Carousel / Candy Dryer
Multi-stage, zoned drying of free-flowing products
Typical applications
The carousel dryer is particularly suitable for applications where gentle product handling, uniform final moisture and a compact footprint are priorities.
Typical applications include:
- Food and bakery residues
- Agricultural and feed products (e.g. soybean meal and specialty feed)
- Fish feed / aquafeed
- Organic by-products
- Free-flowing, temperature-sensitive materials
How it works – multi-stage drying
The product passes through several drying stages arranged one above another.
Each stage has:
- a defined bed depth
- a defined residence time
- its own independently controllable heating
Product is transferred gently from one stage to the next, without aggressive mechanical conveying.
Stage 1 – Product infeed & preheating
Feed the moist product evenly into the top drying section.
A gentle rise in temperature starts the drying process.
Stage 2 – Main drying
Intensive but controlled heat transfer via process air and steam.
The aim is efficient moisture removal without local overheating.
Stage 4 – After-drying and finishing
Reduced heating output helps achieve uniform final moisture.
Stage 5 – Product discharge
The dried product is discharged for downstream processing, such as cooling or pelletizing.
Heating and process concept
Depending on the product and application, the carousel dryer can be designed with:
- direct steam injection
- indirect steam heating (jacket or coil heating)
- separately zoned heating for each drying stage
Particular attention is paid to limiting wall and heating-surface temperatures to prevent deposits and crusting.
Technical data (indicative values)
These figures are intended to describe the technology and are not guaranteed performance data.
Typical operating ranges:
- Throughput: approx. 0.8–6.0 t/h, depending on product
- Inlet moisture: approx. 20–35% w.b. (wet basis)
- Final moisture: approx. 8–12% w.b. (wet basis)
Specific thermal energy consumption:
- approx. 750–1,200 kWh per tonne of water evaporated
Technology comparison and position
Among industrial drying technologies, the carousel dryer sits between drum and belt dryers:
- more compact than a belt dryer
- gentler on the product than a drum dryer
- especially suited to feed, food and specialist applications
Project status and outlook
The configuration shown is not a series-produced machine; it is part of a technical market and concept study.
The aim is to better understand real-world applications, requirements and market needs.
Contact
Do you have a similar application or technical question?
We welcome a technical discussion about existing processes, material properties and potential applications.
