After a successful site visit last week, we had A LOT to discuss. We made some very good discoveries about the feed-stock that will assist us when researching and designing around the process. Having seen the physical dryer in-person, we now have a much better understanding of what we are dealing with, which will definitely help with making the simulation. The same can be said about the spray condenser.

Another thing we learned during our site visit was a lot of the limitations that come along with the process. The inlet can only handle a certain range of dry solids content which limits the types of feed-stocks that can be allowed into the process without mixing. There is also a limitation on the temperature of the cooling water used for the condenser due to the use of a cooling tower. This is because cooling towers cannot operate below ambient temperatures due to them using the surrounding air as a cooling medium. This is a huge limitation to any plant, especially during a Florida summer when ambient temperatures are at least 90 degrees Fahrenheit. We will be actively looking for ways to solve this problem.

References:

[1] Tencom Ltd. “How Can Pultrustion Improve a Cooling Tower?” Custom Fiberglass Pultruded Products, September 19, 2022. https://www.tencom.com/blog/what-is-a-cooling-tower.