PERFORMANCE STUDY OF A RE-CIRCULATING CABINET DRYER USING A HOUSEHOLD DEHUMIDIFIER

ABSTRACT

The performance and operating characteristics of a low temperature re-circulating cabinet dryer using a dehumidifier loop were studied using alfalfa. Chopped alfalfa, initially at 70% moisture content, was dried to 10% moisture content in the dryer. Two dryer setups were used. The dryers in each case had a partitioned cabinet with trays of material on one side and a stack of one or two small household dehumidifiers on the other side. Air was re-circulated through the material from bottom to the top and back through the dehumidifiers. Two drying configurations were tested. In one, the material was left on the trays until drying was complete (batch or fixed tray drying). In the other configuration, the trays were moved from top to bottom, introducing a new tray at the top while removing an old tray from bottom. Drying air temperature ranged from 25 to 45°C. The average air velocity through the material was 0.38 m/s. Alfalfa chops dried in 5 h in the fixed tray drying and in 4 h in the moving tray drying. The specific moisture extraction rate ranged from 0.35 to 1.02 kg/kWh for batch drying and stayed at an average value of 0.50 kg/kWh for continuous/moving tray drying.     

A Novel Design of Crop Dryer for Use in Developing Countries

The dryer is required for drying of grain as well as drying of the processed products in small catchment agro processing centers in the developing world. However, due to varied material characteristics of grain and secondary processed product, two entirely different types of dryers are required. The grain is dried in a recirculatory dryer, whereas processed product is dried in a tray dryer, where it is frequently mixed and trays are also intermittently changed. To avoid the need for two dryers, a novel design of a low-cost hot air dryer was developed where just by changing the trays the dryer can be converted from an LSU grain dryer to a tray-type product dryer. The dryer was tested for drying soybean grain as well as processed soy products like blanched soybean dal and soyflakes. The capacity of the dryer was 100 kg/batch in a tray dryer with each tray accommodating 10 kg of wet material. In case of LSU mode, the capacity of the dryer was 250 kg of grain per batch. The drying time required was 5 h for 250 kg of wet soybean from 24 to 10% moisture content, whereas in a tray dryer 100 kg blanched soybean dal was dried from 60 to 10% in 5 h and 100 kg of soyflakes from 25% moisture content to 10% moisture in 1.75 h. The cost of the dryer is estimated at US$580.00 and it can be fabricated in a moderately equipped workshop in developing countries.     

A Novel Design of Crop Dryer for Use in Developing Countries

The dryer is required for drying of grain as well as drying of the processed products in small catchment agro processing centers in the developing world. However, due to varied material characteristics of grain and secondary processed product, two entirely different types of dryers are required. The grain is dried in a recirculatory dryer, whereas processed product is dried in a tray dryer, where it is frequently mixed and trays are also intermittently changed. To avoid the need for two dryers, a novel design of a low-cost hot air dryer was developed where just by changing the trays the dryer can be converted from an LSU grain dryer to a tray-type product dryer. The dryer was tested for drying soybean grain as well as processed soy products like blanched soybean dal and soyflakes. The capacity of the dryer was 100 kg/batch in a tray dryer with each tray accommodating 10 kg of wet material. In case of LSU mode, the capacity of the dryer was 250 kg of grain per batch. The drying time required was 5 h for 250 kg of wet soybean from 24 to 10% moisture content, whereas in a tray dryer 100 kg blanched soybean dal was dried from 60 to 10% in 5 h and 100 kg of soyflakes from 25% moisture content to 10% moisture in 1.75 h. The cost of the dryer is estimated at US$580.00 and it can be fabricated in a moderately equipped workshop in developing countries.     

Constant and Intermittent Drying Characteristics of Olive Cake

The drying kinetics of olive cake, the solid by-product of the olive oil extraction process, has been experimentally investigated in a small-scale tray dryer using both constant and intermittent (on/off) heating schemes. The parameters investigated include inlet air temperature and intermittency of heat input. The drying kinetics was interpreted through two mathematical models, the Page equation and the Lewis equation. The Page equation was most appropriate in describing the drying behavior of olive cake. A diffusion model was used to describe the moisture transfer and the effective diffusion coefficient at each temperature was determined. The dependence of the effective diffusion coefficient on drying temperature can be adequately explained based on an Arrhenius-type relation. The effective diffusion coefficient varied between 7.6 × 10^-8 and 2.5 × 10^-7 m²/min with an activation energy of 38.55 kJ/mol. Comparison of time evolution of material moisture content due to intermittent and constant drying is also made.     

Heat and Moisture Transfer Model for Onion Drying

Onion slices of 3 mm thick were dried in an atmospheric batch tray dryer in order to investigate the influence of air temperature and drying time on parameters such as sample moisture content and drying rate. A model is proposed which takes into account both moisture and temperature distributions in the sample and is in a fair agreement with the experimental data. The models suggested so far by other workers take only the moisture distributions into account for onion drying.     

DESIGN AND TESTING OF A NEW SOLAR TRAY DRYER

A novel low cost tray dryer equipped with a solar air collector, a heat storage cabinet and a solar chimney is designed and tested. The design is based on energy balances and on an hourly-averaged radiation data reduction procedure for tilted surfaces. Measurements of total solar radiation on an horizontal plane, ambient temperature and humidity, air speed, temperature and relative humidity inside the dryer as well as solids moisture loss-in-weight data are employed as a means to study the performance of the dryer. First, detailed diagnostic experiments are carried out with no drying material on the trays. Next, a number of experiments is conducted using a controlled reference material whose reproducible dehydration pattern allows comparisons among runs. Drying is also tested during night operation and under adverse weather conditions. For all the employed conditions, the material gets completely dehydrated at a satisfactory rate and with an encouraging system's efficiency.     

Solar Dryer for Powder Drying

A natural circulation solar dryer for drying products in the form of powder has been developed. It is of modular design and aperture area of one module is 3.34 m². A new concept of moveable glazing has been introduced for ease in loading and unloading. Air entering the dryer moves in a zig-zag path as it flows over the product and under each tray before leaving from the top. There is a provision to dry the product under shade. Also, the dryer can be dismantled and stored in a room during off-season. The dryer was tested to dry Di-calcium phosphate (DCP) at Ludhiana (31°N). The average drying efficiency for a batch was found to be 54.0%. The cost of drying DCP using this solar dryer was 0.56 Rupees per kg of dried DCP as compared to 1.94 Rupees per kg of dried DCP for a wood-fueled industrial dryer. In comparison to a solar tunnel dryer for DCP drying, the initial investment per kilogram of the dried DCP, floor area per kilogram of wet DCP, and cost of drying per kilogram of dried DCP for this dryer was reduced by 7.1%, 67.2%, and 16.4% respectively.     

Scientific Principles of Drying Technique (in Russian)B.S. Sazhin and V.B. Sazhin Nauka,Moscow, 1997, 448 pages

ABSTRACT

A novel low cost tray dryer equipped with a solar air collector, a heat storage cabinet and a solar chimney is designed and tested. The design is based on energy balances and on an hourly-averaged radiation data reduction procedure for tilted surfaces. Measurements of total solar radiation on an horizontal plane, ambient temperature and humidity, air speed, temperature and relative humidity inside the dryer as well as solids moisture loss-in-weight data are employed as a means to study the performance of the dryer. First, detailed diagnostic experiments are carried out with no drying material on the trays. Next, a number of experiments is conducted using a controlled reference material whose reproducible dehydration pattern allows comparisons among runs. Drying is also tested during night operation and under adverse weather conditions. For all the employed conditions, the material gets completely dehydrated at a satisfactory rate and with an encouraging system's efficiency.     

DRYING OF SOY PULP (OKARA) IN A BED OF INERT PARTICLES

Drying of okara, an insoluble pulp residue waste byproduct of tofu production, was investigated in a continuously moving bed of inert particles subjected to vortex-like motion. The experimental variables in their respective ranges included the mass of Teflon pellets used as inert particles (0.4-1.2 kg), feed rate (0.5-1.4 kg/h), inlet air temperature (100-145°C) and airflow rate (195-271 m³/h). The dryer showed good performance in general and produced dry okara with moisture content ranging from 5 to 33% wb depending upon the operating conditions. The product recovery ranged from 80 to 90% on dry basis in most experiments. The specific water evaporation rate in okara drying increased with increasing of the feed rate and mass of Teflon pellets. However, the specific heat consumption decreased with an increase in the okara feed rate. Results showed that specific heat consumption for okara drying in a bed of inert particles was about 3 to 4 times higher in comparison with that of free water.     

Drying Characteristics of Barley Grain Dried in a Spouted-Bed and Combined IR-Convection Dryers

A study was performed to determine the drying characteristics and quality of barley grain dried in a laboratory scale spouted-bed dryer at 30, 35, 40, and 45°C and an inlet air velocity of 23 m/s^-1, and in an IR-convection dryer under an infrared radiation intensity of 0.048, 0.061, 0.073, and 0.107 W cm^-2 at an air velocity of 0.5 m/s^-1. The results show that the first, relatively short, phase of a sharp decrease in the drying rate was followed by the phase of a slow decrease. The time of barley drying depended on temperature of inlet air in a spouted-bed dryer and on radiation intensities in an IR-convection dryer. Barley drying at 45°C in a spouted-bed dryer was accompanied by the lowest total energy consumption. The average specific energy consumption was lower and the average efficiency of drying was higher for drying in a spouted-bed dryer. The effective diffusivities were in the range 2.20-4.52 × 10^-11 m² s^-1 and 3.04-4.79 × 10^-11 m²/s^-1 for barley dried in a spouted-bed and in an IR-convection dryer, respectively. There were no significant differences in kernel germination energy and capacity between the two drying methods tested.     

Estimation of Effective Moisture Diffusivity of Okra for Microwave Drying

The effect of microwave output power and sample amount on effective moisture diffusivity were investigated using microwave drying technique on round okra (Hibiscus esculentus L.). The various microwave output powers ranging from 180 to 900 W were used for the determination of effective moisture diffusivity for constant sample amount of 100 g okra. To examine the effect of sample amount on effective moisture diffusivity, the samples in the range of 25-100 g were dried at constant microwave output power of 360 W. By increasing the microwave output powers and decreasing the sample amounts, the effective moisture diffusivity values ranged from 20.52 × 10^-10 to 86.17 × 10^-10 and 34.87 × 10^-10 to 11.91 × 10^-9 m²/s^-1, respectively. The modeling studies were performed to illustrate the relationship between the ratio of the microwave output power to sample amount and effective moisture diffusivity. The relationship between drying constant and effective moisture diffusivity was also estimated.     

DRYING OF CARROTS IN A FLUIDIZED BED. I. EFFECTS OF DRYING CONDITIONS AND MODELLING

Drying curves were determined in a mechanically agitated fluidized bed dryer, at temperatures between 70°C and 160°C, air velocities between 1.1 m/s and 2.2 m/s and stirring rates between 30 rpm and 70 rpm for batch drying of 3 kg lots of carrot slices, measuring the moisture content and shrinking of the particles in time. This was complemented by a study of the rate and degree of swelling of dried carrot particles in water between 20 and 75°C. Drying kinetics were modeled by Fick's second law, for which an optimal agreement with the experimental data was obtained when the effective diffusivity (D_e) was determined by a correlation based on the air velocity (v), the air temperature (T) and the dimensional moisture content of the carrot particles (X/X_o). Loss of carotenes is minimized when dehydration is carried out at about 130°C with a drying time below 12 min.     

Physical Changes in Bamboo (Bambusa phyllostachys) Shoot During Hot Air Drying: Shrinkage, Density, and Porosity

The apparent density of bamboo (Bambusa phyllostachys) shoot was investigated at a moisture content range of 10-92% wet basis by weighing the product in air and determining the buoyancy force in toluene. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) unveiled that moisture content significantly affected apparent density at 95% confidence level. The true density of the bamboo shoot was determined by grinding the dried sample to exclude all internal pores and using density bottles. The experimental data fitted well to a general density equation for fruits and vegetables proposed by Lozano et al. (1983) and to a second order polynomial (SOP) model. The internal porosity generated during drying varied in a nonlinear (quadratic) fashion. Shrinkage at different moisture content levels was measured by evaluating the dimensional changes in bamboo shoot slabs (5.0 × 3.2 × 1.8 cm) by drying in a convection oven and a tray dryer operating at 70°C and 7.2% relative humidity. Shrinkage was affected statistically by decreasing moisture content at 95% confidence level. Shrinkage was compared with available models in literature and found to be oriented based on fiber direction and distinctly different from the isotropic volume change in fruits and vegetables.     

Drying Kinetics and Color Retention of Dehydrated Rosehips

Freshly harvested rosehips (Rosa canina L.) were dehydrated in a parallel flow type air dryer at six air temperatures (30, 40, 50, 60, and 70°C) at air velocities of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 m/s. Drying air temperature and velocity significantly influenced drying time and energy requirement. Minimum and maximum energy requirement for drying of rosehips were determined as 6.69 kWh/kg for 70°C at 0.5 m/s, and 42.46 kWh/kg for 50°C, 1.5 m/s. In order to reduce drying energy consumption, it is recommended that the drying air velocity must not be more than 0.5 m/s and drying air temperature should be 70°C. In addition, the influence of drying air temperature and air velocity on the color of dried rosehip has been studied. Hunter L, a, b values were used to evaluate changes in the total color difference (ΔE) on dried rosehips. 70°C drying air temperature and 1 m/s air velocity were found to yield better quality product.     

Combined ultrasound and infrared assisted conductive hydro-drying of apple slices

Abstract

Conductive hydro-drying also known as Refractance Window drying is a relatively new drying technology, which uses hot water to carry thermal energy to materials to be dehydrated. It has a high retention of heat sensitive quality parameters (vitamins, antioxidants, and color) with better energy efficiency than freeze-drying as well as many other conventional drying methods. A new ultrasound and infrared assisted conductive hydro-dryer (UIACHD) was developed to increase drying rate while reducing required hot water temperature and increasing the drying material thickness. The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of the new dryer and to compare the performance of a pilot scale continuous UIACHD with a freeze-dryer and a cabinet dryer in drying apple slices. The physiochemical characteristics of the dried apple slices including flavonoid content, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, vitamin C content and color were measured. In addition, the energy consumption and energy efficiency of the dying methods were evaluated. Results showed that combining ultrasound and infrared with conductive hydro-drying can result in higher drying rates and lower product moisture content. Quality of UIACHD dried apple slices was close to the freeze-dried products and it was significantly better than the cabinet dried products. Moreover, the energy efficiency of UIACHD was considerably better than the cabinet dryer and the freeze-dryer. The results of this study showed that combining ultrasound and infrared with conductive hydro-drying can lead to an energy-efficient process with good quality retention ability.     

An Experimental Study of the Thermal Performance of a Screw Conveyor Dryer

In the present study drying of fine crystalline solid was carried out in a non-insulated jacketed screw conveyor dryer SCD of 3 m length and 0.072 m screw diameter. It is nitrogen-swept to carry off the evaporated moisture. Dryer performance was evaluated in terms of the final moisture content, heat-transfer coefficient, thermal efficiency and power consumption. From the experimental results it was observed that drying under low pressure gives 92% moisture removal compared to 30-40% using low flow rates of nitrogen. The initial moisture content was in the range of 5 to 6%. Over the parameter range studied, the overall heat transfer coefficient was found to be in the range of 46-102 W/m²K. The average rise in the temperature of the product was 40 to 50°C. Thermal efficiency (based on sensible and latent heat) of the dryer obtained was found to be in the range of 25-62%, typical values obtained in falling rate drying period. Power consumption per metric ton of dried material was found to be a strong function of screw speed and material feed rate, material properties, and drive efficiency.     

A DRYING HEAT PUMP USING CARBON DIOXIDE AS WORKING FLUID

The application of carbon dioxide as working fluid in refrigeration and heat pump systems is regaining increasingly importance in view of the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) substitution problem. It is both under ecological and economical aspects an attractive alternative to the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) working fluids being in practical use. The thermophysical properties and characteristics of carbon dioxide are quite different from those of refrigerants used in conventional vapour compression cycles. Its application in conventional vapour compression refrigerating systems is limited by its critical parameters (t_c = 31.1°C and p_c = 73.8 bar). The possibility to use carbon dioxide also beyond these limits in high temperature processes, e.g., heat pumps, is given by the application of a trans-critical process. The design and construction of a commercial drying heat pump system (batch type cabinet dryer with 12 kW heating capacity and closed air circuit) using the natural working fluid carbon dioxide is shown and experimental results of investigations carried out are presented. Possible energy savings calculated theoretically are given for comparison.     

A Vacuum Drying System for Green Hardwood Parts

A vacuum drying system was designed and fabricated and that system was used to dry green rough hardwood dimension. The red oak samples, 76.2 (long) × 7.62 (wide) × 2.54 (thick) cm, were dried from green moisture content (MC) to 7% MC in this system. They were dried at a pressure of 12 mm Hg and temperatures ranging from 30 to 50°C within 25 to 70 h. Drying quality tested included warp, internal checking, and surface checking. Moisture gradients along the length and thickness were measured. The standard prong test was used to assess the drying stresses. Vacuum drying was fast and the drying rate increased as the temperature increased. It was found that the general drying quality was good with no color change. Drying stresses including longitudinal and transverse stresses were small. There were no internal checks.     

HEAT TREATMENT OF CHOPPED ALFALFA IN ROTARY DRUM DRYERS

This paper deals with the heat treatment of alfalfa chops during the high temperature dehydration process. It outlines the dryer characteristics, difficulties and potential errors in measuring temperatures in the dryer, computation techniques, the relationships between moisture and temperature during drying, and the potential effect of dehydration on the destruction of the insect Hessian Fly due to elevated temperatures.

From the analysis based on an existing computer model for dehydration of alfalfa chops, and the available field data, it is shown that the dried chops will attain a temperature of 90°C or higher when the input temperatures are between 500°C and 800°C. These conditions apply to the drying of wet alfalfa (moisture content more than 55 percent wet basis). The plant material loses a large portion of its moisture in the first few seconds in the dryer. The rapid release of moisture may cause the rupture or detachment of particles such as eggs, larva, pupa, and insects from the plant material. These small particles are exposed to an intense heat and rapid dehydration.     

The Effect of Intense Air Drying on Material Distribution and Quality in Coated Papers

The aim of this study was to find out what will happen to paper coating quality and material gradients if coating is dried in one air dryer at a high convection rate (150 kg/m²h). Different printing papers were coated, calendered and printed with pilot machines. The binder and pigment gradients of the coated, and also printed, samples were analyzed with LIPS (Laser Induced Plasma Spectrometry). It was found that drying affects the migration of starch, but not latex. Total air drying can be used to dry printing papers, if air temperature, velocity and moisture content can be separately controlled. The control of web temperature is more important for paper quality formation in a coater drying section than that of evaporation rate.