Investigation of crystal abrasion and dust generation in a spouted fluidised bed dryer

This paper describes experiments in a laboratory spouted fluidised bed dryer where dust generation is measured for two brands of sugar (JA and Brand 1) over a range of fluidising velocities (2 m/s and 2.5 m/s). The mechanism of dust generation in fluidised systems is examined using particle size analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), sugar moisture measurements and by altering internal system friction. The dominant factors affecting dusting are determined using factorial analysis.