Paddle dryer for sludge · pilot trial available
Dry your sludge. Cut your handling cost by up to 50%.
Tell us your quantity and moisture. Within one working day you get a proposal, a payback estimate and a pilot-trial slot.
- Since 1997 · 1500+ projects · ISO 9001:2015
- Indirect heat, self-cleaning, low maintenance
- Paid pilot trial – fee waived on order
Inside the dryer
From sticky cake to dry granules
One continuous pass. Four visible changes.
Wet cake
Dark, heavy, sticky lumps enter the hopper.
Plastic phase
Heat softens it; paddles knead and stretch.
Shearing phase
Paddles shear the mass into crumbs.
Dry granules + powder
Free-flowing granules and fines discharge.
Illustrative moisture along the dryer. Dried output goes to fuel · cement kilns · bricks · agriculture.
Why plants choose paddle drying
Built to run for decades
Cleans itself
The wedge blades scrape each other and the trough wall. Sticky sludge does not build up.
Costs less to run
Indirect heat and a tiny exhaust stream keep your fuel and treatment bill low.
Rarely stops
Slow, heavy shafts and no metal-to-metal contact mean long life and short shutdowns.
Fits your plant
A compact, skid-mounted body slides into new or existing plants with little civil work.
Keeps your site clean
The process stays enclosed – no open heaps, no odour, no dust clouds.
Handles what others cannot
Slurry, paste, cake or powder – at atmospheric pressure, under vacuum or under pressure.
Savings calculator
Your sludge. Your numbers. 20 seconds.
Move the sliders. See how much weight you stop hauling – and what that is worth every year.
- Dried output
- 0 tons/day
- Water removed
- 0 tons/day
- Disposal saving / day
- ₹0
- Disposal saving / year*
- ₹0
*Indicative gross saving on 330 operating days, before dryer running cost. Final payback depends on heating medium, power and site conditions – we calculate it free.
FAQ
Questions buyers ask us
What is a paddle dryer – and is it the same as a sludge dryer?
A paddle dryer is an indirect-heat continuous dryer: two counter-rotating hollow shafts with wedge-shaped paddles move wet material through a heated, jacketed trough. When used for ETP, STP or municipal sludge it is commonly called a sludge dryer – same machine, configured for sludge.
Which materials can it dry?
Slurries, pastes, filter cakes, granules and powders: ETP/STP/CETP sludge, bio-sludge, chemical salts and hydroxides, pharma intermediates, starch, spent grain, DDGS, rice bran, fish meal, pigments, polymers, PET chips, gypsum, copper concentrate, lithium hydroxide and more. Send a sample and we will test it.
Which industries use AS Engineers paddle dryers?
Chemical, pharmaceutical, textile, food, paper and pulp, plastics, wood processing, waste management and municipal bodies – 1500+ projects for 500+ clients since 1997.
Can it be used for processes other than drying?
Yes – heating, calcining, solvent stripping, crystallising, reacting and cooling duties on the same platform.
How does an indirect paddle dryer work?
Steam, thermic fluid or hot water flows through the hollow shafts, paddles and jacket. Heat passes through the metal into the material – the heating medium never touches it. Intermeshing paddles knead, break lumps and push the material in plug flow from feed to discharge; a small purge carries vapour to a cyclone and scrubber or condenser.
What inlet and outlet moisture can it handle?
Inlet 40–85% (w/w) is typical. Outlet is adjustable – commonly 5–15%, around 20% for fuel-grade sludge, and 1–2% for specific applications.
Tell us your sludge. We will size your paddle dryer.
Share quantity and moisture – get a technical proposal, payback estimate and pilot-trial option within one working day.