Process reasoning
If dry solids are conserved, wet mass equals dry-solids mass divided by the dry-solids fraction. Evaporated water is the difference between inlet wet mass and outlet wet mass. This mass balance does not calculate heat demand, because temperature change, latent heat, losses, ventilation and the dryer technology also matter. Volatile solids, dust loss or chemical reactions can invalidate the simple conserved-solids assumption.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
Apply the reasoning
With an illustrative dry-solids load of 1,000 kg/h, cake at 20% dry solids weighs 5,000 kg/h. Product at 90% dry solids weighs about 1,111 kg/h, giving approximately 3,889 kg/h of water removal. At 25% inlet dry solids, the wet feed is 4,000 kg/h and the corresponding water removal is about 2,889 kg/h. The 1,000 kg/h reduction is a mass-balance result, not a promised performance improvement.
What to record
| Item | Basis to document |
|---|---|
| Dry-solids load | kg/h; confirm losses or transformations |
| Inlet cake | Dry-solids fraction on a wet mass basis |
| Outlet target | Specified product dryness and quality |
| Evaporation duty | DS × (1 / inlet fraction − 1 / outlet fraction) |
Review checklist
- Keep wet-basis moisture and dry-solids percentage distinct.
- Include the maximum expected wet-cake load.
- Check product behaviour and hazards with the dryer supplier.
- Specify ventilation, condensate and odour interfaces separately.
Your next decision
Evaluate HUADA mechanical dewatering and downstream drying as connected duties with separate acceptance criteria. A drier centrifuge cake can reduce dryer water load, but may require different energy, chemical consumption or capture performance. Compare the combined process economics and product constraints rather than optimizing the centrifuge moisture result alone.