Used Porcupine dryers for sale: indirect thermal dryers for sticky or viscous materials

Porcupine dryers are specialized indirect dryers that provide consistent, low-speed agitation and efficient heat transfer for drying thick pastes, slurries, and other challenging materials. With over 47 years of experience in the process equipment industry, IPP supplies used, surplus, and secondhand porcupine dryers from 20 complete plant sites and maintains a global inventory of over 15,000 pieces of ready-to-ship equipment. Sourcing through IPP helps manufacturers reduce lead times, control costs, and improve production efficiency.

Porcupine dryers are jacketed horizontal cylinders equipped with rotating shafts and arms featuring “porcupine”-style protrusions. These protrusions provide mechanical agitation to keep product moving while promoting uniform heating and moisture removal. The result is effective drying of materials that are viscous, sticky, or otherwise difficult to process using conventional dryers.

Primary uses across industries

• In chemical manufacturing, porcupine dryers handle sludges, resins, pastes, and polymer intermediates
• In pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications, they dry botanical slurries, intermediates, and sticky compounds
• In food and pet food production, they remove moisture from heavy food pastes and pre-cooked ingredients
• In agricultural and biomass industries, porcupine dryers are used for drying fermentation residues, wet feed, and extracts

Types of materials processed

• Viscous slurries and sticky pastes
• Heat-sensitive compounds that require gentle handling
• Chemical or biological intermediates with variable moisture content

Common materials of construction

Porcupine dryers are engineered for durability and heat transfer performance:

• Stainless steel for sanitary and corrosion-resistant applications
• Carbon steel for industrial-grade and general-purpose uses
• Hastelloy and specialty alloys for chemically aggressive or high-purity environments

Key features of Porcupine dryers

• Indirect heating with jacketed vessel for steam or hot oil
• Internal rotating shaft with protrusions for effective agitation
• Gentle mixing and uniform heat exposure
• Ideal for batch operations and semi-continuous processing
• Compatible with vacuum operation for low-temperature drying

Learn more about indirect drying systems and their applications from Process Heating.

Find your porcupine dryer at IPP

Search the IPP inventory or contact IPP’s equipment specialists to locate a used, secondhand, or surplus porcupine dryer for your operation. With in-stock options and fast delivery, IPP helps manufacturers save time and money on critical processing equipment.