GEA Niro Drying Technology | Core Technologies

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GEA Niro plants are based our core technologies; spray-, flash- and freeze drying, and fluid bed processing. We apply our core technologies to design particle formation and drying processes, and processing equipment for production of powder products.

The technologies are applied for process equipment to produce:

Read more about our core technologies below: 

Spray Drying
Spray drying converts liquid into a dry or semi-dry powdered product. The liquid is atomized into fine droplets that meet a hot air stream. The solvent in the liquid (typically water) evaporates from the surface of the droplets thereby turning them into dry particles.
Fluid Bed Drying
Fluid bed drying is used to evaporate residual volatiles (typically water) from a powdered material to the desired moisture content. The energy is applied to the powder in form of warm air directed through a perforated plate making the powder particles fluidize.
Freeze Drying
Freeze drying is a special low-temperature drying technology. The frozen feed is placed under vacuum corresponding to a temperature where the frozen water sublimates directly into vapour without melting. Due to the low temperature level, the drying is very lenient leaving the solids in a dry form with the entire aroma intact.
Energy Saving
Energy saving involves many sub-processes including proper engineering, smart design, best utilization of the applied energy to the process with no or very little waste. And whatever is wasted must be captured and reused.
Flash Drying
Flash drying is used to dry wet particles with "surface water" discharged from centrifuges or filters. The drying takes place in a turbulent hot air stream. The resulting free-flowing powder can be after dried and/or cooled in a fluid bed to detain a desired moisture content and temperature in the powder.
Spray Drying Absorption
Spray drying absorption is used to remove acidic pollutants, heavy metals and dust from flue gases. The GEA Niro Semi-Dry SDA process has its origin in spray drying technology.
Spray Cooling
Spray cooling is defined as a transition of a melt from a fluid state to a solid powder form using cold air to solidify the atomized or “prilled” particles.
Spray Fluidizing
Spray fluidizing combines the spray drying and fluid bed drying technologies simultaneously in one unit. The liquid feed is sprayed – and partly dried – onto a fluidized powder layer where the final drying takes place.
Agglomeration
Agglomeration forms big clusters or agglomerates from powders consisting of fine particles. This technology may be performed either as a one step process in special designed spray dryers, or as a two step process as it is done in rewet plants.
Extraction
Extraction is where a liquid (typically water) is passed through a solid, powder-like product. It is possible to extract valuable components like coffee extract with aroma from coffee beans or various health products from e.g. herbs.
Product recovery
Product recovery is used in connection with spray dryers, fluid bed dryers, spray fluidizers and agglomerators. The purpose is to collect all the fine particles from the process air leaving the above plants. Cyclones, wet scrubbers or bag filters or combinations hereof are used.
Atomization
Atomization transforms a liquid into a spray of fine droplets before they meet the hot drying air. Depending on the requirements for particle size and their distribution, atomization of the liquid can be done by a rotary atomizer, high pressure nozzle or a two fluid nozzle or combinations.
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Spray Drying
Fluid Bed Drying
Freeze Drying
Energy Saving
Flash Drying
Spray Drying Absorption
Spray Cooling
Spray Fluidizing
Agglomeration
Extraction
Product recovery
Atomization