Draft:Vacuum Belt Dryer
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Submission declined on 27 August 2026 by Theroadislong (talk).
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Submission declined on 8 July 2026 by WeirdNAnnoyed (talk). This draft's references do not show that the subject meets Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion. The draft requires multiple published secondary sources that:
This draft appears to contain text generated by a large language model (such as ChatGPT). You cannot use LLMs to generate article content.
Declined by WeirdNAnnoyed 2 months ago.LLM-generated pages with certain obvious signs of being machine generated may be deleted without notice. Instead, only summarize in your own words a range of independent, reliable, published sources that discuss the subject. See the advice page on large language models for more information. | |
Comment: First, please see WP:NOLLM. Second, just because a piece of equipment is used in research or development does not make it notable. We need a source that is specifically about this type of equipment and that is independent of manufacturers/inventors and reliable. None of the sources cited meet these requirements. WeirdNAnnoyed (talk) 11:22, 8 July 2026 (UTC)
Vacuum Belt Dryer
[edit]
Overview
[edit]A vacuum belt dryer (abbreviated as VBD) is a continuous low-temperature vacuum drying machine. It combines the high vacuum performance of freeze dryer and the continuous production capacity of belt dryer. Materials are carried by conveyor belts and dried inside a sealed negative-pressure chamber. [1][2]
The vacuum belt dryer originated in the 1950s[3].Subsequently, vacuum belt dryers began to be applied to maltose production in Europe. Between 1960 to 1980, limited-scale industrial adoption took place within the food industry[4][5][6]. Standardized commercial manufacturing became available in the 1990s[7]. In the 21st century, reproduced and technical upgrade of the equipment appeared in China and Japan.
1. Equipment Structure and Drying Principle
[edit]
The complete unit consists of a vacuum chamber, material feeding system, conveyor belts, heating plates , vacuum pump set, heating units, cooling units and a CIP cleaning system，operating fully automatically in a closed environment. Materials are evenly spread into thin layers on the belts and heated in zones under low temperature and vacuum to remove moisture.[8]
1.1 Vacuum Chamber
[edit]The main body of the equipment is a stainless steel chamber. Multiple heat exchange plates, material spreading mechanisms and discharge systems can be installed inside the chamber[9]. Two steel doors are installed at both ends of the chamber for cleaning and maintenance. Several windows can also be fixed on the chamber wall to monitor feed conditions and drying result during operation. To resist atmospheric pressure during operation, the chamber need thickness.
1.2 Material Feeding System
[edit]Liquid and solid materials need different feeders.
For liquid sample, pipeline feeding system is adopted. One feeding port is installed for each belt layer. A metering feeding device installed between the raw material tank and drying chamber. A pump fitted on the pipeline take the liquid material evenly spreads across the belt surface. For solid feeding, the feeder is normally installed on the upper part of the chamber. Raw materials are conveyed into an outside hopper via a vacuum loader. After vacuum switching, materials are transferred into the vacuum chammber. [10]
1.3 Conveyor Belts
[edit]Early vacuum belt dryers utilised solid metal conveyor belts. Now,there are more materials for choose, including polyester, PTFE-coated aramid (Kevlar), and glass fabrics.
1.4 Heating Plates
[edit]The material conveying system transports materials into the vacuum drying chamber, passing sequentially through heating zones controlled by the heating cycle system.Vacuum belt dryers are commonly fitted with multiple heat exchange plates to achieve zoned temperature control.[11][12]
1.5 Vacuum Pump Set
[edit]Vacuum belt dryers feature large processing chambers.Specialised pump installed are necessary to maintain stable operation.
2. Advantages
[edit]2.1 Low-temperature drying
[edit]With high-power vacuum systems and reliable sealing performance, operating pressure can reduce below 1.325 kPa(or 13.25mbar), which greatly reduces the boiling point of solvents[13].
2.2 Uniform drying
[edit]
The material feeding system spreads materials evenly on belts to avoid uneven heating, and the material layer thickness is adjustable. Thinner material layers greatly accelerate drying speed. For solid materials, multi-layer belts are equipped to flip materials under vacuum and ensure thorough drying.
2.3 Fully closed pipeline Continuous operation
[edit]Feeding, discharging and drying are all completed in a sealed space. An in-line crushing system can crush and granulate materials under vacuum.
2.4 High automation
[edit]It is usually equipped with a PLC automatic control system to realize unattended drying operation[14].
3. Disadvantages
[edit]3.1 Cost
[edit]Vacuum belt dryers are expensive to purchase.It generally considered only when traditional drying equipment fail to process materials with challenging properties such as heat sensitivity, easy to oxidation, or strong moisture absorption, or as an another choice to freeze dryers.
3.2 Belt Material
[edit]For pharmaceuticals, contact between product and belt during drying bring component leaching from the belt material. This risk is especially relevant for PTFE-coated belts, which are subject to clear specifications outlined in 21 CFR[15].
3.3 Ground Area
[edit]A complete vacuum belt dryer system consists not only of the main drying chamber, but also vacuum pumping assemblies, heating units, cooling units and a CIP cleaning system. Extensive piping installation is also required. Accordingly, the equipment imposes substantial space and need dedicated auxiliary plant rooms.
4. Application
[edit]4.1 Food Industry
[edit]It is widely used in fruit and vegetable processing and instant drink production, suitable for drying maltose, sweet potato[16], apple[17], honey[18], banana[19],coffee[20],blueberry[21],tortilla chips[22],dairy products[23] and other raw materials.
4.2 Herbal Extracts
[edit]It suits all types of plant extracts,especially raw materials for health food. Water-extracted materials contain plenty of starch and polysaccharides, which become soft under high temperature and become hard to crush. Products extracted with ethanol or other organic solvents absorb moisture easily after drying, a problem fully overcome by continuous vacuum drying. Thin-layer drying mathematical models have been built for extracts such as Panax notoginseng to accurately predict dehydration efficiency under different belt speeds and vacuum levels.[24]
4.3 Biological Products
[edit]It is suitable for drying probiotics, fermentation broth, whey protein and other substances, as low temperatures well preserve biological activity.
4.4 Chemical Industry
[edit]Closed pipeline operation protect material from air. Hence, a growing number of easily oxidizable chemicals manufacturers have adopted this equipment in recent years.This is particularly relevant to lithium battery materials, which are prone to combustion upon exposure to air. Excess moisture in finished products also impairs battery service life.
5. Comparison with Other Drying Technologies
[edit]Vacuum Belt Drying of fruit juice concentrates may be a satisfactory alternative to freeze drying where cost is a limiting factor, and to spray drying where the addition of large amounts of ‘carriers’, e.g. maltodextrin or glucose syrups, are required to avoid collapse and sticking of the product.[25]
TPC, TMA and TDF were higher in VBD pomace than in freeze-dried whole apple, while VBD pomace prepared at 80 or 95°C had fiber and phytochemical levels similar to freeze-dried powders. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.[26]
References
[edit]- ↑ Xue, Q., Miao, K., Yu, Y., & Li, Z. (2022). A novel method for vacuum belt drying process optimization of licorice. Journal of Food Engineering, 328, 111075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2022.111075
- ↑ Kumazawa, E., Saiki, Y., Ido, K., & Okazaki, M. (1989). Development of Continuous Vacuum Dryer for Highly Viscous Liquid Food. Kagaku Kogaku Ronbunshu, 15, 938–945. https://doi.org/10.1252/kakoronbunshu.15.938
- ↑ Bonnell, J. M. Continuous Vacuum Dehydration of Citrus Juices. CEC1957-0305, pp. 50–59, 1957. https://doi.org/10.1115/CEC1957-0305
- ↑ Aceto, N. C.; Sinnamon, H. I.; Schoppet, E. F.; Eskew, R. K. Continuous Vacuum Drying of Whole Milk Foam. Journal of Dairy Science 1962, 45(4), 501–507. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(62)89435-1
- ↑ Bird, Kermit (July 16, 1964). Food Dehydration's Evolution to a Promising Peace Time Industry. Western Farm Economics Association Annual Meeting, San Luis Obispo, California. https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.348688
- ↑ Aceto, N. C., Schoppet, E. F., Sinnamon, H. I., & Panzer, C. C. (June 1972). Continuous Vacuum Foam Drying of Whole Milk Under Simulated Commercial Scale Conditions. Journal of Dairy Science, 55(6), 875–879. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(72)85588-7
- ↑ Monzini, A., & Maltini, E. (1990). Production of juice powders without additives by vacuum belt drying. Fluessiges Obst, 57(2), 74–80. ISSN 0015-4539.
- ↑ Zhao, L.-J., Li, J.-G., & Pan, Y.-K. (2012). Application and research progress of vacuum belt dryer. Huaxue Gongcheng/Chemical Engineering (China), 40, 25–29.
- ↑ Burmester, K., Pietsch, A., & Eggers, R. (2011). A basic investigation on instant coffee production by vacuum belt drying. Procedia Food Science, 1, 1344–1352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profoo.2011.09.199
- ↑ Wang, J., Chen, R., Yang, G., & Li, Y. (2007). Introduction to efficient energy-saving continuous vacuum belt dryer. 23, 117–120.
- ↑ Orrego, C. E.; Salgado, N.; Sarmiento, L. F. (2023). 8 – Freeze drying and vacuum drying. In Drying Technology in Food Processing. Woodhead Publishing, pp. 203–240. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819895-7.00017-1
- ↑ Wang, Y.; Xu, P.; Zhang, Z.; Yang, J.; Song, J.; Li, X.; He, Q. Control Optimization for Heat Source Temperature of Vacuum Belt Drying System Based on Fuzzy Control and Integral Control. Energies 2024, 17, 3824. https://doi.org/10.3390/en17153824
- ↑ Hayashi, H., Kumazawa, E., Saeki, Y., & Lahicka, Y. (1984). Continuous Vacuum Dryer for Energy Saving. Drying Technology, 1, 275–284. https://doi.org/10.1080/07373938308916783
- ↑ Ferrari, F., & Hinz, W. (1991). New pilot vacuum belt dryer for a variety of applications. 20, 83–84.
- ↑ U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 21 CFR § 177.1550, Polymers used as articles or components of articles intended for repeated use in contact with food. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/part-177/section-177.1550
- ↑ Xu, S., Pegg, R. B., & Kerr, W. L. (2012). Sensory and physicochemical properties of sweet potato chips made by vacuum-belt drying. Journal of Food Process Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpe.12002
- ↑ Yan, H., & Kerr, W. L. (2013). Total phenolics content, anthocyanins, and dietary fiber content of apple pomace powders produced by vacuum-belt drying. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 1499–1504. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.5925
- ↑ Feng, D., Wang, J., He, Y., Ji, X.-j., Tang, H., Dong, Y.-m., & Yan, W.-j. (2021). HS-GC-IMS detection of volatile organic compounds in Acacia honey powders under vacuum belt drying at different temperatures. Food Science & Nutrition, 9(8), 4085–4093. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.2364
- ↑ Wang, J., Li, Y. Z., Chen, R. R., Bao, J. Y., & Yang, G. M. (2007). Comparison of volatiles of banana powder dehydrated by vacuum belt drying, freeze-drying and air-drying. Food Chemistry, 104(4), 1516–1521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2007.02.029
- ↑ Burmester, K., & Eggers, R. (2011). Heat and mass transfer during drying of liquid pasty plant extract by vacuum belt drying. Original Articles, 29–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/07373937.2011.615034
- ↑ Kim, M.; Kerr, W. L. Vacuum-Belt Drying of Rabbiteye Blueberry (Vaccinium ashei) Slurries: Influence of Drying Conditions on Physical and Quality Properties of Blueberry Powder. Food and Bioprocess Technology 2013, 6, 3227–3237. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-012-1006-3
- ↑ Xu, S., & Kerr, W. L. (2012). Modeling moisture loss during vacuum belt drying of low-fat tortilla chips. Original Articles, 1422–1431. https://doi.org/10.1080/07373937.2012.685999
- ↑ Nastaj, J. F. (1989). A mathematical model for the continuous vacuum drying of highly viscous foodstuffs. Drying Technology, 7(1), 47–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/07373938908916574
- ↑ Liu, X., Qiu, Z., Wang, L., Cheng, Y., Qu, H., & Chen, Y. (2009). Mathematical modeling for thin layer vacuum belt drying of Panax notoginseng extract. Energy Conversion and Management, 50(4), 928–932. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2008.12.032
- ↑ Maltini, E., Nani, R., & Bertolo, G. (1992). Role of serum viscosity and of pulp content in the vacuum belt drying of pure fruit juices. International Journal of Food Science & Technology, 27(5), 531–539. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1992.tb01219.x
- ↑ Yan, H.; Kerr, W. L. Total phenolics content, anthocyanins, and dietary fiber content of apple pomace powders produced by vacuum-belt drying. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 2013, 93(6), 1499–1504. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.5925
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