Process Vessels

Gravity Dryers, Purge and Conditioning Columns, and Spray Dryers

A client needed a compact dryer for removing moisture from wood chips fed into a downdraft gasifier. A cross-flow moving bed dryer was designed that required no moving parts other than commercial conveyors feeding and unloading the dryer. The dryer was about 35% smaller than anticipated from eight proposed competitive dryers.

I've worked on spray dryers of every scale. I have developed an innovative process for producing free-flowing, spray-dried powders. I am excited to own an autographed copy of Keith Masters' Spray Drying Handbook.

Continuous Granulation

The key to wet pelletization is to ensure that the flow rates of liquid and solids are steady so that the optimal level of saturation is maintained. Using air assistance, I was able to provide a steady feed of fumed silica into a pin mixer without a scale to measure the loss in weight of the contents of the hopper.

Removal of THC from Cannabis

I am a co-inventor of a continuous solvent-free process for removing THC from Cannabis. (Patent No. US 10765965) I have never touched the product nor the starting material, but my chemical engineering and solids handling skills allowed me to design a moving bed bulk solids heat exchanger and moving bed bulk solids distillation column. If you have a batch process, I'll bet I can help you convert it into a continuous process.