대표
청구항
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1. A method of processing a spray dryable liquid composition to form a spray dried product, said method comprising: generating a spray of the spray dryable liquid composition;contacting the spray of spray dryable liquid composition in a spray drying contact zone with a stream of primary drying fluid;injecting transient bursts of pressurized secondary drying fluid into the stream of primary drying fluid in the spray drying contact zone at multiple loci thereof to provide localized turbulence at said multiple loci; andrecovering the spray dried product fro...
1. A method of processing a spray dryable liquid composition to form a spray dried product, said method comprising: generating a spray of the spray dryable liquid composition;contacting the spray of spray dryable liquid composition in a spray drying contact zone with a stream of primary drying fluid;injecting transient bursts of pressurized secondary drying fluid into the stream of primary drying fluid in the spray drying contact zone at multiple loci thereof to provide localized turbulence at said multiple loci; andrecovering the spray dried product from the spray drying contact zone. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary drying fluid and secondary drying fluid are introduced to the spray drying contact zone at temperature below 100° C. and above freezing temperature of solvent in the spray dryable liquid composition. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said injecting of transient bursts is continuously or intermittently conducted during said contacting. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary drying fluid and secondary drying fluid are each independently selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen, oxygen-enriched air, nitrogen, helium, argon, neon, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and combinations of two or more of the foregoing. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the spray dryable liquid composition comprises at least one product material selected from the group consisting of food materials, beverage materials, fragrance materials, pigment materials, flavor materials, pharmaceutical materials, therapeutic materials, medication materials, homeopathic materials, biological materials, probiotic materials, construction materials, formulating materials, and mixtures, blends, composites, and combinations of two or more different materials of the foregoing. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the spray dryable liquid composition comprises solvent selected from the group consisting of water, alcohol, and aqueous alcohol solution. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the spray dryable liquid composition comprises at least one carrier selected from the group consisting of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, waxes, cellulosic materials, sugars, starches, and natural and synthetic polymeric materials. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the spray dryable liquid composition has a viscosity in a range of from 300 mPa-s to 28,000 mPa-s, and comprises from 20 to 50% by weight of solvent, based on total weight of the spray dryable liquid composition. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary drying fluid and secondary drying fluid are introduced to the spray drying contact zone at temperature below at least one of 95° C., 90° C., 85° C. 80° C., 75° C., 70° C., 65° C., 60° C., 55° C., 50° C., 45° C., 40° C., 35° C., 30° C., 25° C., and 20° C., and wherein said temperature is above freezing temperature of solvent in the spray dryable liquid composition. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary drying fluid and secondary drying fluid are introduced to the spray drying contact zone at below 20% relative humidity. 11. The method of claim 1, comprising controlling said injecting with a control system executing a predetermined cycle timer program. 12. A spray drying system, comprising: a spray drying vessel including an interior volume for contacting of introduced spray dryable liquid composition and a stream of primary drying fluid, said vessel including a spraying device positioned to introduce a spray of the spray dryable liquid composition into the interior volume for said contacting, an inlet for introduction of the primary drying fluid to the interior volume, and an outlet for discharging spray dried product and effluent drying fluid from the interior volume; anda multiplicity of secondary fluid injectors constructed and arranged to introduce transient bursts of pressurized secondary drying fluid into the interior volume at flow conditions providing localized turbulence in the stream of primary drying fluid in the interior volume at multiple loci in the stream of primary drying fluid. 13. The spray drying system of claim 12, wherein said multiplicity of secondary fluid injectors are mounted on the spray drying vessel in an array. 14. The spray drying system of claim 13, wherein the array of secondary fluid injectors comprises at least one circumferentially extending row of secondary fluid injectors, each secondary fluid injector in each said row being circumferentially spaced apart from adjacent secondary fluid injectors in said row, and wherein multiple rows when present are axially spaced apart with respect to a central axis of the spray drying vessel. 15. The spray drying system of claim 12, wherein each of the multiplicity of secondary fluid injectors is actuatable for secondary fluid injection by a control system to supply the transient bursts of secondary fluid to the interior volume of the spray drying vessel. 16. The spray drying system of claim 12, wherein a selected one or ones of said multiplicity of secondary fluid injectors is actuatable by the control system to supply the transient bursts of secondary fluid to the interior volume of the spray drying vessel, while selected others of said multiplicity of secondary fluid injectors are deactuated, in a predetermined sequence in which each of the multiplicity of secondary fluid injectors is intermittently actuated in the predetermined sequence. 17. The spray drying system of claim 12, wherein each of the multiplicity of secondary fluid injectors is actuatable to continuously supply the transient bursts of secondary fluid to the interior volume of the spray drying vessel during spray drying operation therein. 18. The spray drying system of claim 12, comprising flow circuitry receiving spray dried product and effluent drying fluid from the outlet of the spray drying vessel, said flow circuitry containing a fluid/solids separator constructed and arranged to separate spray dried product from the effluent drying fluid, and a dehumidifier configured to dry the effluent drying fluid, from which spray dried product has been separated, to a predetermined extent, said flow circuitry being constructed and arranged to recycle the drying fluid, subsequent to its being dried by the dehumidifier, to the inlet of the spray drying vessel, as at least part of the primary drying fluid introduced to the interior volume of the spray drying vessel. 19. The spray drying system of claim 12, comprising a primary drying fluid source constructed and arranged to provide primary drying fluid to the spray drying vessel at temperature below 100° C. and above freezing temperature of solvent in the spray dryable liquid composition. 20. The spray drying system of claim 12, further comprising: (a) a source of primary drying fluid and a source of secondary drying fluid, wherein each of the respective sources of primary drying fluid and secondary drying fluid independently contains a fluid selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen, oxygen-enriched air, nitrogen, helium, argon, neon, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and combinations of two or more of the foregoing;(b) a source of the spray dryable liquid composition, wherein the source of the spray dryable liquid composition contains spray dryable liquid composition comprising (i) at least one product material selected from the group consisting of food materials, beverage materials, fragrance materials, pigment materials, flavor materials, pharmaceutical materials, therapeutic materials, medication materials, homeopathic materials, biological materials, probiotic materials, construction materials, formulating materials, and mixtures, blends, composites, and combinations of two or more different materials of the foregoing, (ii) at least one carrier selected from the group consisting of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, waxes, cellulosic materials, sugars, starches, and natural and synthetic polymeric materials, and (iii) solvent, wherein the spray dryable liquid composition has a viscosity in a range of from 300 mPa-s to 28,000 mPa-s, and comprises from 20 to 50% by weight of solvent, based on total weight of the spray dryable liquid composition. 21. The spray drying system of claim 12, comprising a primary drying fluid source constructed and arranged to provide primary drying fluid to the spray drying vessel at temperature below at least one of 95° C., 90° C., 85° C., 80° C., 75° C., 70° C., 65° C., 60° C., 55° C., 50° C., 45° C., 40° C., 35° C., 30° C., 25° C., and 20° C., and wherein said primary drying fluid temperature is above freezing temperature of solvent in the spray dryable liquid composition, and comprising a secondary drying fluid source constructed and arranged to provide secondary drying fluid to the spray drying vessel at temperature below at least one of 95° C., 90° C., 85° C., 80° C., 75° C., 70° C., 65° C., 60° C., 55° C., 50° C., 45° C., 40° C., 35° C., 30° C., 25° C., and 20° C., and wherein said secondary drying fluid temperature is above freezing temperature of solvent in the spray dryable liquid composition. 22. The spray drying system of claim 12, comprising a dehumidifier constructed and arranged to provide the primary drying fluid and secondary drying fluid to the interior volume of the spray drying vessel at below 20% relative humidity. 23. A method of spray drying of a spray dryable material in a primary drying fluid flow stream, comprising intermittently, transiently, and cyclically injecting secondary drying fluid into the primary drying fluid flow stream at multiple loci in the primary drying fluid flow stream, so as to create transient localized turbulence at such loci that enhances drying of the spray dryable material, or alternatively, continuously injecting secondary drying fluid into the primary drying fluid flow stream at multiple loci in the primary drying fluid flow stream, so as to create localized turbulence at such loci that enhances drying of the spray dryable material. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the primary drying fluid flow stream and secondary drying fluid are each provided to the spray drying at temperature below 100° C. and above freezing temperature of any solvent in the spray dryable liquid material. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the spray dryable material is provided to the spray drying at a viscosity in a range of from 300 mPa-s to 28,000 mPa-s, and comprising from 20 to 50% by weight of solvent, based on total weight of the provided spray dryable material. 26. The method of claim 23, wherein the primary drying fluid flow stream and secondary drying fluid are each provided to the spray drying at below 20% relative humidity. 27. The method of claim 23, wherein the primary drying fluid flow stream and secondary drying fluid are each independently selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen, oxygen-enriched air, nitrogen, helium, argon, neon, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and combinations of two or more of the foregoing. 28. The method of claim 23, wherein the spray dryable material comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of food materials, beverage materials, fragrance materials, pigment materials, flavor materials, pharmaceutical materials, therapeutic materials, medication materials, homeopathic materials, biological materials, probiotic materials, construction materials, formulating materials, and mixtures, blends, composites, and combinations of two or more different materials of the foregoing. 29. The method of claim 23, wherein the spray dryable material as provided to the spray drying comprises at least one carrier selected from the group consisting of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, waxes, cellulosic materials, sugars, starches, and natural and synthetic polymeric materials. 30. The method of claim 23, comprising intermittently, transiently, and cyclically injecting secondary drying fluid into the primary drying fluid flow stream at multiple loci in the primary drying fluid flow stream, so as to create transient localized turbulence at such loci that enhances drying of the spray dryable material.