The goal of this stage is to create a maximum heat-transferring surface between the dry air and the liquid in order to optimize heat and mass transfers. The choice upon the atomizer configuration depends on the nature and viscosity of feed and the desired characteristics
of dried product. The higher the provided energy is, the finer are the formed droplets. For the same energy amount, the size of formed particles increases with increasing feed rate. However, the size of particles increases when both viscosity and surface tension of the initial liquid are high. Several types of atomizers such as centrifugal, steam, and homogenizing ones have been described by