FMC Material Handling Systems has also produced very large dryers for coal mines called fluid-bed dryers. At some mines it is necessary to dry the coal before transporting to the customer. These coal dryers are extremely large installations, housed in buildings that are over five stories high.
Fluid-Bed coal dryers are capable of processing 100 to 400 tons per hour of coal. The coal passes over a constriction deck made of rods or a grid. High temperature air from the furnace passes up through the deck and the coal, drying the coal. The coal flows through the dryer due to gravity and the airflow.