Development of Dryer for Anodized Aluminium Sections

In a world of fully automation in every sector, time conscious research activities have become relevant for all industrial applications. Drying as an energy intensive process, is one example when conventional air drying is replaced by superheated steam (SHS) drying with the help of boiler. This work represents novel arrangement which reduces the time taken for manual drying process, by the use of automatic drying system. The analysis is applied to a aluminium anodizing industry which currently uses manual drying process. The drying of the sections is done in an isolated tank, which is given two inlets from opposite side of the tank. The part of steam is passed through the pipes, which are connected to the inlet of tank. The door of the tank opens and the sections are placed in the tank, with the help of cranes. After placing of the sections, the door is closed and the supply of the steam is given to the tank with the help of boiler. After the sections are dried the door gets opened and the sections are lifted by the cranes. To obtain effective output, we have performed trial and error method for various pipe designs. At first we decided to design the pipe in series, but the results obtained were: the velocity obtained was negative at the outlet and the pressure was below atmospheric pressure. This pressure and velocity obtained were not effective. So we decided to design the pipes in parallel. As compared to the series combination of pipes, the result for the pipes connected in parallel was much more effective. The pressure and velocity obtained in the parallel design were sufficient to dry the sections. In this way we will be saving the time and there will be automation in the industry.