EFFECTS OF OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS ON DRYING CHARACTERISTICS IN CLOSED SUPERHEATED STEAM DRYING

The effects of operational conditions on the drying performance in closed superheated steam drying were examined theoretically and experimentally. The vapor generated from the sample was circulated in the drying chamber. In the theoretical analysis, the replacement of air with vapor in drying chamber and the convective vapor transfer in sample were considered. At the start of drying, the drying chamber was filled with air. As the drying proceeded, the air was replaced with the vapor generated from sample. The calculated results explained the characteristics of experimental data. The pore diameter of sample had little effect on the drying characteristics. During the internal evaporation period, the evaporation occurred in the narrow zone, which moved from the surface to the bottom of sample. The convective vapor transfer in sample had a significant influence on the drying performance. The excess increments in temperature and velocity of drying gas hardly contributed to shortening the drying time.     

SUPERHEATED STEAM DRYING: A BIBLIOGRAPHY

An experimental setup was developed to study the through air–drying characteristics of permeable grades such as tissue and towel under commercially relevant conditions of basis weight, airflow rate, temperature, and humidity conditions. The experimental setup is capable of evaluating the transient fluid flow, heat, and mass transfer characteristics of relatively larger samples (TAPPI standard hand sheets; 0.1524 m) and is capable of studying the effect of local heterogeneity and structure on convective heat and mass transfer. The system is capable of airflow rates of 0.5–10 m/s with corresponding high-speed data collection and acquisition for measuring important variables such as exhaust air humidity. To study the effect of nonuniformity, local temperature and velocity profiles can also be measured using grid of thermocouples and hot wire anemometers. The instantaneous drying rate and airflow characteristics during through air drying was measured and dry permeability, wet permeability, and convective heat and mass transfer characteristics were then calculated. The experimental results were verified by comparing with the results from literature. Typical experimental results were presented to show the effect of sheet basis weight, initial moisture content, and airflow rates on the drying characteristics for two different types of paper samples.     

ANALYSIS OF HEAT AND MASS FLUXES DURING MICROWAVE DRYING

Abstract

The kinetics of combined convective and micro-wave drying presents universally more than the two habitual drying phases. Superimposed to a general heating of the product, a brutal and short acceleration of the drying rate raises all flux densities at a very important level. This is particularly evident with the class of product we used in this study : non porous polymeric gels.

Moreover, an unusual correlation between the kinetics and the surface temperature around the micro-wave specific phase might appear : unexpectedly, the evaporation flux density decreases when the surface temperature increases noticeably.

In order to elucidate this apparent complexity and understand the underlying physical phenomena, we analysed term by term all fluxes according to their origin. The splitting was achieved through mathematical modelling and partially validated by the recording of temperatures and mass fluxes.

Usually with convective drying, all rate changes are governed by the state o f the product : hygroscopicity and porosity development. Here in the case of combined micro-wave drying, all accidents on the drying curves are determined by the heat generation and the heat transfer situation. The constant rate period is also governed by the balance of heat fluxes. The accelerated period corresponds to a heat wave arriving to the surface. Most of the time, the product gives out heat to the surrounding air : this heat is lost for the drying but this cooling effect may he used for the protection of the sample.     

THERMAL DEWATERING OF DILUTED ORGANIC SUSPENSIONS: PROCESS MECHANISM AND DRYING KINETICS

Drying of raw hog manure, a highly diluted suspension of organic and inorganic matter was studied experimentally in the multistage screw-in-trough dryer. Laboratory tests included material characteristics (rheological properties, thermodynamic equilibrium, critical settling point), boiling pattern, and kinetics of convective drying at temperatures from 90 to 120°C and air velocity from 0.5 to 1.5 m/s. Three phases of manure drying were identified, namely boiling and release of volatile compounds, evaporation from viscous liquid, followed by drying of a soft paste, and finish drying of semi-dry granular product. Drying kinetics were quantified in terms of reduced moisture content and a generalized drying curve using the characteristic drying time concept. Field tests were carried out in the pilot multistage screw-in-trough dryer to validate design calculations.     

THERMAL DEWATERING OF DILUTED ORGANIC SUSPENSIONS: PROCESS MECHANISM AND DRYING KINETICS

ABSTRACT

Drying of raw hog manure, a highly diluted suspension of organic and inorganic matter was studied experimentally in the multistage screw-in-trough dryer. Laboratory tests included material characteristics (rheological properties, thermodynamic equilibrium, critical settling point), boiling pattern, and kinetics of convective drying at temperatures from 90 to 120°C and air velocity from 0.5 to 1.5 m/s. Three phases of manure drying were identified, namely boiling and release of volatile compounds, evaporation from viscous liquid, followed by drying of a soft paste, and finish drying of semi-dry granular product. Drying kinetics were quantified in terms of reduced moisture content and a generalized drying curve using the characteristic drying time concept. Field tests were carried out in the pilot multistage screw-in-trough dryer to validate design calculations.

     

OPTIMUM OPERATING CONDITIONS IN DRYING FOODSTUFFS WITH SUPERHEATED STEAM

It is inferred from experimental data that in drying foodstuffs with superheated steam, the initial drying rate has a direct effect on the rate at which the overall drying takes place. That is, the faster the initial drying rate, the shorter the overall drying time. This criterion is very convenient because at the beginning, water moistens the sample external surface so evaporation does not depend on internal sample characteristics, but only on external convective heat and mass transfer rates. Mass and energy balance equations are solved and the result converted into a general initial drying rate equation, in which all dryer characteristics are grouped into one dimensionless parameter. The initial drying rate equation is mathematically maximized and the optimum working conditions determined. The result shows that initial drying rate always increase with increases of either the superheated steam temperature or velocity, but once these two variables are fixed, there exists at least one “optimum” pressure at which the initial drying rate is a maximum. Finally, the initial drying rate and optimum condition equations are applied to three model dryers, a dryer for a flat sheet, a fixed bed dryer and a rotary dryer. In each case, numeric values are computed and plotted as drying rate versus pressure curves, in which the optimum drying rate is also included. Also presented is a chart to compare the optimum pressures as functions of temperature and steam velocity for the three dryers.     

ATOMIZED SUSPENSION DRYING AND PROCESSING

A review is presented o~ the various studies which have been conducted in connection with the de~elopment of a contacting technique (called the Atomized Suspension Technique) in which the feed solution is sprayed into a heated cylindrical chamber and subjected to a series of sequential physical operations, such as evaporation and drying, followed by one or several stages of chemical conversion, while the finely divided droplets and particles are being conveyed down the chamber by the water vapor generated by their own evaporation. The heating medium' consists of a plasma of water vapor ~nd recent experimental results are presented on the applications of this technique to spray drying, peat and biomass gasification and hydrocracking of heavy crudes or petroleum residues.     

Examining the Suitability of the Reaction Engineering Approach (REA) to Modeling Local Evaporation/Condensation Rates of Materials with Various Thicknesses

The reaction engineering approach (REA) is examined here to investigate its suitability as the local evaporation rate to be used in multiphase drying. For this purpose, REA is first implemented to model the convective drying of materials with various thicknesses. The relative activation energy, as the fingerprint of REA, generated from one size of a material is used to model the convective drying of the same material with different thicknesses. Because the results indicate that REA parameters can model the drying of materials with various thicknesses, REA can be scaled down to describe the local evaporation rate (at the microscale as affected by local composition and temperature). The relative activation energy is used to describe the global drying rate in modeling the local evaporation rate. REA is combined with a system of equations of conservation of heat and mass transfer in order to yield the spatial reaction engineering approach (S-REA) as a nonequilibrium multiphase drying model. By using S-REA, the spatial profiles of moisture content, concentration of water vapor, temperature, and local evaporation rate can be generated, which can assist in comprehending the transport phenomena.     

EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENT OF TEMPERATURE AND MOISTURE PROFILES DURING APPLE DRYING

An experimental system has been designed and constructed to investigate the drying rate, temperature and moisture profiles developed within food materials during forced convective air drying. The moisture profile was determined by employing the technique of gamma ray densitometry, and embedded thermocouples were used to sense temperature at different locations. The overall drying rate was measured using an electronic balance. A microcomputer and a computer front end were implemented for data acquisition and experimental control. Sample temperature and moisture profiles measured during drying are presented as a function of both drying time and the distance to the surface of the specimen. Both profiles described the drying phenomena inside the sample. The evaporation front was observed in a narrow region of the apple specimen, this front moved into the sample as drying progressed. The amount of apple shrinkage was determined to be linearly related to the distance which the evaporation front had recededfrom the initial surface.     

ATOMIZED SUSPENSION DRYING AND PROCESSING

ABSTRACT

A review is presented o~ the various studies which have been conducted in connection with the de~elopment of a contacting technique (called the Atomized Suspension Technique) in which the feed solution is sprayed into a heated cylindrical chamber and subjected to a series of sequential physical operations, such as evaporation and drying, followed by one or several stages of chemical conversion, while the finely divided droplets and particles are being conveyed down the chamber by the water vapor generated by their own evaporation. The heating medium' consists of a plasma of water vapor ~nd recent experimental results are presented on the applications of this technique to spray drying, peat and biomass gasification and hydrocracking of heavy crudes or petroleum residues.     

EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENT OF TEMPERATURE AND MOISTURE PROFILES DURING APPLE DRYING

An experimental system has been designed and constructed to investigate the drying rate, temperature and moisture profiles developed within food materials during forced convective air drying. The moisture profile was determined by employing the technique of gamma ray densitometry, and embedded thermocouples were used to sense temperature at different locations. The overall drying rate was measured using an electronic balance. A microcomputer and a computer front end were implemented for data acquisition and experimental control. Sample temperature and moisture profiles measured during drying are presented as a function of both drying time and the distance to the surface of the specimen. Both profiles described the drying phenomena inside the sample. The evaporation front was observed in a narrow region of the apple specimen, this front moved into the sample as drying progressed. The amount of apple shrinkage was determined to be linearly related to the distance which the evaporation front had recededfrom the initial surface.     

SIMULATION OF SPRAY DRYING OF A SOLUTION ATOMIZED IN A PULSATING FLOW

Spray drying of NaCl solution was carried out under an intense oscillating flow field generated by a pulse combustor. A pulse combustion spray drying system was constructed. An optical analyzer was used to measure the particle diameter distribution of droplets atomized by a pulsating flow. The momentum, heat and mass transfer in both gaseous and particulate phases during spray drying inside the drying chamber were simulated using the computational fluid dynamics method. The simulated profiles of flow field, temperature and humidity of the gaseous phase, as well as the particulate phase, in the drying chamber were presented. The simulation showed changes of the flow field and particle trajectories in the drying chamber during one pulsating period. A large-scale vortex was observed in the upper part of the drying chamber because of the unstable state of flow field and particle trajectories. Short drying time and large evaporation rate are characteristics of pulsating spray drying. The influence of gas stream pulsation frequency on the drying process is also analyzed.     

COMBINED CONVECTIVE-MICROWAVE DRYING OF AGAR GELS: INFLUENCE OF MICROWAVE POWER ON DRYING KINETICS

The use of microwave energy in the drying of deformable material such as gel considerably reduces drying time and enables the control of retraction in the sample. A further advantage is that no hot spots are produced, allowing a dry product of superior quality to be obtained.The aim of this work has been to determine the kinetics of the convective-microwave drying process of agar gel plates. For this purpose, we developed a pilot closed loop, computer-controlled apparatus of convective-microwave drying, that enables the drying air conditions to be changed and the microwave power to be supplied over a wide value range. The equipment also records the sample surface temperature by means of an infrared thermometer. The drying curves obtained for plane geometry present four different drying phases: an initial phase where a rapid increase in the drying rate and in the surface temperature can be observed, as well as a constant rate phase that ends in the so-called convective critical moisture content, a first falling rate phase that concludes in the microwave critical moisture point, and finally a second falling rate phase. Combined convective-microwave drying enables a considerable reduction in drying time compared to convective drying, the time required being inversely proportional to the microwave power supplied. The empirical equation that best represents the kinetics is of the Page type. The absorbed volumetric power in terms of the moisture content was experimentally estimated, with the experimental data fitting an empirical equation.     

Three-Dimensional Numerical Modeling of Convective Heat Transfer During Shallow-Depth Forced-Air Drying of Brown Rice Grains

We describe here a three-dimensional (3D) numerical study of the convective thermal transfer during forced-air drying of brown rice grains with the inclusion of moisture evaporation. Three levels of temperature were tested across a range from 40 to 60°C. The objective of the study was to determine the temperature distributions in the drying chamber as well as the surface and intra-kernel temperature gradients during convective drying of rice grains. The numerical model was based on the Navier-Stokes equation for fluid flow and the Fourier's equation for heat transfer. Results of the numerical solution showed that temperature distribution in the air and brown rice grains during the early minutes of drying were significantly influenced by the direction of flow of the heated air. Air gaps between grains and at the periphery of the drying chamber affected the rate and direction of airflow. The temperature history of the rice grains showed variations at different levels within the layers of grains. Moreover, the stream of heated air showed regions with airflows eight times greater than the inlet air velocity.     

COMBINED CONVECTIVE-MICROWAVE DRYING OF AGAR GELS: INFLUENCE OF MICROWAVE POWER ON DRYING KINETICS

ABSTRACT

The use of microwave energy in the drying of deformable material such as gel considerably reduces drying time and enables the control of retraction in the sample. A further advantage is that no hot spots are produced, allowing a dry product of superior quality to be obtained.The aim of this work has been to determine the kinetics of the convective-microwave drying process of agar gel plates. For this purpose, we developed a pilot closed loop, computer-controlled apparatus of convective-microwave drying, that enables the drying air conditions to be changed and the microwave power to be supplied over a wide value range. The equipment also records the sample surface temperature by means of an infrared thermometer. The drying curves obtained for plane geometry present four different drying phases: an initial phase where a rapid increase in the drying rate and in the surface temperature can be observed, as well as a constant rate phase that ends in the so-called convective critical moisture content, a first falling rate phase that concludes in the microwave critical moisture point, and finally a second falling rate phase. Combined convective-microwave drying enables a considerable reduction in drying time compared to convective drying, the time required being inversely proportional to the microwave power supplied. The empirical equation that best represents the kinetics is of the Page type. The absorbed volumetric power in terms of the moisture content was experimentally estimated, with the experimental data fitting an empirical equation.     

MECHANISM OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER DURING CONVECTTVE DRYING OF POROUS MXDIA UNDER DIFFERENT DRYING CONDITIONS

A numerical investigation was conducted to study two-dimensional heat and mass transfer during convective drying of clay brick. The set of macroscopic equations takes into account the effect of gaseous pressure. The established numerical code has allowed us to determine effects of the surrounding air conditions (temperature, pressure and vapor concentration) on drying Kinetic and on space-time evolution of the state variables (temperature, gaseous pressure, and liquid saturation).     

MECHANISM OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER DURING CONVECTTVE DRYING OF POROUS MXDIA UNDER DIFFERENT DRYING CONDITIONS

ABSTRACT

A numerical investigation was conducted to study two-dimensional heat and mass transfer during convective drying of clay brick. The set of macroscopic equations takes into account the effect of gaseous pressure. The established numerical code has allowed us to determine effects of the surrounding air conditions (temperature, pressure and vapor concentration) on drying Kinetic and on space-time evolution of the state variables (temperature, gaseous pressure, and liquid saturation).     

DRYING CHARACTERISTICS OF OSMOTICALLY DEHYDRATED FRUITS COATED WITH SEMIPERMEABLE EDIBLE FILMS

This paper deals with key issues of the coating technology applied to plant materials prior to osmotic dehydration and convective drying. Coatings created with solutions of starch products and pectin were examined. It was shown that coating of foods to be dehydrated influences mass transfer in a plant tissue during osmotic pre-treatment as well as during convective drying. Each coating should be individually examined. The properties of coatings depend on their composition and the method used for the fabrication of a coating. Coating of foods with an artificial barrier on the surface may efficiently hinder the penetration of solute inside the food, not affecting much the rate of water removal. The coated plant materials had a greater water loss/solids gain ratio then the uncoated ones. Osmotic dehydration seems to be one of possible pre-treatment methods before drying. The conditions of convective drying are changed upon osmotic dehydration of plant materials. It was shown that changes in drying rate depend on the kind of coating substance. Bigger differences were observed at higher water content and these differences narrowed as water content in dried material decreased. The positive effect of coatings on the physical properties of dried fruits was found.     

Modeling conventional drying of wood: Inclusion of a moving evaporation interface

A one-dimensional mathematical model is presented that accounts for a moving evaporation interface in simulating the coupled heat and mass transfer during convective drying of wood. In the model proposed, the only mechanism considered in water transport within wood is diffusion. Additionally, the transport of moisture is dominated by the gradient of the moisture content. The controlling equations were established from Whitaker’s volume averaging laws and solved numerically with the finite volume method. The simulation results for the density of vapor and the volume rate of evaporation indicate that the migrating moisture was mainly in the form of gas under conditions of lower moisture content. The evaporation interface moved at approximately constant speed and the evaporation rate of the interface decreased with time. Finally, the core temperature and average moisture content in wood were successfully simulated.     

DRYING CHARACTERISTICS OF OSMOTICALLY DEHYDRATED FRUITS COATED WITH SEMIPERMEABLE EDIBLE FILMS

This paper deals with key issues of the coating technology applied to plant materials prior to osmotic dehydration and convective drying. Coatings created with solutions of starch products and pectin were examined. It was shown that coating of foods to be dehydrated influences mass transfer in a plant tissue during osmotic pre-treatment as well as during convective drying. Each coating should be individually examined. The properties of coatings depend on their composition and the method used for the fabrication of a coating. Coating of foods with an artificial barrier on the surface may efficiently hinder the penetration of solute inside the food, not affecting much the rate of water removal. The coated plant materials had a greater water loss/solids gain ratio then the uncoated ones. Osmotic dehydration seems to be one of possible pre-treatment methods before drying. The conditions of convective drying are changed upon osmotic dehydration of plant materials. It was shown that changes in drying rate depend on the kind of coating substance. Bigger differences were observed at higher water content and these differences narrowed as water content in dried material decreased. The positive effect of coatings on the physical properties of dried fruits was found.