Counterflow dryers

gas, steam or electric

Dryers on gas or steam consume over 50% of the thermal energy used in an averageextrusion line. However, counterflow dryers offer a more efficient solution, saving both energy and plant space compared to other dryer types.

The vertical gravity flow design of counterflow dryers eliminates horizontal surfaces and minimizes the risk of cross-contamination and dust build-up. As a result, cleaning frequency is reduced, and cleaning is faster than with horizontal dryers.

Semi-continuous batch processing allows for quick changeover between different products without the need to wait for the dryer to be empty.

By uniformly exposing the product to warm drying air, counterflow dryers ensure high moisture uniformity. Additionally, the variation in product bed depth and number of drying beds allows for shorter or longer drying times..

When combined with a heat pump, counterflow recovery of heat from the exhaust air can reduce thermal energy usage by 60-75%. Partial or full electrification is possible, as well as a modular conversion from gas burners to heat pumps.

Counterflow Remote Diagnostics provides plant feedback to identify potential efficiency improvements.

% energy saving

Utilizing energy recovery and electric heat pumps for drying results in significant energy savings of 60-75% when compared to drying with gas or steam.

% up-time

Geelen dryers are designed to operate continuously, 24/7, with minimal planned downtime for maintenance and cleaning.

% decarbonisation

Geelen offers solutions for full decarbonization of drying through the use of electricity, steam, hot water, biomethane, or hydrogen.

Counterflow

By applying counterflow; the most efficient heat exchange principle for drying your product, you can ensure the lowest energy consumption per litre of evaporated moisture.

Gravity flow

Using gravity flow to transport your product through the dryer ensures a clean process, free of horizontal surfaces that could cause cross-contamination. This also results in low maintenance requirements due to the minimal number of moving parts in the dryer.

Stainless steel

In addition to using stainless steel for product contact parts, Geelen dryers also utilise stainless steel for air contact parts. This ensures longevity; dryers from the 1980s are still operational today! Extending the lifetime of components is crucial in building a circular economy, and stainless steel is currently the number one circular construction material in the industry.

Continuous flow

Geelen’s continuous dryers for feed or food provide evaporation capacities of up to approximately 750 litres per hour. The product is exposed to hot drying air uniformly as it moves steadily from the product distributor to the discharger; similar to a counterflow cooler. These dryers feature one or two drying decks and can be heated by hot air from natural gas, steam, hot water, biomethane, or electricity.

Batch flow

Geelen uses batch flow, also known as semi-continuous processing, for evaporation rates ranging from a few hundred to many thousands of litres per hour. These dryers feature 5 to 15 modular drying decks and up to 7 different temperature zones, allowing for quick changeovers between different products.

Gas burners

Gas burners for natural gas, propane, butane, biomethane or hydrogen.

Steam heaters

Geelen offers the option of installing steam heat exchangers alongside a single-deck dryer or within the compact air recirculation unit for multi-deck dryers.

Heat pumps

By utilizing heat exchangers with heat pumps, Geelen dryers can reduce their net energy consumption by 60-75%. Furthermore, if clean electricity is used as the energy source, this technology can also help to decarbonize the drying process.

Belt distributor

Geelen batch dryers feature a belt distributor that is PLC controlled to ensure a flat bed from the top drying deck to the last one. The distribution pattern is adjusted to correspond to the selected batch time, which is set by the operator.

Rotating distributor

Continuous dryers require a rotating distributor and rake that can be adjusted in height to maintain an even product bed from the beginning to the end of the process.

Dosing valve

The dosing valve prevents false external air from entering the dryer and ensures a consistent feed to downstream transport or coating systems without risking damage to the product.

Compact air units

Modular double-walled insulated air units containing cyclones, air fans, heat exchangers, and gas burners are installed next to the dryer. These units can be stacked on top of each other depending on the dryer size and the number of temperature zones.

Our dedicated field service team is always available to assist you. From our headquarters, we can stay connected to your dryer or cooler and provide recommendations for enhancing energy efficiency. We can also remotely connect to the dryer control system to offer training and troubleshoot any issues. In the event that on-site support is required, our service engineers located in Europe, Asia, North America, and Latin America will be dispatched to support you.