed-flow-rate of the product paste;

b2) determining the mass flow rate of the product paste;

b3) delivering the product paste to a pressure-drop-meter and determining a pressure drop; and

b4) calculating a shear rate and shear viscosity of the product paste on the basis of the mass flow determined in step b2), the pressure drop determined in step b3) and a known product density.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the calculation in step b4) considers also a bypass-mass-flow-rate.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the determination of the pressure drop in step b3) is carried out according to a differential pressure drop method.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the adjusting of the spray nozzle in step h) is carried out by changing a volume of a swirl chamber provided in the spray nozzle.

7. A spray drying apparatus comprising:

a spray nozzle provided with a nozzle orifice for outputting spray droplets of a product to be dried and an inlet orifice for transferring the product into a nozzle chamber;

an adjustment apparatus configured for adjusting the size of the outputted droplets inline during the spray process on the basis of control data calculated by determining a shear viscosity and a mass flow rate of product delivered to the spray nozzle, the adjustment apparatus comprises a member for adjusting a nozzle chamber geometry based on spray drying process parameters and product parameters obtained inline during the spray drying process; wherein the member for adjusting the nozzle chamber geometry comprises an electric drive and a connecting sleeve,

the electric drive adjusting the nozzle chamber geometry, the electric drive controlled by a control device based on the spray drying process parameters and the product parameters; and

the connecting sleeve releasably fixed to the electric drive and providing a longitudinal bore for rotatingly accommodating a hollow shaft which transfers a rotating motion of an output shaft of the electric drive to an adjusting pin driving a plunger into and out of the nozzle chamber, the plunger is axially movable, and the adjusting pin is provided with a longitudinally extending axial bore with an inner thread in engagement with an outer thread of the plunger such that a rotating motion of the adjusting pin is transferred to a longitudinal motion of the plunger.

8. The spray drying apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the plunger is configured for adjusting a size of the inlet orifice and/or a volume of the nozzle chamber.

9. The spray drying apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the plunger is movable into and out of the nozzle chamber by the electric drive adjusting a width and/or a height of the inlet orifice of the nozzle chamber.

10. The spray drying apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the electric drive comprises an electric motor configured for rotatingly driving the output shaft, the rotation of the output shaft being transferred to the longitudinal motion of the plunger via a threaded engagement between the output shaft and the plunger.

11. The spray drying apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the nozzle chamber is provided by a swirl chamber body inserted into an inner chamber of a nozzle body, the nozzle body releasably fixed to the connecting sleeve, and the swirl chamber body provided with an opening channel which is arranged in correspondence to the inlet orifice for entering the product into a swirl chamber of the swirl chamber body.

12. The spray drying apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the swirl chamber is provided with a helicoidally tightening guiding face configured for accelerating the product into the direction of the nozzle orifice.

13. The spray drying apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the inlet orifice extends radially to a longitudinal axis of the nozzle, and the product is transferred to the nozzle via a tubing connected with the inlet orifice.

14. The spray drying apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the nozzle orifice is equipped with a releasably mounted orifice plate such that an opening diameter of the nozzle orifice is configured to be variable by replacing the orifice plate by a different diameter orifice plate.

15. The spray drying apparatus according to claim 8 , in which (i) a cone angle of a spray mist produced by product droplets and (ii) a droplet size are both variable by axially moving the plunger relative to the nozzle chamber.