Electric Tray Dryer Guide: Trays, Capacity, Power Consumption and Price
2026-11-10
If you are shopping for an electric tray dryer, four questions usually come up first. How many trays do I need? How much material will it dry per batch? What will it cost to run? And what should I expect to pay? The short answer is that all four depend on your product, your moisture load and your batch size. This guide explains how each one works so you can walk into a supplier conversation with the right numbers.
What an electric tray dryer does
An electric tray dryer is an insulated chamber with removable trays on racks. Electric heating elements warm the air, and a blower pushes that air across the trays. The moving air picks up moisture from the product and carries it out through a vent. You load, set the temperature, and unload when the material reaches your target moisture.
It is a batch machine, so it suits pharmaceutical ingredients, herbs, spices, food products, chemical powders, granules and similar materials. The electric tray dryer from Kencor Systems is built on this principle, with a forced hot-air circulation system, adjustable temperature control and an insulated cabinet in stainless steel or mild steel construction.
Trays: how many do you need?
Trays set your drying surface area, and drying surface area drives throughput. More trays do not automatically mean faster drying. Air has to move across each one.
The larger Kencor tray dryer configuration (model TD-120) lists 24, 48 or 96 trays, each 800 × 400 mm. That is 0.32 m² per tray, or roughly 7.7 m² of drying surface at 24 trays and 30.7 m² at 96 trays.
To work out your own tray count, start from the batch size and spread depth:
Batch weight per cycle. How many kilograms of wet material must you dry in one run?
Bed depth. Thin layers dry faster and more evenly. Deep layers trap moisture and stretch the cycle.
Bulk density. A light herb and a dense chemical powder fill a tray very differently, so the same tray holds a different weight of each.
Batches per shift. If you need two or three batches a day, a smaller dryer that cycles faster may beat a bigger one.
A common mistake is buying for peak season and then running the dryer half-empty. A half-loaded dryer still heats the whole chamber, so you pay for energy you do not use.
Capacity: reading the numbers properly
Capacity is quoted in two ways: the number of trays and the kilograms per batch. Treat the kilogram figure as a guide, not a promise, because it changes with your material.
For reference, the Kencor tray dryer page lists a capacity of 100 to 1000 kg per batch for its TD-120 configuration, with temperatures from ambient up to 250°C and a choice of electric, steam or gas heating. The smaller electric model on the electric tray dryer page (TD-24) has an inner chamber of 40 × 33 × 33 inches, about 25 cubic feet, with a 100°C maximum. If you need a larger chamber, a higher temperature, or a different heat source, the broader tray dryer range is the place to look.
Confirm with the manufacturer how a stated capacity relates to your material’s bulk density and moisture content.
Power consumption: how to estimate it
Power consumption has two main parts: the heaters and the blower. Heaters are rated in kilowatts (kW). Blower motors are usually rated in horsepower (HP), and 1 HP is about 0.746 kW. The smaller Kencor electric model lists a 0.5 HP blower, which is roughly 0.37 kW. The larger tray dryer configuration lists blower motors from 1 to 5 HP. Heater ratings are not published on either page, so ask for the connected load in kW.
The heaters do not run flat out for the whole cycle. They draw most power during heat-up, then cycle on and off to hold the set temperature. A simple estimate looks like this:
Energy per batch (kWh) = (heater kW × hours × duty cycle) + (blower kW × hours)
Here is a purely illustrative example. It is not a Kencor specification. Say a dryer has a 6 kW heater load, runs a 6-hour batch, and the heaters are on about 60% of the time. The heaters use 6 × 6 × 0.6 = 21.6 kWh. A 0.37 kW blower adds about 2.2 kWh. That totals roughly 24 kWh per batch. Multiply by your electricity tariff to get the cost per batch.
There is also a physical floor on energy use. Evaporating water takes about 2.26 MJ per kilogram, which is roughly 0.63 kWh. Removing 10 kg of water therefore needs at least about 6.3 kWh, and a real dryer will use more because of heat losses and exhaust air. This is why wetter feed costs more to dry. Pre-draining, pressing or spinning material before it goes on the trays can cut your energy bill.
Insulation also matters. The Kencor pages list 50 mm insulation on the smaller electric model and 75 mm on the larger configuration. Thicker, well-sealed insulation reduces heat loss, which lowers the heater duty cycle.
Price: what drives it
The Ovendryers product page shows a starting price of Rs. 85,000 for the electric tray dryer, and Rs. 1,00,000 for the broader tray dryer listing. Those are starting points, not quotes. Your final price will depend on:
Chamber size and tray count. More trays mean a larger chamber and more steel.
Construction material. Stainless steel costs more than mild steel but is usually expected for food and pharmaceutical work.
Temperature range. Higher maximum temperatures call for stronger heaters and better insulation.
Heater and blower ratings. A bigger electrical load raises both the equipment cost and the supply requirements on your site.
Controls. A basic digital controller costs less than a programmable setup with timers or data logging.
Customization. Special tray sizes, trolleys, or exhaust arrangements add to the cost.
Do not compare quotes on price alone. A cheaper dryer with weak airflow can give uneven drying, which costs you in rejected batches and longer cycles.
Quick selection checklist
What to decide
Why it matters
What to ask the supplier
Batch weight and bulk density
Sets tray count and chamber size
How many kg per tray for my material?
Operating temperature
Determines heater, insulation and material limits
What is the maximum and the control accuracy?
Starting and final moisture
Sets drying time and energy use
What cycle time do you expect for my product?
Electrical supply
Affects installation and running cost
What is the total connected load in kW, and which phase and voltage?
Material of construction
Hygiene, corrosion and cleaning
Which grade and finish are used inside the chamber?
Floor space and loading
Operator access and workflow
What are the outer dimensions and door clearance?
Electric tray dryer or a drying oven?
Both use heated air, but they suit different work. A tray dryer is built around trays of loose product such as powders, granules, herbs and food. An industrial drying oven is more often used for components, coated parts and assemblies on shelves or racks. If you are drying bulk material in layers, start with a tray dryer. If you are drying finished parts, look at the oven.
Practical points before you order
Spread material evenly and keep layers shallow. Uneven loading is the most common reason for patchy drying.
Leave space between trays so air can move across them.
Check how moist air leaves the chamber. Poor ventilation slows drying.
If you dry anything that releases flammable vapours, tell the manufacturer at the start. That changes the design requirements.
Have a qualified electrician handle the power connection and earthing. Do not modify heaters or controls yourself.
Frequently asked questions
How many trays does an electric tray dryer have?
It varies by model. The larger Kencor tray dryer configuration lists 24, 48 or 96 trays of 800 × 400 mm, and the site says tray counts can be customized. Choose based on your batch weight, spread depth and number of batches per day.
How much power does an electric tray dryer use?
It depends on the heater load, the blower and the cycle length. Estimate it using heater kW × hours × duty cycle, plus blower kW × hours. Ask the manufacturer for the connected load in kW for your configuration.
What is the price of an electric tray dryer?
Ovendryers lists a starting price of Rs. 85,000 for its electric tray dryer. The final price depends on size, tray count, material, temperature range and controls, so request a written quotation for your specification.
How long does drying take?
Drying time depends on the material, starting moisture, layer thickness, temperature and tray loading. A manufacturer can suggest a starting cycle, but it is worth running a trial with your own product.
Can I use an electric tray dryer for food and pharmaceutical products?
Tray dryers are commonly used in both. The Kencor pages state that stainless steel construction is available for food and pharmaceutical applications. Confirm the exact material grade and any compliance requirements with the manufacturer before ordering.
