A Study of the Power Density Distribution generated during the Combined Microwave and Convective Drying of Softwood

ABSTRACT

Investigations into new and innovative drying strategies can lead to the development of more efficient and effective drying processes. The commercialisation of these processes would prove invaluable to the drying industry as a whole and the associated technology would generate worldwide interest. Combined microwave and convective drying is one such process which offers great potential, with benefits that include : reduced drying times and increased drying rates; volumetric heating; higher fluxes of liquid to the drying surface; high temperature and internal pressure buildup within the material which enhances the overall moisture migration rate; and preferential heating of wetter areas. Numerical simulation can elucidate on the intricate details of the heat and mass transfer henomena that occur during the drying process, thus eliminating the need for performing numerous time consuming and expensive experiments. The simulations can predict the evolutionary behaviour of the moisture, temperature and pressure distributions, and can provide a detailed analysis of how microwaves interact with materials during drying and heating operations at a fundamental level. The research presented in this paper uses a comprehensive mathematical model to study the behaviour of the iniernal microwave power density distribution that is generated during the microwave enhanced convective drying of softwood. The configuration understudy concerns a plane wave microwave source irradiating the wood in the transverse direction.