Poor Material Drying Troubleshooting - Conair Carousel Plus D Series User Manual

Po o r M a t e r i a l D r y i n g
Tr o u b l e s h o o t i n g
Occasionally, processing problems that are suspected of being caused by poor dry-
ing are eventually determined to be the result of other issues in the process setup.
The intent of the information provided here is to assist you in determining if your
drying system is performing properly. However, the only way to know definitely if
your material is properly dried is to perform moisture analysis of small samples as
it leaves the bottom of the hopper, or just as it enters the process. Conair does not
sell moisture-analyzing equipment, but there are many brands of this equipment
available on the market.
You should also be aware that some processing problems may actually be the result
of over-drying material. Most materials will degrade to some extent if they are ex-
posed to their specified drying temperature for a time significantly longer than the
residence time specified by the supplier. If you want to maintain its dryness, it is
recommended that you reduce the process air temperature. If your Conair dryer is
equipped with the Setback feature, you should familiarize yourself with it, and
make use of it. If not, you may want to contact Conair to determine if it can be
added to your dryer.
A majority of customer questions to Conair are related to dewpoint. It is important
to realize that dewpoint is one of four requirements that need to be satisfied.
There are four requirements, listed in order of importance, necessary to prop-
erly dry hygroscopic plastic resins:
1
Drying temperature of the air entering the hopper must be at the proper
drying temperature for your material, as specified by your material supplier.
2
Residence time is the time, determined by your material supplier, that the
material in use must be heated to achieve proper drying temperature.
3
Airflow during the process drying circuit must be adequate to carry and
distribute the heat throughout the entire bed of material inside the hopper.
4
Dewpoint of the process air must be low so it can efficiently collect the
moisture as it is released from the heated material and carry it to the dryer to
be removed in the desiccant.
0
NOTE: Concerns with drying
temperature may require
review of HTC or Resin-
Works controls.
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