| Swiss Combi

The SWISS COMBI KUVO is a belt dryer specially designed for the utilisation of hot process air or flue gas from a drum dryer or boiler. The process air or flue gas is cooled down and then passed through the product layer in the KUVO. The product layer thus serves as a dust filter and is pre-dried at the same time.

The SWISS COMBI KUVO is mostly used when a product is to be pre-dried in order to require less energy during the subsequent final drying.

If the flue gas used also contains dust, the product layer which is pre-dried can be used as a dust filter at the same time - provided that the product to be dried is not to be used as animal feed.

A typical application of the SWISS COMBI KUVO is the drying of wood chips in a drum dryer. The flue gas from the drum dryer is fed into a KUVO to pre-dry wood chips in it, thereby reducing the dust emissions from the drum dryer. In the drum dryer, the pre-dried chips are dried to completion.

The SWISS COMBI KUVO is often retrofitted when dust emissions are to be reduced at low cost.

Application areas KUVO

Particle board industry

Pre-drying of sawdust and dust filtering of the flue gas if the final drying is done with a directly heated drum dryer.

Feed industry

Pre-drying of biomass as fuel for a directly heated drum dryer drying grass/alfalfa.

Combustibles

Drying of wet biomass for subsequent combustion in a power plant or boiler, or as preparation for a pyrolysis process.

Advantages of the KUVO

Water evaporation per KUVO up to

4 t/h

Max. Residual moisture

10%

Realized systems

>10

Energy saving
Reduced dust emissions
Higher heating value
Retrofittable

Energy saving

Since the SWISS COMBI KUVO uses the flue gas of a directly heated drum dryer or boiler, the energy used can be used twice. Pre-drying in the KUVO reduces the energy required for final drying, which leads to a reduction in CO2 emissions when fossil fuels are used.

Reduced dust emissions

The dust load in the flue gas can be reduced by the filter effect of the product layer. This depends on the raw material, its initial moisture content and its filter effect. In the case of wet sawdust, the dust emissions could be reduced by the SWISS COMBI KUVO from 300 mg/m3 to < 30 mg/m3.

Higher heating value

If the fuel for a biomass furnace is pre-dried, its calorific value increases because less water has to be evaporated during combustion. As a result, the same combustion output can be achieved with a smaller quantity of fuel.

Retrofittable

The SWISS COMBI KUVO can usually be retrofitted relatively easily, for example in combination with a directly heated drum dryer or a boiler.

Raw materials suitable for the KUVO

When it comes to drying, more is often possible than you think. We develop and build plants for a wide variety of raw materials - see the list above. But we can do more. Do you have a new task for us? Then get in touch with us.

We will be happy to discuss the possibilities with you in order to find the right drying solution for you, too.

Call us or send an email to learn more about our products and services

The SWISS COMBI KUVO was originally developed as a combination of pre-dryer and filter to reduce dust emissions from flue gas. Today, the KUVO is increasingly used as a pre-dryer that uses flue gas or hot exhaust air as a heat source for waste heat recovery.

Selected References.

SWISS COMBI has already developed and built more than 10 KUVO dryers in its more than 60-year history - in many countries around the world, for different raw materials and always with a technology geared to the specific needs. Each SWISS COMBI plant is individual, each had its special challenge. How we mastered them, you will learn in the following case studies.

Raw Material:

Sawdust

Country, Year:
China, 2019

Dimensions:

6m x 15m

Water Evaporation:

2.4 t/h

In this KUVO, the focus was on using the flue gas of a directly heated drum dryer for pre-drying the sawdust and optimizing the amount of energy.
Raw Material:

Wood flakes

Country, Year:
China, 2018

Dimensions:

6m x 19m

Water Evaporation:

2.2 t/h

With this KUVO, the goal was to bring dust emissions below 30 mg/m3. At the same time, the client was happy about the pre-drying and with the related optimization of energy consumption.
Raw Material:

Alfalfa, sugar beet pulp

Country, Year:
France, 2014

Dimensions:

6m x 15m

Water Evaporation:

1.8 t/h

In this KUVO, the raw materials alfalfa and sugar beet pulp are pre-dried while dust emissions are reduced at the same time.

Dark blue: Countries to which KUVO dryers were delivered by SWISS COMBI