Heat Pump Dryer 500 kg/batch

Heat Pump Dryer

Closed-loop heat pump dryer that removes moisture from fruit, vegetables and herbs at low temperature, recovering latent heat instead of venting it.

How it works

Air is circulated through the product stack by fans, then passes over the evaporator, where it is cooled below its dew point and water condenses out. The now-dry air goes through the condenser, where the recovered heat plus compressor work raises it back to drying temperature, and returns to the product. Because the loop is closed, the dryer does not depend on ambient humidity and recovers most of the energy put in.

Low-temperature operation preserves colour and volatile aroma compounds that high-temperature hot-air drying destroys.

Suitable for

Herbs, spices and medicinal plants; fruit pieces where colour retention matters; vegetables for dried snacks and ingredients; product with heat-sensitive aroma or colour; regions with high ambient humidity where open hot-air drying is inconsistent.

Not suitable for

Product requiring very high temperature to develop flavour (some roasted or puffed products); very high-moisture product where the condensate load exceeds the evaporator capacity; applications where the lowest capital cost matters more than running cost or quality.

Material & compliance

Trays, racks and chamber in SUS304 (EN 1.4301); food-grade gaskets on chamber doors. Condensate drained to a collection point rather than recirculated.

Supplied with CE declaration of conformity and DoC on request; material certificate EN 10204 3.1 available for contact parts.

Selection notes

Size on water to be removed, not on batch weight — a 500 kg batch of high-moisture product may carry far more water than a 500 kg batch of semi-dried material, and that drives cycle time. Ask for a measured drying curve on your product to target moisture, not a generic hours-per-batch figure. Check whether the compressor is sized for your highest ambient temperature; capacity drops as ambient rises.

When you should not buy this machine: If your product needs drying above roughly 65 °C, a heat pump is the wrong technology — a hot-air or belt dryer will be faster and cheaper. Also skip it if your electricity supply is unreliable or expensive relative to gas: the heat pump’s advantage is energy efficiency, and that advantage disappears with poor power economics.

Key specifications

Parameter	Value
Batch capacity	100-2000 kg/batch by model (TYPICAL, confirm with factory)
Drying temperature	35-65 °C (TYPICAL)
Heating source	Heat pump (electric drive) with heat recovery
Installed power	6-15 kW by model (TYPICAL)
Contact material	SUS304 (EN 1.4301)
Power supply	380V/3P/50Hz or 415V/3P/50Hz, customizable

Specification values are industry-typical ranges for this machine class and are not verified against a specific factory datasheet. Replace them with measured factory data before publication.

FAQ

How much energy does a heat pump dryer save compared with hot air?

A closed heat pump loop recovers most of the latent heat instead of exhausting it, so energy use per kg of water removed is typically well below a vented hot-air dryer. The exact ratio depends on ambient conditions and target moisture — ask for a measured figure on your product.

Why is colour better at low temperature?

Enzymatic browning and Maillard reactions accelerate with temperature. Drying at 35-65 °C keeps colour and volatile aroma compounds closer to the fresh product, which is why herbs and premium dried fruit are dried this way.

Can it run in a humid climate?

Yes, and this is one of its strengths. Because the loop is closed and moisture is condensed out mechanically, ambient humidity does not slow the drying the way it does with vented hot-air systems.

Related equipment

This unit is one stage of a complete processing line. For the full range of drying and dehydration equipment, or to compare this model against the belt hot air dryer, see the complete equipment catalogue. Capacity, material grade and utility requirements can be confirmed through a quote request.