Patented apparatus geometry provides excellent heat and mass transfer rates and short residence times for processing fine and temperature-sensitive or very coarse and irregular particles.  

Spouted Bed Technology

Optimal technology for the individual design of temperature-sensitive, very fine and difficult to fluidize particles

Significantly higher heat and mass transfer rates for processing sensitive products with short residence times

Do you want to process coarse or irregular particles? Or are you looking for a technology that allows you to produce particularly fine and temperature-sensitive particles? Our unique, patented spouted bed technology makes this possible.

Like fluid bed technology, spouted bed technology is based on the basic principle of fluidization as well as the pneumatic transport of particles by upward flowing process air.

The main difference is the patented design of the process air inlet as stomata in combination with special flow profiles as well as a strongly expanding process chamber. This results in significantly higher relative velocities between particles and process gas as well as the associated increased heat and mass transfer rates. The higher temperature spectrum of the process air is compensated by the shorter residence times of the particles in the “hot” jet zone. This creates particularly gentle fluidic conditions that are ideal for temperature-sensitive raw materials and products. For example, this generally works very well for phytogenic additives or flavors that do not tolerate long processing times, and also for sticky or viscous liquids that are more difficult to treat. The optimum conditions in the spouted bed also enable the processing and finishing of particularly small as well as especially large or irregular products.

Spouted bed technology extends the application range of the conventional fluid bed

Glatt has improved the spouted bed principle, particularly for the safe handling of materials that are difficult to fluidize. This product category includes, for example, very fine materials, products with very broad particle size distributions, irregular particle shape or surface structure, and high stickiness. Spouted bed technology thus extends the application range of the conventional fluid bed and offers additional options for customer-specific applications.

This technology proves to be particularly advantageous when carrying out spray granulation processes to produce very fine particles with a homogeneous structure and uniform surface texture.

Very fine as well as significantly larger particles can be fluidized simultaneously in one apparatus better than with conventional fluid bed technology. Coating processes can therefore be carried out with very high application rates.

Glatt spouted bed technology is characterized by a special design of the process air distribution and the process chamber. The special flow profile in the apparatus opens up new possibilities for process control. One of the advantages is the significantly lower filling volume in the apparatus compared to known fluidized bed processes. This low layer mass has a quality-enhancing effect, especially when processing thermally sensitive materials. The process air flow forces a directed particle movement through the apparatus. This provides optimum conditions, especially for the injection of liquids during granulation and coating processes.

Spouted bed technology for even more flexibility with all available process options

Continuous granulation processes are mainly used for the production of large production volumes. If the focus is on easy cleaning, as is the case with many contract manufacturers, they usually rely on batch processes because of the frequent product changes and the high cleaning effort involved.

However, as soon as customer-specific manufacturing conditions or specific product properties come into focus – usually the USP of every ingredient manufacturer – the really important arguments come into play: On the one hand, these are the raw materials, their properties and composition, and on the other, the end product with its desired specifications. For innovative powder experts, the use of continuous spouted bed processes has proven to be highly efficient and cost-optimizing. Examples of this are plants for contrast agents, for example, or for micro-encapsulation of food supplements and flavors. Often, one wants to produce defined starting materials for subsequent coating.

Principle illustration for a Glatt spouted bed process in the ProCell, bottom spray, continuous operation, multi-chamber design

Glatt granulation and coating in the spouted bed, continuous operation

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Further information about spouted bed technology can also be found in the following publications: