{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T01:26:40Z","timestamp":1760146000118,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,23]],"date-time":"2024-09-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1727049600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Entropy"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Spray drying is an energy-intensive process in industrial use, making energy recovery a critical focus for improving overall efficiency. This study investigates the potential of integrating heat-recovery systems, including an innovative air reheater, into a closed-loop spray-drying unit to maximise energy savings. Through detailed pinch analysis, the system achieved a very low approach temperature, averaging 3.48 K, which is significantly lower than that of conventional open-loop systems. The study quantifies the energy-recovery potential by demonstrating that the integration of heat-recovery components can reduce the external heating demand by up to 30%. This not only enhances heat-transfer efficiency but also lowers operational costs and reduces the system\u2019s environmental impact. The results suggest that closed-loop systems with air reheaters offer a scalable solution for improving energy efficiency across different industrial applications. The research highlights a new paradigm: focusing on latent energy within the system rather than adjusting individual operational variables.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/e26090809","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,24]],"date-time":"2024-09-24T10:41:47Z","timestamp":1727174507000},"page":"809","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Application of Pinch Technology to a Novel Closed-Loop Spray Drying System with a Condenser and Reheater"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"26","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2547-5048","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zexin","family":"Lei","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Drying and Process Technology Group, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Building J01, The University of Sydney, Darlington, NSW 2006, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Thomas","family":"O\u2019Neill","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Drying and Process Technology Group, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Building J01, The University of Sydney, Darlington, NSW 2006, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9927-345X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Timothy","family":"Langrish","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Drying and Process Technology Group, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Building J01, The University of Sydney, Darlington, NSW 2006, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2865","DOI":"10.1016\/j.enconman.2008.03.009","article-title":"Influence of Drying Conditions on the Effective Moisture Diffusivity, Energy of Activation and Energy Consumption during the Thin-Layer Drying of Berberis Fruit (Berberidaceae)","volume":"49","author":"Aghbashlo","year":"2008","journal-title":"Energy Convers. 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