Pasta, noodles and papad dried in a closed loop
How a food unit drying 5.5 tonnes of fresh pasta, vermicelli and papad a day can use a closed-loop heat pump dryer, and what it saves against a diesel boiler with hot-air coils.
▶Video: Heat pump dryers for food and agri products
V08 · 2–2.5 minClosed-loop drying of spices, fruit, fish, grain and more
Video coming soon01Problem statement
- Cracking and checking. Drying too fast or in dry, hot air cracks pasta and papad. The cracks show up days later in the pack.
- Weather-dependent papad. Sun-dried papad is slow in the monsoon and exposed to dust and insects.
- Humidity control. Pasta drying needs controlled humidity at each stage. Vented hot-air chambers lose heat every time they let out moist air.
- Losses between fuel and process. Burning diesel in a boiler or heater and distributing the heat loses a quarter or more of the fuel's energy before it reaches the process.
- Compliance, safety and handling. Fired equipment brings boiler inspections, fuel storage and unloading, flue emissions and an attendant on every shift.
02Use case
The reference unit extrudes short-cut pasta and vermicelli and rolls papad, about 5.5 tonnes of fresh product a day over two shifts. Pasta and vermicelli dry on racks in chambers, and papad dries on trays.
| Product | Drying | Basis | Water removed, kg/day | Conventional heat, kWh/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short-cut pasta | Air 55–60 °C | 3,000 kg/day, 31% → 12.5% | 634 | 1,142 |
| Vermicelli and noodles | Air 45–50 °C | 1,500 kg/day, 32% → 12% | 341 | 614 |
| Papad | Air 40–45 °C | 1,000 kg/day sheets, 30% → 12% | 205 | 368 |
| Total | 1,180 | 2,124 | ||
Conventional hot-air dryers use about 1.8 kWh of heat per kg of water removed. That figure is the baseline the savings are measured against.
03P&ID
Tags: HP heat pump, TK tank, SG steam generator, P pump, PHE plate heat exchanger, TCV temperature control valve, TIC temperature indicating controller (panel), TT temperature transmitter, MT moisture transmitter, PT pressure transmitter, LT level transmitter, FS flow switch, NC normally closed. Process fluids are heated through their own exchanger, coil or jacket.
04Solution
System description
- 5 × SE-AA-DR-11 (52 kW total) heat pump drying modules, removing about 1,180 kg of water a day in roughly 19 running hours.
- The diesel boiler with steam air coils stays connected behind a normally closed valve as standby.
- A closed-loop heat pump dryer controls both temperature and humidity, so product dries at a steady rate without cracking.
- Moisture is removed on the cold coil instead of by venting, so heat stays in the chamber.
- Separate recipes cover pasta, vermicelli and papad in the same chambers.
Selected equipment
| Model | 5 × SE-AA-DR-11 |
|---|---|
| Heating capacity | 10.5 kW each, 52 kW total |
| Dehumidifying | about 61 L/h total (pro rata to the published 12–120 L/h range) |
| Drying air | rated 70 °C, 75 °C maximum |
| Refrigerant | R134a |
| Ambient | −5 to 43 °C |
| Water removed per kWh | about 2.4 kg |
Ratings from the Sunniva TDS 2026 data sheets.
Control philosophy
TIC-201 holds dry-bulb temperature to the recipe for each product. A humidity sensor in the chamber sets dehumidifying duty, stepping humidity down through pre-drying, drying and stabilising stages. The batch ends on a set time and a moisture check.
05Energy saving and ROI
Change any input to match a customer's site. Defaults are typical Indian prices for October 2026. The installed cost is a placeholder; replace it with the actual quotation.
| Existing | Heat pump | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily consumption | – | – |
| Annual energy cost | – | – |
| Cost per tonne of fresh product | – | – |
| CO₂ per year | – | – |
06Benefits
Fewer cracks
Controlled humidity at each stage reduces checking in pasta and papad.
Papad all year
Indoor drying removes the dependence on sun and keeps papad clean.
No steam in the drying hall
Steam coils, traps and condensate lines are removed from the chambers.
Heat recovered from the moisture
The evaporator condenses water out of the air and the condenser puts that latent heat back into the drying air, so about 2.4 kg of water leaves per kWh of electricity.
Closed loop, clean product
Air recirculates inside the chamber. No dust, smoke or outside humidity reaches the product, whatever the weather.
Built-in redundancy
Several machines share the load. If one is serviced, the others and the storage carry most of the day, with the existing heater in reserve.
07Engineering pointers
Site data to collect
- Products and daily quantities
- Moisture after extrusion or rolling and target moisture
- Present drying cycle and chamber sizes
- Present fuel use
- Present fuel or electricity use and monthly bill
- Sanctioned electrical load and spare capacity
- Space for the heat pumps and storage, with service access
Design notes
- High-temperature pasta. Pasta dried above 70 °C for colour and cooking quality is outside this dryer's range. This note covers low-temperature drying up to 60 °C.
- Flour dust. Flour and semolina dust collects on coils. Fit filters and clean on a fixed schedule.
Service and warranty
Sunniva has supplied 5,000+ heat pumps since 2012, with nine service technicians across India, including remote sites such as Leh. All components carry a one-year warranty.
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Pasta, noodles and papad dried in a closed loop
How a food unit drying 5.5 tonnes of fresh pasta, vermicelli and papad a day can use a closed-loop heat pump dryer, and what it saves against a diesel boiler with hot-air coils.
▶Video: Heat pump dryers for food and agri products
V08 · 2–2.5 minClosed-loop drying of spices, fruit, fish, grain and more
Video coming soon01Problem statement
- Cracking and checking. Drying too fast or in dry, hot air cracks pasta and papad. The cracks show up days later in the pack.
- Weather-dependent papad. Sun-dried papad is slow in the monsoon and exposed to dust and insects.
- Humidity control. Pasta drying needs controlled humidity at each stage. Vented hot-air chambers lose heat every time they let out moist air.
- Losses between fuel and process. Burning diesel in a boiler or heater and distributing the heat loses a quarter or more of the fuel's energy before it reaches the process.
- Compliance, safety and handling. Fired equipment brings boiler inspections, fuel storage and unloading, flue emissions and an attendant on every shift.
02Use case
The reference unit extrudes short-cut pasta and vermicelli and rolls papad, about 5.5 tonnes of fresh product a day over two shifts. Pasta and vermicelli dry on racks in chambers, and papad dries on trays.
| Product | Drying | Basis | Water removed, kg/day | Conventional heat, kWh/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short-cut pasta | Air 55–60 °C | 3,000 kg/day, 31% → 12.5% | 634 | 1,142 |
| Vermicelli and noodles | Air 45–50 °C | 1,500 kg/day, 32% → 12% | 341 | 614 |
| Papad | Air 40–45 °C | 1,000 kg/day sheets, 30% → 12% | 205 | 368 |
| Total | 1,180 | 2,124 | ||
Conventional hot-air dryers use about 1.8 kWh of heat per kg of water removed. That figure is the baseline the savings are measured against.
03P&ID
Tags: HP heat pump, TK tank, SG steam generator, P pump, PHE plate heat exchanger, TCV temperature control valve, TIC temperature indicating controller (panel), TT temperature transmitter, MT moisture transmitter, PT pressure transmitter, LT level transmitter, FS flow switch, NC normally closed. Process fluids are heated through their own exchanger, coil or jacket.
04Solution
System description
- 5 × SE-AA-DR-11 (52 kW total) heat pump drying modules, removing about 1,180 kg of water a day in roughly 19 running hours.
- The diesel boiler with steam air coils stays connected behind a normally closed valve as standby.
- A closed-loop heat pump dryer controls both temperature and humidity, so product dries at a steady rate without cracking.
- Moisture is removed on the cold coil instead of by venting, so heat stays in the chamber.
- Separate recipes cover pasta, vermicelli and papad in the same chambers.
Selected equipment
| Model | 5 × SE-AA-DR-11 |
|---|---|
| Heating capacity | 10.5 kW each, 52 kW total |
| Dehumidifying | about 61 L/h total (pro rata to the published 12–120 L/h range) |
| Drying air | rated 70 °C, 75 °C maximum |
| Refrigerant | R134a |
| Ambient | −5 to 43 °C |
| Water removed per kWh | about 2.4 kg |
Ratings from the Sunniva TDS 2026 data sheets.
Control philosophy
TIC-201 holds dry-bulb temperature to the recipe for each product. A humidity sensor in the chamber sets dehumidifying duty, stepping humidity down through pre-drying, drying and stabilising stages. The batch ends on a set time and a moisture check.
05Energy saving and ROI
Change any input to match a customer's site. Defaults are typical Indian prices for October 2026. The installed cost is a placeholder; replace it with the actual quotation.
| Existing | Heat pump | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily consumption | – | – |
| Annual energy cost | – | – |
| Cost per tonne of fresh product | – | – |
| CO₂ per year | – | – |
06Benefits
Fewer cracks
Controlled humidity at each stage reduces checking in pasta and papad.
Papad all year
Indoor drying removes the dependence on sun and keeps papad clean.
No steam in the drying hall
Steam coils, traps and condensate lines are removed from the chambers.
Heat recovered from the moisture
The evaporator condenses water out of the air and the condenser puts that latent heat back into the drying air, so about 2.4 kg of water leaves per kWh of electricity.
Closed loop, clean product
Air recirculates inside the chamber. No dust, smoke or outside humidity reaches the product, whatever the weather.
Built-in redundancy
Several machines share the load. If one is serviced, the others and the storage carry most of the day, with the existing heater in reserve.
07Engineering pointers
Site data to collect
- Products and daily quantities
- Moisture after extrusion or rolling and target moisture
- Present drying cycle and chamber sizes
- Present fuel use
- Present fuel or electricity use and monthly bill
- Sanctioned electrical load and spare capacity
- Space for the heat pumps and storage, with service access
Design notes
- High-temperature pasta. Pasta dried above 70 °C for colour and cooking quality is outside this dryer's range. This note covers low-temperature drying up to 60 °C.
- Flour dust. Flour and semolina dust collects on coils. Fit filters and clean on a fixed schedule.
Service and warranty
Sunniva has supplied 5,000+ heat pumps since 2012, with nine service technicians across India, including remote sites such as Leh. All components carry a one-year warranty.