ENERGY REQUIREMENTS FOR DRYING LARGE ROUND BALES

Uniform density and softcore large round forage bales were dried under a variety of airflow and temperature regimes. The energy required to operate the fans and heaters was measured as the bales dried to an average final moisture content of 18 percent, wet basis. The energy requirement for drying both types of bales was found to be 33 kWh/tonne dry matter/moisture point reduction.

The soft-core bales tended to dry at a faster rate than the uniform density bales. Also, the final moisture content variation within the softcore bales was less than that within uniform density bales.     

THIN-LAYER DRYING CHARACTERISTICS OF ROUGH RICE AT LOW AND HIGH TEMPERATURES

Abstract

Thin-layer drying characteristics of rough rice were determined at temperature ranging from 11.8 to 51 °C and for relative humidities ranging from 37.1% to 91.3%, with initial moisture contents in the range of 24.7 to 41.6% dry basis. An oven, a self contain air conditioning unit, recently developed in Japan, was used for this experiments. With this apparatus, very smooth drying curves were obtained. The data of sample weight, and dry and wet bulb temperatures of the drying air were recorded continuously throughout the drying period for each test. The drying process was terminated when the moisture content change in 24 h was less than 0.2 % d.b. (weight change was less than 0.05 g). The final points were recorded as the dynamic equilibrium moisture contents.

The drying data were than fitted to the Page model. The model gave a very good fit for the moisture content with an average standard error of 0.294 % d.b? Both the drying parameters, K and N, are function of drying air temperature and relative humidity. The effect of variable initial moisture content was also described effectively by the empirical Page model. The drying time employed had a large effect on the K and N values. The results presented here, over typically 5 day drying, will be useful in the long term moisture transfer process occurring during ventilated storage.     

Mathematical modelling of wheat drying by fractional order and assessment of transport properties

The purpose of this study is to evaluate both the temperature and the initial moisture content of the material in mathematical models of drying. For this, empirical lumped parameter models were fitted based on experimental data of moisture over time. Furthermore, a new semi-empirical drying kinetics model was applied. This model was developed using the generalization of arbitrary order of the Lewis equation obtained through the Laplace transform. After performing the fit, the fractional order model for drying wheat seeds as a temperature function was generalized. Distributed parameter models were also fitted to evaluate the influence of initial moisture content on drying kinetics and to estimate the moisture profile along the position inside the seed. It was verified that the fractional order model presented statistical results similar to models with a higher number of constants, being used to generalize the kinetic drying model for the three wheat cultivars. Generalized models showed better fits for the 3 cultivars with first-degree function, and the maximum global deviation was 10%, 15%, and 20% for the cultivars BRS–Atobá, BRS–Jacana, and BRS–Sanhaço, respectively. In addition, the distribution of moisture content inside the seed was verified by the distributed parameter model, which predicted the experimental data with an overall deviation of around 10%.     

ENERGY REQUIREMENTS FOR DRYING LARGE ROUND BALES

Uniform density and softcore large round forage bales were dried under a variety of airflow and temperature regimes. The energy required to operate the fans and heaters was measured as the bales dried to an average final moisture content of 18 percent, wet basis. The energy requirement for drying both types of bales was found to be 33 kWh/tonne dry matter/moisture point reduction.

The soft-core bales tended to dry at a faster rate than the uniform density bales. Also, the final moisture content variation within the softcore bales was less than that within uniform density bales.     

Impact of Sequential Ammonia Fiber Expansion (AFEX) Pretreatment and Pelletization on the Moisture Sorption Properties of Corn Stover

Combining ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX?) pretreatment with a depot processing facility is a promising option for delivering high-value densified biomass to the emerging bioenergy industry. However, because the pretreatment process results in a high moisture material unsuitable for pelleting or storage (40% wet basis), the biomass must be immediately dried. If AFEX pretreatment results in a material that is difficult to dry, the economics of this already costly operation would be at risk. This work tests the nature of moisture sorption isotherms and thin-layer drying behavior of corn (Zea mays L.) stover at 20°C to 60°C before and after sequential AFEX pretreatment and pelletization to determine whether any negative impacts to material drying or storage may result from the AFEX process. The equilibrium moisture content to equilibrium relative humidity relationship for each of the materials was determined using dynamic vapor sorption isotherms and modeled with modified Chung-Pfost, modified Halsey, and modified Henderson temperature-dependent models as well as the Double Log Polynomial (DLP), Peleg, and Guggenheim Anderson de Boer (GAB) temperature-independent models. Drying kinetics were quantified under thin-layer laboratory testing and modeled using the Modified Page's equation. Water activity isotherms for non-pelleted biomass were best modeled with the Peleg temperature-independent equation while isotherms for the pelleted biomass were best modeled with the Double Log Polynomial equation. Thin-layer drying results were accurately modeled with the Modified Page's equation. The results of this work indicate that AFEX pretreatment results in drying properties more favorable than or equal to that of raw corn stover, and pellets of superior physical stability in storage.     

COMPARISON Of STRATEGIES FOR AMBIENT-AIR DRYING OF LARGE ROUND BALES

ABSTRACT

A comparison of the drying efficacy of ambient-air drying of large forage bales was made between positive and negative pressure systems. Both systems effectively dried the bales to the desired average moisture content, but regions of higher moisture content within the bales were measured with the two systems. Energy consumption as expressed as the ratio of the energy consumed/weight of moisture removed was similar for both drying systems. Final configuration of the drying system will depend on whether heat is required to speed the drying process in order to meet the capacity of the harvesting system.     

Extraction of Oil from Roman Nettle Seed by Cold Press and Evaluation of its Quality during Storage

Roman nettle (Urtica pilulifera L.) is an annual plant whose seeds are rich in oil and valuable phytochemicals. In this study, oil from Roman nettle seeds is extracted by cold pressing and its quality is evaluated during storage at room temperature for up to 90 days. The seed moisture content is adjusted to 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10% (g 100 g⁻¹) to evaluate its effect on oil extraction yield. The highest oil yield (31.5%) is found in the seeds containing 5% moisture. Acid and peroxide values increase with both moisture content increase and during storage. Moreover, an increase in seed moisture content decreases the oxidative stability (from 8.1 to 6.3 h), carotenoids (from 25 to 14 mg kg⁻¹), chlorophylls (from 742 to 486 mg kg⁻¹), and phenolic contents (from 134 to 97 (mg caffeic acid per kg oil)) of the extracted oils. Fatty acid profile and phytosterols are not significantly influenced (p > 0.05) by the moisture content of the seeds and storage. Total phenol contents and γ-tocopherol levels increase during storage, but carotenoids, chlorophylls, and α-tocopherol levels decrease. Based on overall composition and quality parameters, Roman nettle seed oil may have potential food applications.     

Formation of voids in composite laminates: Coupled effect of moisture content and processing pressure

Void formation as a result of prepreg moisture content and processing pressure during cure was experimentally investigated in thermosetting composite laminates. This was achieved by determining the void contents of eight‐ply laminates fabricated from TenCate^® BT250/7781 E‐glass/epoxy prepreg at processing pressures of 1.7, 3.0, 4.4, and 5.8 atm. At each processing pressure, three types of laminates were fabricated using: (i) unconditioned prepregs (direct from the storage bag); (ii) prepregs conditioned at 25% relative humidity; and (iii) 99% relative humidity. Dynamics of prepreg moisture uptake during conditioning was measured using a moisture analyzer and was shown to exhibit Fickian diffusion behavior. The void contents of the cured laminates were found to vary from 1.6% to 5.0% depending on humidity environment the prepregs were exposed and the pressure applied during fabrication. The void contents of all laminates were observed to approach an asymptotic value of ∼1.6% as pressure was increased. The experimental results indicated the processing pressure applied during fabrication was increasingly carried by the fiber bed, reducing resin pressure during cure. Therefore, an enhanced void formation model was proposed through the addition of a pressure reduction factor and an asymptotic void content term. The proposed model was found to accurately predict the void content of laminates made of prepregs exposed to constant/varying humidity environments and fabricated at a wide range of processing pressures. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:376–384, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

COMPARISON Of STRATEGIES FOR AMBIENT-AIR DRYING OF LARGE ROUND BALES

A comparison of the drying efficacy of ambient-air drying of large forage bales was made between positive and negative pressure systems. Both systems effectively dried the bales to the desired average moisture content, but regions of higher moisture content within the bales were measured with the two systems. Energy consumption as expressed as the ratio of the energy consumed/weight of moisture removed was similar for both drying systems. Final configuration of the drying system will depend on whether heat is required to speed the drying process in order to meet the capacity of the harvesting system.     

Mass Transfer in the Celery Slice: Effects of Temperature,Moisture Content,and Density on Water Diffusivity

Abstract

Statistical tests were applied to determine the effects of temperature, moisture content, density, and porosity of material on the effective moisture diffusion coefficient during convective drying of root celery. In biological materials with colloidal capillary-porous structure (like root celery), which shrink considerably during drying and show high heterogeneity, the effective water diffusion coefficient depends not only on material temperature and moisture content, but also on its density. It was found that statistical tests can be applied to predict which independent variables should describe the water diffusivity in colloidal capillary-porous materials. A mathematical model of the effective water diffusion coefficient in root celery was formulated as Arhenius-type equation with moisture content of the raw material, its temperature and density as independent variables.     

Predicting the effect of soil-water-air dynamics on ammonia volatilization from applied urea with a mechanistic model

To assess the influence of varying soil water and soil air contents on ammonia volatilization from surface applied urea, a mechanistic model is used to simulate the system. The results are discussed in terms of the effects of soil-water-air dynamics on the movement of urea, ammoniacal-nitrogen and soil base, and on the rate of urea hydrolysis, and their influence on ammonia volatilization. Changing the soil moisture between 90% and 125% of field capacity did not have a marked influence on ammonia volatilization. The predicted losses were at their minimum with a moisture content slightly above field capacity, and increased sharply as the soil moisture fell below 90% of the field capacity. Ammonia volatilization losses measured by experiment at differentf values agreed very well with those predicted by the model. The relative contribution of the liquid pathway over the gaseous pathway of movement of NH₃ through soil increased with increase inf, and, at a givenf, decreased with increase in the pH.     

Mathematical Modeling of Drying Characteristics of Indian Mackerel (Rastrilliger kangurta) in Solar-Biomass Hybrid Cabinet Dryer

Eight trials were conducted for drying mackerel by a solar biomass hybrid cabinet dryer (S-BHCD) and open sun drying (OSD) at air temperatures of 32.39–57.69°C, relative humidity 23.9–85.8%, and air flow rate of 0.20–0.60 m/s. The solar radiation ranged between 287 and 898 W/m² during the time of experimentation. At nighttime, drying was carried out by combusting biomass. The initial moisture content of the processed mackerel was 72.50±0.44% (w.b.) and was reduced to the final moisture content of 16.67±0.52% (w.b.) in S-BHCD and 16.92±0.54% (w.b.) in OSD. Eleven drying models were used and the coefficients of determination (R ²) and constants were evaluated by nonlinear regression to estimate the drying curves of dried mackerels. The Midilli model was found to more satisfactorily describe the drying process of mackerel in S-BHCD with R ² of 0.9999, χ² of 0.0000374, and RMSE of 0.0057. In the OSD, a two-term drying model satisfactorily described the drying process with R ² of 0.9996, χ² of 0.0000519, and RMSE of 0.0072. The variation of Free Fatty acid (FFA), Peroxide value (PV), Thiobarbituric acid (TBA), Total volatile bases nitrogen (TVB-N), Trimethylamine nitrogen (TMA-N), and histamine contents of dried mackerel by using S-BHCD showed very high corresponding coefficients of determination, where all R ² were greater than 0.90, except TBA value. Bacterial count and mold growth were decreased significantly (P < 0.05). There was no discoloration of the product during 4 months of storage. Contour plots of S-BHCD and OSD dried mackerel also showed that for all sensory attributes examined, panelists preferred fish dried with S-BHCD. The organoleptic analysis showed that the S-BHCD drying methods have a highly significant effect (P < 0.01) on texture and overall acceptability. Biochemical, microbial analysis, and sensory evaluation showed that the product was in prime acceptable form for 4 months of storage at ambient temperature.     

Relationship Between Physicochemical Properties and Moisture Barrier Property of Confectionery Coating Fats

Moisture migration in food causes deleterious effects on food quality such as loss of crispiness in ice cream cones, drying of chocolate with liquid centers, sugar bloom and cracking of compound/chocolate coating. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between physicochemical properties of confectionery coating fats such as fatty acids and triacylglycerol (TAG) composition, solid fat contents, rheological and crystalline properties with their moisture barrier property. Coating fats with high content of trisaturated and desaturated TAG; and high SFC at 25 °C were found to have significant (P < 0.05) positive correlation with its moisture barrier property. These fats were able to crystallize into highly crystalline materials (high SFC) with small crystal size and dense networks. Thus, these fats were able to significantly delay moisture migration. Nevertheless, some of the highly crystalline fats also had high G′ value indicating poor mechanical properties and higher tendency of such fats to crack. In order to have good moisture barrier property, coating fats need to have sufficient solids with small crystal size and dense networks; and also low G′ value. Wafer coated with good moisture barrier fat showed less cracking during storage.     

Mass Transfer in the Celery Slice: Effects of Temperature, Moisture Content, and Density on Water Diffusivity

Statistical tests were applied to determine the effects of temperature, moisture content, density, and porosity of material on the effective moisture diffusion coefficient during convective drying of root celery. In biological materials with colloidal capillary-porous structure (like root celery), which shrink considerably during drying and show high heterogeneity, the effective water diffusion coefficient depends not only on material temperature and moisture content, but also on its density. It was found that statistical tests can be applied to predict which independent variables should describe the water diffusivity in colloidal capillary-porous materials. A mathematical model of the effective water diffusion coefficient in root celery was formulated as Arhenius-type equation with moisture content of the raw material, its temperature and density as independent variables.     

Development and Thermal Modeling of a New Construction Biomass Dryer

A new dryer construction has been developed for drying biomass basic materials for energy purposes (straw, sawdust, and other light granular materials). As a result of its simple design, the machine is perfectly suitable for reducing moisture by heat transfer. Compared to the machine types applied thus far, this new construction provides a better ratio of dryer floor space and drying distance and, as a result, a longer drying time. A differential equation system for convection drying was applied for the thermal modeling of the equipment; the mathematical model produced on the basis there of is suitable for examining the heat and mass transfer processes within the dryer. In the course of experimental measurements performed in an industrial size apparatus, the temperature and moisture content of the drying gas were recorded with the initial and final moisture content and surface temperature of the product. The measured values were compared to the results of calculations using the mathematical model.     

Experimental and Simulated Performances of a Batch-Type Longan Dryer with Air Flow Reversal Using Biomass Burner as a Heat Source

This article presents experimental performance of a batch-type longan dryer using a biomass burner with air flow reversal and also presents modeling of the longan dryer for drying of whole longan. The dryer essentially consists of a biomass burner and a drying bin with an arrangement for periodic air flow reversal. Three drying runs with loading capacity of 2,000, 1,500, and 1,000 kg of whole longan were carried out. There was no significant difference in temperatures in different positions (except inlet and outlet) inside the dryer (p < 0.05) or moisture content inside the dryer (p < 0.05). Whole longan was dried from an initial moisture content of 74% (wb) to a final moisture content of 14% (wb). The drying time of whole longan in the longan dryer was 60, 54, and 48 h for 2,000, 1,500, and 1,000 kg loading, respectively. The quality of dried product was also good in comparison to the high-quality product in markets.

To simulate the performance of the longan dryer for drying of whole longan, a set of partial differential equations was developed and the equations were solved using the finite difference technique. The numerical solution was programmed in Compaq Visual FORTRAN version 6.5 (Compaq Computer Corp., TX). The simulated moisture contents agreed well with the experimental data. This model can be used to provide the design data and it is also essential for optimal dryer design.     

Modeling the combined impact of moisture and char shrinkage on the pyrolysis of a biomass particle

A detailed computational model of pyrolysis of a moist, shrinking biomass particle is presented. This model is used to examine the effect of varying the moisture content for a single shrinking biomass particle subjected to a constant external temperature. Particle half-thicknesses ranging from 5 μm to 2 cm, temperatures from 800 to 2000 K, moisture contents from 0 to 30% (dry basis), and shrinkage factors from 1.0 to 0.4 are examined. The impact of moisture content and shrinkage was found to be a function of pyrolysis regime. In general, coupling between moisture content and shrinkage was found to result in longer pyrolysis times than if they were considered separately. Additionally, coupling between moisture content and shrinkage increased tar yield and decreased light hydrocarbon yield compared to considering moisture and shrinkage separately.     

A Mortality Model for Penicillium bilaiae Subjected to Convective Air Drying

Drying of microbial cells for storage purposes is a widely practised technology. A new statistical model is proposed for survivability of microbial cells during convective air drying, where mortality is predicted by hazard functions and acceleration factors applied to temperature, moisture content and drying rate variables. The model is based on experimental survivability data generated from drying Penicillium bilaiae conidia at temperatures from 20 to 60°C and air relative humidities from 3 to 75%. Experimental data using “one at a time” variable manipulation was used to obtain five model parameters. Despite several simplifications to reduce the number of variable cross‐dependencies, the model was successfully validated using combined stress trials with maximum deviations of ±15%.