Heyl & Patterson Inc., a world leader in bulk material handling and thermal processing systems, has announced the sale of a fluid bed dryer and fluid bed cooler to Zinc Nacional, S.A. of Monterrey, Mexico.
 
The equipment will be installed at Zinc Nacional’s main facility in Monterrey, and is designed to process zinc for the production of zinc sulfate.  A mixture of zinc dust and aqueous sulfuric acid is sprayed into the dryer, and the particles stick to one another until they gradually agglomerate into beads of a certain size. The beads are screened and recycled back into the dryer up to six times, until they are large enough to advance to the cooler and continue along the production process.
 
This fluid bed dryer processes granular, free-flowing bulk material at temperatures up to 250ºF. The material being dried is completely suspended and surrounded by a stream of hot gas or air, causing the material to behave as a liquid. This action provides a high rate of heat transfer, while gently handling the solid materials. The fluid bed cooler works in much the same way, but with a stream of gas or air at lower temperatures to allow bulk materials to be handled far easier.
 
Both the dryer and cooler are scheduled for delivery and installation during the second quarter of 2015.  Heyl & Patterson also plans to support Zinc Nacional with spare parts, upgrades, retrofits, and field service for the life of the equipment.
 
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