One dryer is better than two
A company installs a new vibratory fluid-bed dryer in its clay processing line, decreasing maintenance costs and improving drying efficiencies and product quality.
H. C. Spinks Clay Co., a division of Franklin Industrial Minerals, headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., mines and processes ball clay for use by companies that manufacture ceramic tile, whiteware, bathroom fixtures, and other fine porcelain and ceramic products. The clay is transported to one of the company's three facilities located in Gleason and Paris, Tenn., where the various grades of clay are segregated and stored in sheds before processing. One step in the process at the Gleason facility - drying the clay in two 5-foot-wide-by-25-foot-long vibratory fluid-bed dryers connected in series - was proving to be a challenge for the company. The 30-yearold dryers were inefficient, required frequent maintenance, and dried the material inconsistently. The company wanted to improve the material drying process.