Tanabe Engineering Corporation

Yutaka Kitamura

Kazuhiko Yamazaki

Yoshitsugu Yamano

Provided are a novel vacuum-pressure spray-drying method and a novel vacuum-pressure spray-drying apparatus suitable for drying and powdering a liquid raw material containing a substance susceptible to heat denaturation, such as a food raw material and a medicine raw material. The vacuum-pressure spray-drying method and the like include: an apparatus main body, which is kept at reduced pressure and includes a spray nozzle; superheated water vapor supplying means for supplying a superheated water vapor to the spray nozzle; liquid raw material supplying means for supplying a liquid raw material to the spray nozzle; cooling means for cooling the superheated water vapor and a vapor resulting from volatilization of the liquid raw material being discharged from the apparatus main body, and then collecting, as condensed water; pressure reducing means for keeping an inside of the apparatus main body at the reduced pressure through the cooling means; and product collecting means for collecting a powder product produced in the apparatus main body. The vacuum-pressure spray-drying method and the like include: simultaneously spraying the superheated water vapor supplied from the superheated water vapor supplying means and the liquid raw material supplied from the liquid raw material supplying means through the spray nozzle into the apparatus main body so as to atomize the liquid raw material in the apparatus main body; and subjecting an atomized raw material, which is produced by atomizing the liquid raw material, to heat exchange with the superheated water vapor, to thereby dry and powder the liquid raw material.

Growing community of inventors

Tsukuba, Japan

Yutaka Kitamura