Air drying characteristics and moisture diffusivity of carrots

The effects of air temperature on drying kinetics of carrot cubes were investigated. Convective drying characteristics of carrot cubes in a spout-fluidized bed were evaluated through the effect of air temperature on drying kinetics. Drying was carried out at 60, 70, 80 and 90 °C and the falling drying rate data were used to calculate the effective diffusion coefficients from the Fick's equation. Four mathematical models available in the literature were fitted to the experimental data. The Two-term model is given better prediction than the Henderson and Pabis, Page and Lewis model and satisfactorily described drying characteristics of carrot cubes.     

Ultrasound-assisted fluidized bed drying of paddy: Energy consumption and rice quality aspects

Several studies have been conducted on equipping conventional fluidized bed with some technologies to increase drying efficiency and its performance. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of high-power ultrasound (HPU) on fluidized bed drying of paddy in terms of drying kinetics, grain quality (percentage of cracked kernels and bending strength of grain kernels), and specific energy consumption (SEC). To decrease the initial moisture content of paddy from 26.5?±?0.5% (kg/kg, d.b) to the final moisture content of 13?±?0.5% (kg/kg, d.b), the experiments were conducted in a factorial design at three levels of ultrasound power densities (11.1, 14.6, and 18.7?kW/m³), four levels of frequencies (20, 25, 28, and 30?kHz), and three levels of drying air temperatures (30, 40, and 50°C). Application of HPU in conjunction with conventional fluidized bed drying led in 23% decrease in drying time as well as improvement in grain quality, in terms of percentage of cracked kernels and bending strengths. In addition, SEC reduced approximately by 22%, as HPU applied at selected drying condition.     

Continuous on-line measurement of solid moisture content during fluidized bed drying using triboelectric probes

Wet granulation and drying of solids in fluidized beds are widely used in the pharmaceutical, food and fertilizers industries. Although the moisture content of fluidized solids is the key parameter for on-line process monitoring, reliable, accurate and economical moisture sensors are lacking. The aim of this work was, therefore, to develop a new technique using triboelectric probes for real-time measurement of moisture content in fluidized beds, and to validate its applicability to fluid bed drying of glass beads (Sauter-mean diameter of 171 μm) and silica sand particles (Sauter-mean diameter of 190 μm) wetted by water. Several triboelectric probes, installed at different locations throughout the bed, monitored the bed moisture content during both the liquid spraying and the following drying process. The measuring technique developed in this study makes use of inexpensive probes that do not require any maintenance. The triboelectric signals were continuously recorded by a data acquisition system and, at selected times, samples of bed solids were taken and analyzed for their moisture content using Karl Fischer titration. The triboelectric signals were correlated with the moisture contents determined by titration to calibrate the technique, which was found to be sensitive to moisture contents below 100 ppm. For most of the experiments the bed was operated in the bubbling regime with a superficial gas velocity of 0.4 m/s. The relationship between triboelectric signal and moisture content was unaffected by changes in the fluidization gas velocity of up to 25%, and could be easily automated for direct control of industrial granulation and drying processes.     

Effects of drying temperature and relative humidity on spaghetti characteristics

This study aimed at investigating the effect of drying conditions on spaghetti properties, i.e., its color, surface structure, rupture strength, rehydration characteristics, texture, and sauce retention capacity. The effects of temperature and humidity were independently examined under constant drying conditions, which were compared to those applied industrially, where the temperature and relative humidity are changed stepwise with time. The knowledge obtained in this study is considered useful for reasonably determining the drying conditions for producing spaghetti with desired properties.     

Study of the convective drying of pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima)

The main goals of the present work are, on one hand to study the influence of drying operation in some chemical properties of pumpkin, and, on the other hand, to study the drying kinetics, by applying different kinetics models to the experimental drying data.In this way, pumpkin was dried by convection for different air temperatures, ranging between 30 °C and 70 °C. The chemical properties that were analysed in the fresh and dried pumpkin were: moisture content, total and reducing sugars, acidity, proteins, lipids, crude fibre and ash.The results enable concluding that the convective drying at the lowest temperature, 30 °C, induces reductions of 14% in proteins, 65% in total sugars and 36% in fibre. Furthermore, the drying temperature seems to have a negligible effect on the nutritional characteristics of the pumpkin, since the results for the drying at 30 °C are quite similar to those for the drying at 70 °C.With respect to the other subject analysed, the drying kinetics, the results show that the increase on the operating temperature strongly accelerates the drying process, so that the process at 30 °C takes 8 h while at 70 °C the drying is finished after only 2 h. The experimental data for moisture ratio was fitted to different models, and the best were Page and modified Page.     

Experimental study of paddy drying in a vortex chamber

The intensification of interfacial mass, heat, and momentum transfer makes vortex chambers potentially interesting for the efficient drying of paddy, allowing shorter drying times and/or more compact equipment. The presence of a shell introduces particular challenges. Intraparticle diffusion limitations are strong and may reduce the advantage from intensified interfacial mass and heat transfer and the efficiency of air usage. Furthermore, high shear and normal stresses in the fast rotating particle bed may cause damage to the paddy shell, posing problems for transport and storage. With these specific aspects in mind, the use of vortex chambers for paddy drying is experimentally evaluated.     

Experimental Investigation and Modeling of Plug-Flow Fluidized Bed Drying Under Steady-State Conditions

In this study, a model for a plug-flow fluidized bed dryer under steady-state conditions was presented. The model was based on differential equations; thus the bed of the dryer was divided horizontally and vertically into major and minor control volumes, respectively. Each control volume was composed of two thermodynamic systems: solid and gas. The mass and energy balances of the particles in the major control volume based on the axial dispersion were developed to derive the axial profiles of solid moisture content and temperature. To derive the variation of gas humidity and temperature along the bed height and hence the axial profiles of outlet gas humidity and temperature, the mass and energy balances in the gas over the minor control volume, considering the plug flow of gas through the bed, were developed. The model was validated by comparing the simulation results with the experimental data obtained by drying the long-grain rough rice under steady-state conditions in a laboratory-scale, plug-flow fluidized bed dryer. A very satisfactory agreement between the simulation and the experimental data of solid moisture content, solid temperature, and outlet gas humidity and temperature was achieved. Also, the effects of inlet gas temperature, weir height, and inlet dry solid mass flow rate on the simulated axial profiles of solid moisture content and temperature, humidity difference between inlet and outlet gas, and outlet gas temperature were investigated.     

Effect of elevated drying temperature on rapeseed oil quality

Effect of rapeseed drying temperature on oil quality was investigated over the range 50–250°C. Total oil content was not significantly affected at 5% probability. Amounts of free fatty acids were significantly affected but remained much below the maximum permissible limit. Oil color was also significantly affected but had no specific trend of variation with temperature, and visual differentiation was difficult. Further, visual cracks and blackening were observed in rapeseeds dried at 250°C. Based on this study, elevated drying temperature up to 200°C was recommended for rapeseed without adversely affecting oil quality. This would save up to 80% drying time compared to the present practice of drying rapeseed at a maximum temperature of 93°C.     

Reducing wood drying time by application of ultrasound pretreatment

Industrial wood is typically dried artificially after felling. The drying process is often very lengthy and consumes a large amount of energy, however, and inappropriate drying schedule can cause defects in the wood. Pretreatments such as ultrasound show the potential to reduce wood drying time without impacting quality. This study investigated the influence of ultrasound pretreatment on vacuum drying behavior, hydroxyl content, and microstructural properties of fast-growing wood samples. Pretreatments were performed at ultrasound intensity of 10 W cm^?2 and frequencies of 28 and 40 kHz, respectively, for 30, 60, and 90 min, respectively, then pretreated samples were dried at 40°C temperature under absolute pressure of 0.08 MPa. Results showed that ultrasound pretreatment did shorten the wood vacuum drying time, increase effective water diffusivity, open water channels, decompose wood extractives, and decrease hydroxyl content. In effect, ultrasound pretreatment can be applied to successful reduce wood drying time.     

Thin layer drying kinetics,characteristics and modeling of plaster of paris

Drying behavior of thin slabs of plaster of paris was investigated in microwave, convective and microwave assisted convective drier. The process parameters involved in the study include the microwave output power, air temperature used for drying, the initial moisture content of the sample, thickness and geometry of the sample. A typical drying profile, with no constant rate period followed by a falling rate period was obtained for all the three methodologies used. The mechanism of moisture movement within the sample during the falling period, as expressed by effective moisture diffusivity, was between 1.166 × 10⁻⁸ and 2.6927 × 10⁻⁸ (m² s⁻¹) for the least microwave output power of 180 W. The specific energy consumption and the drying efficiency involved in the microwave process, estimated from the energy supplied to the drier and the total time was found to be 0.4557 MJ kg⁻¹ and 82.56% for a sample thickness of 0.013 m. The microstructure of the fractured surfaces and qualitative phase analysis of microwave activated plaster of paris were extensively investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy and X-Ray Diffraction techniques. The experimental moisture loss data with time was fitted to nine semiempirical thin layer equations. The suitability of the models was validated by comparing it with the predicted moisture ratio for any given set of operating conditions. The statistical analyses of the available literature correlations, for their applicability to the data of the present study showed greater deviation attributing their restricted range of applicability of individual correlations. As a result, a third order polynomial equation was developed from this study.     

The air temperature modulation impact on the drying of soybeans in a fixed bed

This work aimed to explore an alternative to reduce costs in the soybean drying process using a periodic drying operation, which can enhance mass and energy transfer, leading to lower energy consumption in comparison with the conventional operation carried out with entrance drying air in steady-state conditions. A fixed bed dryer for laboratory scale was used to dry soybean grains and experiments were carried out, applying the periodic and conventional operations with the same drying time and energy consumption. Results indicated with 5% of significance that the experiments conducted with entrance air temperature modulation achieved higher levels of the percentage of evaporated water improving the dryer performance. These results were in agreement with predicted data obtained with heterogeneous models and they indicated that the periodic drying operation can demand less energy to achieve a specific safe level of soybean moisture content for storage.     

Effects of freezing pretreatment and hygroscopicity of fluidizing particles on drying characteristics of carrots in fluidized bed under reduced pressure

Abstract

A method for low-temperature drying with high drying rate was developed for heat-sensitive foods and agricultural products. A freezing pretreatment was combined with fluidized bed drying under reduced pressure. Cylindrical carrot samples were frozen and then placed without thawing in a fluidized bed of hygroscopic porous silica gel particles that adsorbed water from the sample during the drying process. The effects of the freezing pretreatment and hygroscopicity of fluidizing particles on the drying characteristics of carrots were examined. A higher drying rate was achieved when carrots samples were subjected to freezing pretreatment than without it. At 12?kPa, the volume change was smaller in carrots subjected to freezing pretreatment than in untreated samples. A larger amount of water was absorbed during rehydration by carrots dried at 12?kPa than at 101?kPa within 120?min. The properties of dried carrots were affected not only by freezing pretreatment but also by the pressure applied during the drying process.     

Effect of three drying methods on the drying characteristics and quality of okra

The objective of this study was to compare the drying characteristics and quality of dried okra obtained by vacuum freeze drying (VFD), microwave vacuum drying (MVD), and pulse-spouted microwave vacuum drying (PSMVD). The quality parameters include color (L*, a*, and b*), texture (hardness and fracturability), shrinkage ratio (SR), nutrient retention (chlorophyll, flavonoids, and vitamin C), and sensory score was investigated. Vacuum freeze drying maximally preserved the original properties of samples. And the samples dried by PSMVD showed higher quality and more uniformity compared to MVD. Considering of all aspects comprehensively, such as cost-effectiveness, practicability, and scale-up, PSMVD was a promising technique which would match results obtained by vacuum freeze drying.     

温度和相对湿度对褐煤干燥动力学特性的影响

为确定褐煤干燥最佳工艺参数,在恒温恒湿热风干燥实验台上进行了温度为50～90℃,相对湿度为10％～30％条件下的褐煤颗粒热风干燥实验.将实验数据与9种经验、半经验模型进行拟合,利用相关系数、方差、均方根误差3种统计学参数对不同模型进行评价.结果表明:Page模型相比其他模型更适合用于描述干燥过程中褐煤颗粒水分随时间的变...     

Effects of drying on sunflower seed oil quality and germination

Sunflower seed (SunGro 380) were harvested 101 to 121 days after planting, and their moisture levels were between 43 and 15%. The seed were dried at 35, 53, 72, and 88 C to a final moisture level of 10% or below. Drying air flow was 2000 m³/hr./m³ seed. Temperature had no effect on peroxide values, total oil, or fatty acid composition. Free fatty acids increased as initial moisture decreased. For a given drying temperature, germination increased with decreasing initial moisture, and for a given initial moisture, germination increased with decreasing drying temperature. This study indicates that a drying temperature greater than 53 C should not be used if seed viability is to be maintained.     

An Experimental and Modeling Investigation on Drying of Ragi (Eleusine corocana) in Fluidized Bed

Experimental investigation on drying of ragi (Eleusine corocana) in a fluidized bed has been attempted covering the operating parameters such as temperature, flow rate of the drying medium, and solids holdup. The drying rate was found to increase significantly with increase in temperature and marginally with flow rate of the heating medium and to decrease with increase in solids holdup. The duration of constant rate period was found to be insignificant, considering the total duration of drying and the entire drying period was considered to follow falling rate period. The drying rate was compared with various simple exponential time decay models and the model parameters were evaluated. The Page model was found to match the experimental data very closely with the maximum root mean square of error (RMSE) less than 2.5%. The experimental data were also modeled using Fick's diffusion equation and the effective diffusivity coefficients were estimated. The effective diffusion coefficient was found to be within 5.7 to 14 × 10^?11 m²/s for the range of experimental data covered in the present study with RMSE less than 5%.     

An Experimental and Modeling Investigation on Drying of Ragi (Eleusine corocana) in Fluidized Bed

Experimental investigation on drying of ragi (Eleusine corocana) in a fluidized bed has been attempted covering the operating parameters such as temperature, flow rate of the drying medium, and solids holdup. The drying rate was found to increase significantly with increase in temperature and marginally with flow rate of the heating medium and to decrease with increase in solids holdup. The duration of constant rate period was found to be insignificant, considering the total duration of drying and the entire drying period was considered to follow falling rate period. The drying rate was compared with various simple exponential time decay models and the model parameters were evaluated. The Page model was found to match the experimental data very closely with the maximum root mean square of error (RMSE) less than 2.5%. The experimental data were also modeled using Fick's diffusion equation and the effective diffusivity coefficients were estimated. The effective diffusion coefficient was found to be within 5.7 to 14 × 10^-11 m²/s for the range of experimental data covered in the present study with RMSE less than 5%.     

Effects of intermittent microwave drying on quality characteristics of pistachio nuts

In this research, the effect of intermittent microwave drying (IMD) on drying time and quality characteristics for three varieties of Iranian pistachio nuts was investigated and compared with the sun drying method. The quality parameters, such as chemical characteristics, physical parameters, and sensory evaluation were considered. Three varieties, Kal-Khandan, Kaleh-Bozi, and Ghermez, were dried in an 800-W, 2,450-MHz domestic microwave oven. Experiments were conducted in three material loads of 50, 100, and 150?g under intermittent method at 6?s of power-on and 70?s of power-off with three replications. The total drying time was in the range of 114.03–266.07?min, depending on material loads and varieties. The higher the material load, the longer the drying time. The results showed that the effect of drying method on the shell splitting size was very significant (p?p?相似文献   

Modeling and Simulation of Industrial PVC Drying in Fluidized Beds with Internal Heat Source

An engineering application case study on a two‐fluid flow model for the control of industrial drying operations is reported. The mathematical model of this process was numerically solved by a computer code developed in FORTRAN language and was validated through data taken from PVC drying performed in an industrial continuous fluidized‐bed dryer. The predicted steady‐state outlet temperature and PVC moisture content values agree with the real data observed on the industrial plant. This model was also used to predict the temperature and concentration profiles inside the dryer as a function of time as a response to the disturbances and variations on the PVC water content at the dryer inlet.