Effect of Fluidizing Particle on Drying Characteristics of Porous Materials in Superheated Steam Fluidized Bed under Reduced Pressure

The hygroscopic porous particle was used as the fluidizing particle for the superheated steam fluidized bed drying under reduced pressure. A relatively large material was immersed in the fluidized bed as the drying sample. The drying characteristics of the sample were examined experimentally and the results were compared with those in the case of inert particle fluidized bed.

The water transfer from the sample to the fluidizing particle bed in the case of hygroscopic porous particle facilitated the drying regardless of pressure and temperature in the drying chamber. The increment degree of the sample temperature at the earlier period of drying was smaller in the case of hygroscopic porous particle than in the case of inert particle, and the phenomenon was more remarkable in the case of superheated steam than in the case of hot air.     

Effect of Fluidizing Particle on Drying Characteristics of Porous Materials in Superheated Steam Fluidized Bed under Reduced Pressure

The hygroscopic porous particle was used as the fluidizing particle for the superheated steam fluidized bed drying under reduced pressure. A relatively large material was immersed in the fluidized bed as the drying sample. The drying characteristics of the sample were examined experimentally and the results were compared with those in the case of inert particle fluidized bed.

The water transfer from the sample to the fluidizing particle bed in the case of hygroscopic porous particle facilitated the drying regardless of pressure and temperature in the drying chamber. The increment degree of the sample temperature at the earlier period of drying was smaller in the case of hygroscopic porous particle than in the case of inert particle, and the phenomenon was more remarkable in the case of superheated steam than in the case of hot air.     

Drying Characteristics of Coriander Seed Particles in a Reduced Pressure Superheated Steam Fluidized Bed

Drying characteristics of coriander seed particles were experimentally analyzed in a reduced pressure superheated steam fluidized bed. The typical moisture gain, reported in some other studies during the warm-up period of the process, was reduced in most of the cases by supplying additional heat into the column. The experimental results demonstrated that the drying rate increases and the equilibrium moisture content decreases by increasing the operating temperature. However, variation of the operating pressure (40–67 kPa) and the superficial steam velocity (2.3–4.0 m/s) did not present significant effects on the moisture contents. The degree of superheating was found to be the most important parameter for the process. The experiments also showed that the equilibrium moisture content decreases upon increasing the degree of superheating. Finally, employing a reduced pressure superheated steam fluidized bed appears as an option to carry out drying processes at relatively lower temperatures.     

Drying of Pepper Seed Particles in a Superheated Steam Fluidized Bed Operating at Reduced Pressure

A series of drying experiments was performed in a reduced-pressure superheated steam fluidized bed, employing pepper seed particles and some novel data were obtained. Experiments were carried out using different chamber pressures (40–67 kPa), temperatures (90–122°C), steam velocities (2.35–4.10 m/s), and mass flow rates (0.0049–0.0134 kg/s). In the majority of the experiments, the moisture gain observed in some other studies in the warm-up period of the process was prevented through some supplementary heat provided to the column. The drying rate was found to be increasing by operating temperature; however, it was not affected much by the superficial gas velocity and the operating pressure. Nevertheless, the reduced pressure operation increases the degree of superheating that appears as the most important parameter of the process. The experimental results showed that the equilibrium moisture content decreases by the increasing degree of superheating. On the other hand, the critical moisture content assumes higher values for the greater degrees of superheating. It was concluded that a relatively lower temperature process can be achieved through a reduced-pressure superheated steam fluidized bed.     

Quality Changes of Superheated Steam–Dried Fibers from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches

Conventional drying of the fibers from oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) using flue gas from diesel burners frequently causes browning and dust explosion. Replacing the drying medium with superheated steam is expected to improve the quality of EFB fibers as well as improve the safety of the dryer operation. In this study, the effects of steam temperature and steam velocity on the quality of steam–dried EFB fibers was investigated. The drying experiment was carried out at atmospheric pressure with steam superficial velocity in the range of 0.3 to 0.49 m s^?1 and temperature in the range of 135 to 200°C. Three quality parameters of the EFB fibers, the color, strength, and microstructure, were used to assess the changes in EFB fiber quality as a result of superheated steam drying. The color of the EFB fiber was either improved or not significantly degraded. The strength of the superheated steam–dried EFB fibers was higher than that of undried and hot air–dried EFB fibers. The microstructure of fresh undried EFB fibers as seen by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed the presence of round silica particles of 10–20 µm in diameter all over the EFB fiber strand, which complicates pulping and bleaching. Superheated steam drying successfully removed the silica particles from the EFB fibers at temperatures of at least 200°C and a velocity of steam of at most 0.49 m s^?1, which is better than hammering, which can only remove 88% of the silica particles. The high temperature of the superheated steam loosened the silica particles from their craters. The EFB fibers cracked and split at steam velocities at or above 0.49 m s^?1 and high superheated steam temperatures at or above 200°C and as a consequence became weaker at these conditions. The removal of silica particles by superheated steam drying makes the EFB fiber amenable to pulping and bleaching. Superheated steam drying is therefore found to improve the overall quality of EFB fibers compared to hot air drying.     

DRYING OF SLICED RAW POTATOES IN SUPERHEATED STEAM AND HOT AIR

Drying experiments were conducted on raw potato slices, using atmospheric pressure superheated steam and hot air as drying media at 170 and 240°C. Mass changes of the material were continuously measured, the conditions of cross section near the surfaces were observed with an electron microscope, also color changes of their surface were measured during drying. The respective drying methods and temperature conditions were compared and it was found that, in the case of superheated steam drying, moisture content temporarily increases due to steam condensation in the initial stage of drying, therewith, as well as starch gelatinization rapidly develops. Meanwhile, in case of hot air drying, starch gelatinization occurs more slowly than with superheated steam drying and that non-gelatinized starch granules remain on the surface when drying was completed. Furthermore, surface color measurements showed that samples dried by superheated steam were more reddish than ones dried by hot air and the surfaces were more glossy, because no starch granules remain on the surface in case of superheated steam drying.     

DRYING RATE AND TEMPERATURE PROFILE FOR SUPERHEATED STEAM VACUUM DRYING AND MOIST AIR DRYING OF SOFTWOOD LUMBER

Abstract

Two charges of green radiata pine sapwood lumber were dried, either using superheated steam under vacuum (90°C, 0.2 bar abs.) or conventionally using hot moist air (90/60°C). Due to low density of the drying medium under vacuum, the circulation velocity used was 10 m/s for superheated steam drying and 5.0 m/s for moist air drying, and in both cases, the flow was unidirectional. In drying, stack drying rate and wood temperatures were measured to examine the differences between the superheated steam drying and drying using hot moist air.

The experimental results have shown that the stack edge board in superheated steam drying dried faster than in the hot moist air drying. Once again due to the low density of the steam under vacuum, a prolonged maximum temperature drop across load (TDAL) was observed in the superheated steam drying, however, the whole stack dried slower and the final moisture content distribution was more variable than for conventional hot moist air drying. Wood temperatures in superheated steam drying were lower.     

Drying Kinetics and Quality of Shrimp Undergoing Different Two-Stage Drying Processes

Abstract

An innovative two-stage drying concept is presented in this article. The work considered drying of shrimp using a superheated steam dryer followed by a heat pump (SSD/HPD) or a hot air dryer (SSD/AD) both from drying kinetics and dried product quality points of view. The experiments were performed using the first-stage superheated steam drying temperature of 140°C while the second-stage heat pump drying (or hot air drying) was performed at 50°C. The moisture content of shrimp at the end of the superheated steam drying stage was varied between 30 and 40% (w.b.). The effect of tempering between SSD/HPD was also investigated. Shrinkage, color, rehydration behavior, texture (toughness and hardness), and microstructure of dried shrimp were measured. The results showed that SSD/HPD dried shrimp had much lower degree of shrinkage, higher degree of rehydration, better color, less tough and softer, and more porous than single-stage SSD dried shrimp. It was also found that SSD/AD gave redder shrimp compared to shrimp dried in a single-stage superheated steam dryer. No improvement in terms of shrinkage and rehydration behavior was observed, however.     

Drying of soy sauce residue in superheated steam at atmospheric pressure

Soy sauce residue needs drying to avoid fermentation and oxidation during storage and transportation, and its reutilization as a useful resource is expected. Superheated steam drying was applied to investigate the effects of drying conditions on the drying characteristics and the content changes of salt and protein. The results showed that the inversion temperature was about 130°C, beyond which superheated steam drying was faster than hot air-drying. The drying time approaching equilibrium moisture content was reduced with elevated drying temperature as well as higher steam mass flow rate in the present experimental conditions. The effect of bed thickness on drying time was not obvious when drying temperature increased. Interestingly, the salt content of soy sauce residue could be decreased by 34.8% due to condensate water in the initial drying period (wetting), while protein content had no significant loss (p?相似文献   

DRYING OF SLICED RAW POTATOES IN SUPERHEATED STEAM AND HOT AIR

Drying experiments were conducted on raw potato slices, using atmospheric pressure superheated steam and hot air as drying media at 170 and 240°C. Mass changes of the material were continuously measured, the conditions of cross section near the surfaces were observed with an electron microscope, also color changes of their surface were measured during drying. The respective drying methods and temperature conditions were compared and it was found that, in the case of superheated steam drying, moisture content temporarily increases due to steam condensation in the initial stage of drying, therewith, as well as starch gelatinization rapidly develops. Meanwhile, in case of hot air drying, starch gelatinization occurs more slowly than with superheated steam drying and that non-gelatinized starch granules remain on the surface when drying was completed. Furthermore, surface color measurements showed that samples dried by superheated steam were more reddish than ones dried by hot air and the surfaces were more glossy, because no starch granules remain on the surface in case of superheated steam drying.     

A practical CFD modeling approach to estimate outlet boundary conditions of industrial multistage spray dryers: Inert particle flow field investigation

Industrial multistage spray drying systems often have limited in situ process measurements to provide sufficient information for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the primary drying chamber. In this case study on the spray dryer at Davis Dairy Plant (South Dakota State University), uncertainties were encountered in specifying the outlet boundary conditions of the spray drying chamber with two outlets: the side outlet and the bottom outlet leading to the second stage external vibrating bed. Using the available data on the vacuum pressure of the chamber, a numerical framework was introduced to approximate suitable outlet boundary conditions for the drying chamber. The procedure involved analyzing the ratio of the airflow rate between the two outlets and using a pseudo-tracer inert particle injection analysis. The goal of this approach was to determine a suitable range of outlet vacuum pressure that will lead to realistic particle movement behaviors during the actual plant operation. The protocol developed here will be a useful tool for CFD modeling of large scale multistage spray drying systems.

Abbreviations: ARC: Australian Research Council; CFD: Computational Fluid Dynamics; FFT: Fast Fourier Transform; MCC: Micellar Casein Concentrate; PRESTO: Pressure Staggering Option; SDSU: South Dakota State University; SIMPLE: Semi???Impilicit Method for Pressure Linked Equations; WPC: Whey Protein Concentrate     

Superheated Steam Regeneration of a Desiccant Wheel—Experimental Results and Comparison with Air Regeneration

A commercial zeolite desiccant wheel is tested with atmospheric pressure superheated steam regeneration over a range of air inlet conditions, steam inlet temperatures, and wheel rotation speeds. Results are compared with those from high-temperature air regeneration experiments on the same wheel obtained from the literature. For both cases the air stream to be dried was relatively hot and moist with inlet temperature and absolute humidity values of 50°C and 25 g · kg^?1 chosen to reduce heat carryover. Using steam at 160°C to regenerate the wheel leads to the same dehumidification as using hot air at approximately 90°C. The benefit of superheated steam drying is that a nearly closed-loop regeneration process can be used with potential energy savings on the order of 30%.     

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.     

Attrition of Victorian brown coal during drying in a fluidized bed

Analyzing the attrition of Victorian brown coal during air and steam fluidized bed drying, the change in particle size distribution over a range of initial moisture contents (60% to 0%) and residence times (0 to 60 minutes) was determined. Dried at a temperature of 130°C with a fluidization velocity 0.55 m/s and an initial particle size of 0.5–1.2 mm, both fluidization mediums show a shift in the particle size distribution between three and four minutes of fluidization, with a decrease in mean particle size from 665 µm to around 560 µm. Using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the change in particle size has been attributed to the transition between bulk and non-freezable water (approximately 55% moisture loss) and can be linked to the removal of adhesion water, but not to fluidization effects. This is proved through the comparison of air fluidized bed drying, steam fluidized bed drying, and fixed bed drying—the fixed bed drying is being used to determine the particle size distribution as a function of drying. The results show the three drying methods produce similar particle size distributions, indicating that both fluidization and fluidization medium have no impact upon the particle size distribution at short residence times around ten minutes. The cumulative particle size distribution for air and steam fluidized bed dried coal has been modeled using the equation P_d = A₂ + (A₁ ? A₂)/(1 + (d/x₀)^p), with the resultant equations predicting the effects of moisture content on the particle size distribution. Analyzing the effect of longer residence times of 30 and 60 minutes, the particle size distribution for steam fluidized bed dried coal remains the same, while air fluidized bed dried coal has a greater proportion of smaller particles.     

Measurement of constant drying rate of wet material placed in a fluidized bed of inert particles under reduced pressure

The objective of this study is to estimate the drying characteristics of a relatively large material immersed in a fluidized bed under reduced pressure by measuring the constant drying rate. The constant drying-rate period in a fluidized bed under reduced pressure is difficult to measure because it is extremely short. To maintain the constant drying-rate period, distilled water is directly supplied to the drying material. Through our experiment, the heat transfer coefficient of the material surface was also determined. The results were compared with data on hot air drying. The constant drying rate is higher for fluidized bed drying than for hot air drying. It suggests that the heat transfer coefficient on the surface of the drying material is much larger for fluidized bed drying than for hot air drying. For fluidized bed drying, the effect of pressure in the drying chamber on the heat transfer coefficient is slight at the same normalized mass velocity of dry air (G/G_mf). The temperature difference between the inside of the drying chamber and the drying material is much smaller for fluidized bed drying than for hot air drying. The constant drying rate increases as the pressure in the drying chamber decreases.     

Drying Kinetics of Instant Asian Noodles Processed in Superheated Steam

The objective for this work was to develop a novel technique for creating instant noodles by determining the drying kinetics of noodles undergoing simultaneous drying and processing using superheated steam. The mathematical model of moisture ratio was differentiated to determine the drying rates of noodles during processing. There was a constant rate drying period for all temperatures at a steam velocity of 1.5 m/s but there was no constant rate drying period at a steam velocity of 0.5 m/s. The constant rate drying period suggested by measurement of internal noodle temperature is much longer and well defined for all processing conditions than from the drying curves. The constant drying rate period, was nearly 200 s at 110°C but decreased to 50 s at 150°C. Equilibrium moisture content isobars were determined from mass changes during superheated steam processing. It was determined that isotherm equations for equilibrium moisture content in hot air systems may be utilized to model isobars in superheated steam systems.     

An optimization model of the operating costs of a fluidized bed steam‐drying plant

A model is developed to determine an optimum apparatus geometry and, for given apparatus dimensions, a financially optimal fluidized bed height. The parameters that effect the operating costs are the bed mass, the apparatus diameter and the gas mass flow rate. To implement such cost optimization, a physics‐based mathematical model for describing the thermodynamic processes in fluidized bed steam‐drying is briefly explained and presented. The most important conclusion is not to operate the fluidized bed for a drying process below a certain minimum cost, calculated with the help of the modelling. The problem, when describing the drying process and consequently the mass transfer, is that in the superheated steam drying case studied here, water is evaporated as moisture and withdrawn into an atmosphere of vapor water.     

Mathematical Modeling of the Coupled Transport Phenomena and Color Development: Finish Drying of Trellis-Dried Sultanas

A mathematical model for simulation of simultaneous heat and mass transport was developed to describe the drying kinetics during finish drying of trellis-dried sultanas. In this model, the governing partial differential equations for heat and mass transfer for a solid spherical body were numerically solved using a finite difference technique. In addition, a kinetic model was coupled to the heat and mass transfer calculations to simultaneously predict the evolution of product color during the drying process. This allows predictions of moisture content, temperature, and color profiles of the product in a space–time domain during the drying process as a function of various operating conditions.

Predictions compared well with the experimental values, implying that the proposed numerical model can be used with confidence for the simulation of the important transport phenomena in optimizing the design and operation of a drying system for sultanas that maximizes the retention of the desired product color. The work has demonstrated the importance of establishing optimal and closely controlled drying conditions because significant effects of the key operational parameters on drying kinetics and the associated changes of product color were found. The modeling approach proposed here can be extended to other products and for incorporation of other product quality indices.     

Energy Analysis of Low-Rank Coal Pre-Drying Power Generation Systems

Low-rank coal (LRC) is widely used for power generation in many regions of the world. However, due to the high moisture content of LRC, the overall efficiency of LRC-fired power plants without a pre-drying system is relatively low. Studies show that the overall efficiency can be improved by pre-drying the coal, and the fluidized bed drying technique is found to be a desirable choice because of its high drying rate, high processing capacity, and low maintenance cost. In this paper, two novel, fluidized-bed, LRC pre-drying systems were integrated into a 1000 MW LRC-fired power plant. Superheated steam and hot air were used as the fluidizing medium. Models for each component of these power generation systems were developed based on material and energy balances. The performances of these power plants were calculated under the typical operating conditions, and parametric analyses were also performed to evaluate the effect of operating parameters. The power generation efficiency is found to increase remarkably with a properly operated LRC pre-drying system.     

Drying Kinetics and Quality of Shrimp Undergoing Different Two-Stage Drying Processes

An innovative two-stage drying concept is presented in this article. The work considered drying of shrimp using a superheated steam dryer followed by a heat pump (SSD/HPD) or a hot air dryer (SSD/AD) both from drying kinetics and dried product quality points of view. The experiments were performed using the first-stage superheated steam drying temperature of 140°C while the second-stage heat pump drying (or hot air drying) was performed at 50°C. The moisture content of shrimp at the end of the superheated steam drying stage was varied between 30 and 40% (w.b.). The effect of tempering between SSD/HPD was also investigated. Shrinkage, color, rehydration behavior, texture (toughness and hardness), and microstructure of dried shrimp were measured. The results showed that SSD/HPD dried shrimp had much lower degree of shrinkage, higher degree of rehydration, better color, less tough and softer, and more porous than single-stage SSD dried shrimp. It was also found that SSD/AD gave redder shrimp compared to shrimp dried in a single-stage superheated steam dryer. No improvement in terms of shrinkage and rehydration behavior was observed, however.