Patent ID: 8568629

Claim:
A process for preparing a spray-dried powder comprising: (i) detersive surfactant; and (ii) other detergent ingredients; wherein the process comprises the steps of: (a) forming an aqueous detergent slurry in a mixer; (b) transferring the aqueous detergent slurry from the mixer in a pipe leading through at least one pump to a spray nozzle; (c) injecting a detergent ingredient into the pipe so that the detergent ingredient first makes contact with the aqueous detergent slurry in the pipe after the mixer and before the spray nozzle to form a mixture; (d) spraying the mixture through the spray nozzle into a spray-drying tower; and (e) spray-drying the mixture to form a spray-dried powder, wherein in step (c) the aqueous detergent slurry and the resultant mixture are in laminar flow, and wherein in step (c) the ratio of (i) the flow rate of the aqueous detergent slurry in kgmin −1 to (ii) the flow rate of the injected detergent ingredient in kgmin −1 is in the range of from about 1 to about 70.