CFD Simulation Analysis of a Rotary Dryer-Based Pelletizing Machine for Agro-Industrial Applications

Ikhwani Uzair Zubair; Irfan Abd Rahim; Z. Shayfull; Abd Ghani Hussain A.; FAZ Mohd Saat; MS Mustapa

doi:10.58915/aset.v5i1.2964

Authors

Ikhwani Uzair Zubair Universiti Malaysia Perlis
Irfan Abd Rahim Universiti Malaysia Perlis
Z. Shayfull Universiti Malaysia Perlis
Abd Ghani Hussain A. HPA Industries Sdn. Bhd.
FAZ Mohd Saat Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka
MS Mustapa Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58915/aset.v5i1.2964

Keywords:

Rotary Dryer, CFD Simulation, Fluid Flow, Agro-Industrial Drying, Turbulence

Abstract

This study presents a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis of a rotary dryer-based pelletizing system for agro-industrial applications. The objective is to evaluate airflow behaviour, velocity distribution, pressure characteristics, and turbulence intensity under different operating configurations. Simulations were performed using ANSYS Fluent 2021 R2 with the realizable k–ε turbulence model and SIMPLE pressure–velocity coupling scheme. Two working fluids, water and milk, were selected to represent different material properties. Three configurations were analyzed: (i) rotating impeller with water, (ii) rotating impeller with milk, and (iii) rotating drum with milk. The results indicate that the rotating drum configuration produces significantly higher velocity (0.1043 m/s) compared to the impeller-driven system (0.03743 m/s). Similarly, pressure distribution is more pronounced and uniform in the rotating drum case, reaching up to 1.003 Pa, while impeller cases remain below 0.05043 Pa. Furthermore, turbulence kinetic energy (TKE), which ranged from 2.863 × 10⁻⁶ to 8.814 × 10⁻⁵ m²/s², is more evenly distributed in the rotating drum configuration, indicating enhanced mixing and momentum transfer. These findings demonstrate that drum rotation provides superior flow uniformity and hydrodynamic performance. The study confirms that CFD is an effective tool for design evaluation and supports the selection of rotating drum mechanisms to improve drying efficiency in agro-industrial applications.

References

[1] Marinos-Kouris, D., Krokida, M., & Mujumdar, A. Rotary drying. Handb. Ind. Drying, Third Ed., (2006).

[2] ITDG Group. Basic parts and air flow pattern in ITDG-dryer. ITDG-Dryer, (2016) pp.1–6.

[3] FEECO International Inc. The rotatory dryer handbook. Feeco Int., (2017).

[4] Kataoka, M. M., & Suwa, S. Indirectly heating rotary dryer. (2018).

[5] Burgos-Florez, F., Bula, A., Marquez, J., Ferrer, A., & Sanjuan, M. CFD-DEM modeling and simulation coupled to a global thermodynamic analysis methodology for evaluating energy performance: Biofertilizer industry.

[6] Sayma, A. Computational Fluid Dynamics Textbooks At Bookboon.Com. Abdulnaser Sayma & Ventus Publishing ApS, (2014).

[7] Bharat, N., Sahoo, K., Padhi, P., Nayak, R. C., & Khuntia, K. Design and development of industrial drying system for de-moisturising minerals (chrome ore) for. vol 8, issue 1 (2018) pp.47–54.

[8] Basavarajappa, M., & Miskovic, S. Cfd simulation of single-phase flow in flotation cells: Effect of impeller blade shape, clearance, and Reynolds number. Int. J. Min. Sci. Technol., vol 29, issue 5 (2019) pp.657–669.

[9] A’yuni, D. Q., Subagio, A., Prasetyaningrum, A., Sasongko, S. B., & Djaeni, M. The optimization of paddy drying in the rotary dryer: Energy efficiency and product quality aspects analysis. Food Res., vol 8 (2024) pp.125–135.

[10] Olsson, M. C., & Várhelyi. Pellet quality improvement through effective cooling and moisture removal. Int. J. Food Sci. Technol., vol 49, issue 7 pp.1493–1498.

[11] ANSYS FLUENT. Ansys Fluent Theory Guide. ANSYS Inc., USA, vol 15317 (2013) pp.1–759.

[12] Versteeg, W., & Malalasekera, H. An introduction to computational fluid mechanics by example. An Introduction to Computational Fluid Mechanics by Example, vol 10, issue 01 (1995).

[13] Chen, S., & Yang, J. Simulation and experiments on the drying outcome of drying drums. Int. J. Precis. Eng. Manuf., vol 17, issue 1 (2016) pp.109–117.

[14] Bhattacharya, D. B. M. Heat transfer in pellet cooling: A comparative study of crossflow and counterflow principles. Int. J. Heat Mass Transf., vol 87, issue 4 (2015) pp.215–223.

[15] Rindang, A., Panggabean, S., & Wulandari, F. Cfd analysis of temperature drying chamber at rotary dryer with combined energy. J. Phys. Conf. Ser., vol 1155, issue 1 (2019).

[16] Oyeniyi, S. K., Olatunbosun, O. S., Aremu, A. K., Aviara, N. A., & Iyilade, I. J. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses of energy and exergy in thin layer drying of okra (abelmoschus esculentus) slices using centre shaft rotary tray cabinet (csrtc) dryer. vol 15, issue 3 (2019) pp.762–776.