In this work we analyze five models for spray dryer design for a whey protein process. The models include both first principles approaches and empirical correlations. For a large set of given set of design specifications (inlet and outlet moisture contents, inlet air conditions and residence time) the physical size of the spray drying system was determined from all correlations and then the designs were compared to both industry heuristics for size ratios and actual dryer performance (where possible) to assess the validity of the models. Specific consideration was given to the correlation between the systems that met design heuristics and those that produced usable product.
