New empirical correlations that predict the evaporative spray drying behavior of slurries are developed in this paper. The analysis examines a single droplet of CuCl2 solution in a continuum drying media. The results indicate a combination of convection and spray drying modes could improve the drying process. Validation of the experimental results involves comparisons based on non-dimensional analysis. The Ohnesorge number has a greater effect on the particle diameter than the Nusselt numbers. Analytical models of heat and mass Spalding numbers are developed for the aqueous solution, subject to various drying conditions. Also, the effect of temperature on the atomization flow rate is reported. The Log-normal distribution provides the most accurate fit for the measured data. Particle size diameters are predicted and compared with experimental results using SEM and laser diffraction. The results indicate the average particle size is about 229.5 mu m. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.