Effects of Surface Concentration on Drying Behavior of Carbohydrate Solutions

As the surface properties of the drying materials are very important not only for the drying rate but also for the quality change during drying, the effects of surface concentration on the drying behavior of liquid foods (sugar solutions) were investigated by isothermal drying experiments and by numerical calculation experiments. The isothermal drying experiments with gelled sugar solution systems (sucrose and maltodextrin) were carried out at various relative humidity (RH) values (RH = 0 to 84%). Separate experiments were carried out for determination of the desorption isotherms.

The isothermal drying curves of sugar solutions at RH = 0 to 51% were very similar. Numerical simulations also showed that the drying curves of these sugars at the surface concentration = 0 and 0.1 are almost the same, although the concentration distributions are different.

When a small amount of gelatin was added to sugar solutions, the drying rate decreased remarkably as the gelatin might form a thin film (skin) near the surface, and consequently the retention of ethanol increased.     

An Experimental Investigation into the Feed Rate Capacity of Rotary Valve and Blow Tank Feeders

Industry widely uses rotary valves and blow tanks for the pneumatic conveying of products, each having their pros and cons depending on the specific application. This article shows the differing results obtained when low-velocity conveying a product through a common pipeline using both a drop-through rotary valve and a bottom-discharge blow tank feeder. A number of issues arise in the rotary valve system, the main one being rotary valve air leakage. A blow tank system, on the other hand, does not leak, as it is an enclosed system. The experimental results show dramatic differences in product throughput. Further exploration leads to a novel modification being made to the rotary valve system in an attempt to increase its capacity. The result of this modification shows a slight increase in output tonnage, but still significantly less than that obtained from the blow tank.     

Multistage Zeolite Drying for Energy-Efficient Drying

This work discusses the potential of three multistage zeolite drying systems (counter-, co-, and cross-current) with a varying number of stages. The evaluation showed that for 2-4 stages with heat recovery the efficiency of the systems ranges between 80 and 90%. Additionally, by introducing a compressor, the latent heat in the exhaust air from the regenerator is recovered and used to heat the inlet air for an additional drying stage. As a result, for the counter-current drying system and compressor pressure 1.5-2 bar, a maximum energy efficiency of 120% is achieved, which results in halving the energy consumption compared to conventional drying systems.     

Thermodynamic Analysis of Various Dehumidifying Dryers for Wood

Typical methods of dehumidification of air circulating in the dehumidifying driers (indirect and direct cooler and partial exchange of the air) were analysed. Energy aspect of cooler operation was evaluated. The method for minimization of unit thermal energy consumption in a dehumidifying drier by the optimal selection of the cooler point was also given. Methods of the heat recovery of heat conveyed in a cooler lending to save energy (heat regeneration. expansion and compression of the air, a dehumidifier) were analysed. It was indicated that introduction of dehumidifiers into contemporary wood driers caused significant improvement of energy aspects of their operation     

Measurement of the tunnel rate in SIS' tunnel junctions as function of bias voltage

Cryogenic detectors with superconducting tunnel junctions can provide an energy resolution improved by at least one order of magnitude compared with standard semiconductor detectors. While the detection principle was already demonstrated many years ago, the past years were dedicated to the transition from the laboratory sample to practical detectors. Our most favored detector design gives rise to tunnel junctions with electrodes of unequal energy gaps. In such hetero tunnel junctions bias conditions can be established which cause a negative signal current. We report the experimental verification of this effect, and we discuss the yield of charge signal of cryogenic detectors based upon superconducting tunnel junctions.     

Silver Electrodeposition from Photographic Processing Solutions

This paper describes the parameters that are important in the industrial practice of silver removal from photographic fixers. The experiments were performed under potentiostatic control using synthetic solutions. The current efficiency was analysed as a function of the cathodic potential taking into account the deposit quality. A cathodic potential of ?0.5 V against a saturated calomel electrode is recommended. The conditions to prevent the darkening of the electrodeposit were investigated. The determination of silver concentration in the solution was made by direct potentiometry. The results obtained with synthetic fixers were corroborated by making the silver deposition from commercial fixers in an electrochemical reactor with rotating cylinder electrode intercalated in an electrolytic flow circuit in order to simulate practical conditions.     

Paste Residence Time in a Spouted Bed Dryer. II: Effect of Spout Operational Conditions

Residence time distributions for an aqueous solution of 10% sodium chloride in a spouted bed dryer of inert particles were determined using the stimulus-response technique. Glass and polyethylene beads with diameters 2.6 and 3.4 mm were used as inert bodies in a cylindrical column of 14.0 cm diameter and 60° conical base. The effects of inert bodies load, air, and paste flow rates on the mean residence times and RTD were determined following 2³ factorial designs. The RTD could be correlated to the perfect mixing cell model with R² varying from 0.8684 to 0.9815. The mean residence times in CSBD varied from 10.8 to 13.9 and 10.7 to 13.3 min for glass and polyethylene beads, respectively. For both inert particles, mean residence times increased with bed height and decreased with paste feed rates. Also, terms of interaction among the factors were significant in some cases, showing a complex behavior of paste residence times. Equations obtained by response surface regression could predict mean residence times on glass and polyethylene beads with deviations lower than ±10%.     

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.     

Spontaneous emulsification aspect of enhanced oil recovery

Recent studies have suggested the possibility of spontaneous emulsification as a mechanism for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The discussions have, however, remained essentially qualitative. A study was therefore undertaken to estimate quantitatively the contribution of spontaneous emulsification as an EOR mechanism. The tests were conducted on several bulk liquid/liquid systems as well as by displacement experiments in unconsolidated synthetic sand packs. Spontaneous emulsification was found to be a mechanism for EOR: the estimated extra contribution to EOR due to this mechanism was found to be significant in laboratory scale displacement experiments. Tertiary recovery was always greater when spontaneous emulsification was evident than otherwise. Results of tests on bulk liquid/liquid systems indicate that the occurrence or absence of spontaneous emulsification can be correlated with the values of ‘partition parameter’. It may be concluded that higher oil recoveries may be achieved in chemical EOR processes where interface mass transfer (and the accompanying spontaneous emulsification) occurs. The evaluation of efficiency of residual oil mobilisation through the capillary number theory (with and without spontaneous emulsification) is also discussed. Displacement tests with spontaneously emulsifying systems showed that residual oil left behind a conventional waterflood was mobilised in a range of capillary numbers much less than that which applies to low-tension waterfloods.     

A study of solid circulation rate in a circulating fluidized bed

An experimental investigation under cold condition was made to study the effects of some operating/design parameters and non-mechanical L valve configuration on the solid circulation rate in a 4.5 m tall, 0.15 m diameter circulating fluidized bed with riser flow rate varying from 1400 litres/min to 2000 litres/min and bed inventory from 15 kg to 25 kg of sand of average sizes 200 μm, 400 μm and 500 μm. Solid circulation rate was estimated by measuring velocity of sand particle travelling through a vertical Perspex tube section at the bottom of the return leg. It was found to be in the range of 2.8 to 12.3kg/m²s, 0.07 to 9.1kg/m²s and 0.12 to 2.23kg/m²s for sand sizes of 200 μm, 400 μm and 500 μm, respectively for a horizontal L valve. Two mathematical correlations have been developed from the experimental results to predict solid circulation rate as a function of riser flow rate, aeration flow rate, total bed inventory and particle size used.