THE INFLUENCE OF POLARIZATION ON THE MICROWAVE DRYING PROCESS OF SHELLED CORN

ABSTRACT

In this paper the effect of electromagnetic polarization of the microwave field on drying of shelled corn was analyzed. The drying process was investigated in a microwave field of 2.45 GHz. A number of corn kernels with the same orientation were stocked on plastic plates and these plates with corn kernels on their surfaces were fixed to each other, creating the corn matrixes. Plastic plates and glue used to the experiments were inert, related to the applied microwave power. By rotating test materials the influence of different polarization angles of electromagnetic field could be registered. Furthermore, setting test material in different positions the effect of distance between the antenna and the corn matrix were observed

The experiments carried out showed that in moist crops placed in microwave field ion polarization is dominant and the drying rate depends on relationship between the electric field strength vector and the overall moisture gradient in the kernel.     

THE INFLUENCE OF POLARIZATION ON THE MICROWAVE DRYING PROCESS OF SHELLED CORN

In this paper the effect of electromagnetic polarization of the microwave field on drying of shelled corn was analyzed. The drying process was investigated in a microwave field of 2.45 GHz. A number of corn kernels with the same orientation were stocked on plastic plates and these plates with corn kernels on their surfaces were fixed to each other, creating the corn matrixes. Plastic plates and glue used to the experiments were inert, related to the applied microwave power. By rotating test materials the influence of different polarization angles of electromagnetic field could be registered. Furthermore, setting test material in different positions the effect of distance between the antenna and the corn matrix were observed

The experiments carried out showed that in moist crops placed in microwave field ion polarization is dominant and the drying rate depends on relationship between the electric field strength vector and the overall moisture gradient in the kernel.     

Early-age elastic properties of cement-based materials as a function of decreasing moisture content

The moisture content is of particular relevance in cement-based materials, as it has a strong impact on their fundamental material properties. For example, it directly affects their strength and elastic properties, which in turn are closely related to volumetric deformations and cracking susceptibility. This paper investigates the influence of the decreasing moisture content on the elastic properties at early-ages, when the material properties are still developing simultaneously to the drying process. Mortar mixtures containing either Portland cement or cement blended with slag were specifically designed to halt the hydration at predefined stages without altering the microstructure or promoting further hydration during drying (equivalent systems). The elastic modulus of the equivalent mortars as a function of the moisture content is measured through resonant ultrasound spectroscopy. At early age the elastic modulus remained constant during drying, while at later ages a steady reduction was observed as a function of the decreasing relative humidity.     

Capillary forces - modeling and application in particulate technology

Properties and behaviour of solid particulate systems can be substantially controlled by capillary forces, above all, their flow behaviour, agglomeration and moisture retention. In this paper, at first the capillary binding forces in dependence on the essential variables are briefly discussed, after this the liquid retention in bulk materials and strength models for moist particulate systems. Further on, the modeling of the flow properties of moist bulk materials and the pelletization of granular materials are dealt with.     

Rehydration of Dehydrated Foods

Dehydrated products readily take up moisture when immersed in a liquid medium, leading to significant changes in their thermophysical properties. The rehydration kinetics, the structural properties (apparent density, true density, specific volume and internal porosity), the viscoelastic behavior (compression tests), and the flavor losses were investigated during rehydration of various fruits and vegetables. The effect of temperature on the above properties was also investigated for some fruits and vegetables dehydrated by different drying methods (convective, vacuum, freeze, and osmotic drying). The results showed that the water temperature influences the rehydration kinetics and the equilibrium moisture content of the rehydrated. The structural properties of rehydrated foods appear to show a hysteresis compared to those measured during dehydration processes. The shrinkage that takes place during dehydration prevents rehydration and produces products with lower apparent density and higher porosity. Structural damages that occur during drying seem to affect also the viscoelastic behavior of the rehydrated foods and the hysteresis phenomenon is also observed at the textural properties, with a degree varying between the different drying methods. More specifically, freeze-dried materials present the highest hysteresis after rehydration, losing their elasticity and becoming more viscous. Osmotic pretreatment seems to help freeze-dried materials to keep their elastic nature probably due to solids gain. Air- and vacuum-dried materials showed the smallest hysteresis tense, keeping their viscoelastic characteristics during rehydration close to those of dried materials. Flavor losses seem to have lower rates during rehydration comparing to those observed during drying. The maximum retention of flavor has been observed in the rehydrated products after freeze-drying, and flavor levels are close to those observed for fresh boiled foods.     

Modeling of Diffusion in Capillary Porous Materials During the Drying Process

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a model of heterogenous diffusion in capillary porous materials during the process of drying. The governing heat and mass transfer equations have been established using the liquid as well as vapor flow. Two models have been presented. Model 1 does not consider the heat conduction while the model 2 has been established by considering the conduction. The developed models and the numerical solutions of the resulting differential equations can take into account the moisture and temperature dependent thermophysical properties of the product. All equations have been established in spherical coordinates but the programme written for the purpose of calculations can be used for other geometries also. Numerical calculations have been performed for gas concrete and tiles using model 1, while model 2 has been used for gas concrete only because of the lack of data for thermophysical properties of the tile. For gas concrete it was seen that conduction has only marginal effect on the drying process and the numerical predictions of the drying process were reasonably accurate.     

转筒干燥器工艺计算顺序及参数优选

针对磷肥和磷复肥以及其他物料干燥工序常用的转筒干燥器暴露的设计问题,阐述了工艺计算之前应掌握的原始数据.介绍了工艺计算顺序及参数优选,认为许多物料的干燥都应考虑其预热段的容积;转筒干燥器的水分蒸发强度须在流体力学相似和热工条件相似的工况下选用;由于进料口处有漏风,因此热风炉至转筒干燥器的进气口处应设置低压热风机,才能达到预期的水分蒸发强度,这对燃煤热风炉尤为重要.     

Modeling of Diffusion in Capillary Porous Materials During the Drying Process

This paper presents a model of heterogenous diffusion in capillary porous materials during the process of drying. The governing heat and mass transfer equations have been established using the liquid as well as vapor flow. Two models have been presented. Model 1 does not consider the heat conduction while the model 2 has been established by considering the conduction. The developed models and the numerical solutions of the resulting differential equations can take into account the moisture and temperature dependent thermophysical properties of the product. All equations have been established in spherical coordinates but the programme written for the purpose of calculations can be used for other geometries also. Numerical calculations have been performed for gas concrete and tiles using model 1, while model 2 has been used for gas concrete only because of the lack of data for thermophysical properties of the tile. For gas concrete it was seen that conduction has only marginal effect on the drying process and the numerical predictions of the drying process were reasonably accurate.     

A Method of Determination of Concentration Dependent Effective Moisture Diffusivity

ABSTRACT

A method based on Fourier series solution to Fick's diffusion equation has been proposed to evaluate effective diffusivity (D) as a function of moisture content in agricultural materials undergoing shrinkage during drying process. The shrinkage kinetics of the particulate was used to correlate its instantaneous size (spherical equivalent diameter) as a function of material moisture content A computer program was used to evaluate D based on shrinkage kinetics and experimental drying data and relate it to moisture content. The method was used to obtain moisture diffusivity data for thin layer drying of grape and corn.     

A Simulation Model for Heat Pump Dryer Plants for Fruits and Roots.

ABSTRACT

Dryer design requires food properties, drying rate and mass-heat transfer coefficients. These values change continuously during drying due to changes in food fractions, particularly the water fraction. The high energy demand and costs allied to inefficient devices, creates a great need for new processing equipment. Along these guide-lines, several heat pump drying research projects were established at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The heat pump dryer provides high quality final product as its drying conditions can be controlled. Its efficiency and non-polluting operation come from closed air-refrigerant circuits and from its ability to fully recover the latent heat of moist air as it exits the drying chamber. Most of the above features are quite the opposite of the conventional dryer characteristics. Several experiments were made on heat pump drying of fruits and roots at temperatures from -22.5 to 40°C to obtain data and correlations on thermophysical properties, specific enthalpy and rehydration. Also, tests were done on drying rate, moisture content, drying constant, effective mass diffusivity and heat and mass transfer equations. The next important phase is the development of a simulation model to predict the performance and characteristics of the heat pump dryer plant. The objectives of the present work are to develop and lo test a heat pump dryer simulation model. The simulation provides results on the characteristics of both plant and components which are integrated by heat and mass transfer equations. The program has menus with click-on icons, input and output pop-up dialogue boxes. The usual commands such as, file-open, file-save, edit-delete are available in this program simply called Hpdryer. The model contains moist air psychrometric. natural and conventional refrigerant property libraries. Ammonia is a time-tested, self-alarming and natural refrigerant. It has been used extensively in the past, and it has better thermodynamic and transport properties than halocarbons. Safety is easily attained by design and its restrictive standards have helped increase its use in several countries. There are 36 ammonia installations in Norway and in the United Kingdom, including a drying plant. Ammonia has zero Odp, zero Gwp and the recent R&D has led to viable small-sale heat pump plants. Ammonia and dichlarodifluoromethane refrigerants were used in the test cases simulated by Hpdryer madel.     

A Simulation Model for Heat Pump Dryer Plants for Fruits and Roots.

Dryer design requires food properties, drying rate and mass-heat transfer coefficients. These values change continuously during drying due to changes in food fractions, particularly the water fraction. The high energy demand and costs allied to inefficient devices, creates a great need for new processing equipment. Along these guide-lines, several heat pump drying research projects were established at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The heat pump dryer provides high quality final product as its drying conditions can be controlled. Its efficiency and non-polluting operation come from closed air-refrigerant circuits and from its ability to fully recover the latent heat of moist air as it exits the drying chamber. Most of the above features are quite the opposite of the conventional dryer characteristics. Several experiments were made on heat pump drying of fruits and roots at temperatures from -22.5 to 40°C to obtain data and correlations on thermophysical properties, specific enthalpy and rehydration. Also, tests were done on drying rate, moisture content, drying constant, effective mass diffusivity and heat and mass transfer equations. The next important phase is the development of a simulation model to predict the performance and characteristics of the heat pump dryer plant. The objectives of the present work are to develop and lo test a heat pump dryer simulation model. The simulation provides results on the characteristics of both plant and components which are integrated by heat and mass transfer equations. The program has menus with click-on icons, input and output pop-up dialogue boxes. The usual commands such as, file-open, file-save, edit-delete are available in this program simply called Hpdryer. The model contains moist air psychrometric. natural and conventional refrigerant property libraries. Ammonia is a time-tested, self-alarming and natural refrigerant. It has been used extensively in the past, and it has better thermodynamic and transport properties than halocarbons. Safety is easily attained by design and its restrictive standards have helped increase its use in several countries. There are 36 ammonia installations in Norway and in the United Kingdom, including a drying plant. Ammonia has zero Odp, zero Gwp and the recent R&D has led to viable small-sale heat pump plants. Ammonia and dichlarodifluoromethane refrigerants were used in the test cases simulated by Hpdryer madel.     

BOUND MOISTURE REMOVAL: HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER IN CONTACT DRYING

ABSTRACT

Coupled heat and mass transfer in short-term contact of the moist material and the heating surface (the physical model of drying with agitation) is examined. Technological characteristics of the drying process: heating rate and drying rate, heat transfer coefficient, etc. have been determined based on solutions of the diffusion and diffusion-filtration heat and mass transfer. The usage of non-field method of determination of mass and heat fluxes on the phase interface allows calculation of the drying equipment efficiency without preliminary determination of the fields of required quantities. The results may be used for estimation of the influence of drying conditions and material properties on the moisture removal process.     

Compressive characteristics of cellular solids produced using vacuum-microwave, freeze, vacuum and hot air dehydration methods

Dried cellular solids were produced using different hydrocolloids such as locust bean gum, low methoxy pectin, methyl cellulose and tapioca starch. They were dried to less than 5% (w.b) moisture content using freeze-drying, vacuum drying, vacuum microwave drying or air-drying methods. The dry cellular solids were subjected to uniaxial compression using a Texture analyzer to study the compressive characteristics. True stress–strain relationship curves were developed for the dry cellular solids produced by different drying methods. Hencky’s strain was calculated for true strain. Comparisons of samples dried by different drying methods were done in terms of their compressive characteristics at various water activities. No matter the type of drying, the dried materials were brittle at low water activity, plastic at medium water activity and elastomeric at higher water activity levels. Due to non-uniformity in air-dried samples and more closed pores in vacuum dried samples as well as less mechanical strength, these two were considered inferior for production of strong elastomeric foams. Microwave vacuum dried foams were mechanically the strongest. All the microwave vacuum dried samples were close in their Young’s modulus. Increases in microwave power did not make any appreciable changes in pore structures although higher microwave power levels resulted in faster drying.     

Effect of a change in the temperature of the drying agent on the heat treatment of a material

The process of heat and substance transfer between phases in drying a material is considered and ways to in tensify the internal transfer are indicated. The nature of the dependence of the temperature of the drying agent and the moist material at various points chosen for calculation on the technological parameters of the process is discussed. The method gives the effect of the independent variables of the process on the temperature of the used-up drying agent and the moisture content of the moist material. A control system that allows for a change in the energy stored by the lining of the furnace and the gas duct for automatic optimum adjustment of the regulator of the temperature of the drying agent is described.     

BOUND MOISTURE REMOVAL: HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER IN CONTACT DRYING

Coupled heat and mass transfer in short-term contact of the moist material and the heating surface (the physical model of drying with agitation) is examined. Technological characteristics of the drying process: heating rate and drying rate, heat transfer coefficient, etc. have been determined based on solutions of the diffusion and diffusion-filtration heat and mass transfer. The usage of non-field method of determination of mass and heat fluxes on the phase interface allows calculation of the drying equipment efficiency without preliminary determination of the fields of required quantities. The results may be used for estimation of the influence of drying conditions and material properties on the moisture removal process.     

Some Considerations In Simulation Of Superheated Steam Drying Of Softwood Lumber

ABSTRACT

A mathematical model for high-temperature drying of softwood lumber with moist air has been modified and extended to simulate wood drying with superheated steam. In the simulation, differences between the two types of drying are considered, these include: external heat and mass transfer processes and calculation of equilibrium moisture content. The external mass transfer coefficient in the perheated steam drying was found to be much higher than that in the moist air drying, however, the heat ransfer coefficients for these two cases were of the same order. The predicted drying curves and wood temperatures from the superheated steam drying model were compared with experimental data and there was close agreement. Further studies will apply the model to development of commercial drying schedules for wood drying with superheated steam.     

Drying with Internal Vaporisation : Introducing the Concept of Identity Drying Card (IDC)

ABSTRACT

Different drying configurations (convective drying with moist air and superheated steam, microwave drying and vacuum drying) on different materials (isotropic and anisotropic) were experimentally studied in order to model and visualise the evolution of internal pressure and temperature. To be able to do so, in addition to measuring the average moisture, a method which can determine internal-local pressure and temperature simultanously by using specially designed sensors was developed. In combination with the experiments, the numerical code TRANSPORE has been used to simulate drying processes. A less comprehensive but more comprehensible analytical model was also provided to facilitate the better understanding of internal phenomena. Based on the results gained from measurement and numerical analysis, the dynamic distribution and development of local temperature and pressure inside seasoned medium are coupled together by a temperature-pressure graph, which is herewith called “Identity Drying Card” (IDC), a new concept initialid in the paper. By using IDC, the internal profile of temperature and pressure, the dominant transport properties (penncability and difisivity), the mechanism of transport (diffusion, convection or both) and the phase transitions during drying can be visualised. More specifically, the amount of dry air, the moisture content in the hygroscopic rcgion or the danger due to internal mechanical loads of handled materials can be figured out with the aid of IDC.     

THE EFFECT OF MECHANICAL PRESSURE ON THE IMBIBITIONAL AND DRYING PROPERTIES OF SOME CERAMIC CLAYS,I*

A number of ceramic clays in the plastic condition were held between water-permeable pistons under mechanical pressure of from 200 to 20,000 pounds per square inch in contact with water at atmospheric pressure until equilibrium was reached; the water in the pistons was removed by compressed air, the pressure released. and the moisture content, density, drying shrinkage, and other properties of the clays determined. In every case, the moisture content and drying shrinkage decreased with increasing pressure and with some clays at high pressures expansion occurred on drying. Rather complete data are given for a number of clays and their theoretical and practical significance is discussed.     

Stress and Failure Prediction for the Drying, Tempering, and Cooling of Extruded Durum Semolina

This work presents a method to predict the stress and breakage that is caused by the drying of hygros-copic materials. Stresses were predicted for a viscoclasic cylinder with the properties of extruded durum semolina, or pasta noodles. The stresses were calculated as functions of the transient moisture and tem-perature gradients in the material which were predicted for the combined processes of drying, tempering,and cooling. The time and radial position of failure were predicted based on failure data for extruded semolina.

Isotherm data for extruded durum semolina were obtained for temperatures from 40 to 60°C and for relative humidities from 75 to 95%. The results were fit with a modified form of Henderson's equation.Thermal conductivities were measured for temperatures from 30 to 50°C and a moisture range of 12 to 27% (dry basis).

A drying model based on the principles of irreversible thermodynamics; (Fortes, 1978; Fortes and Okos, 1981a, 1981b) was used to successfully predict drying curves for a range of experimental conditions. Transient moisture and temperature profiles were calculated numerically, and a receding evapora-tion front was predicted to exist. Drying was predicted to be a coupled liquid, vapor, and heat transport phenomena.

The drying data were used in a stress analysis of a Maxwell viscoelastic cylinder to predict trends in stress development under various contiitions of combined drying, tempering, and cooling. High temperature-high humidity drying, HTHH, (lOO°C, 65% RH) was compared with low temperature-low humidity drying, LTLH, (53°C, 13% RH). The HTHH drying offered definite advantages in terms of reduced product breakage susceptibility. The reasons for those advantages were increased failure strength and a decreased moisture gradient at the end of drying. In a five-stage drying process, the cooling stage was shown to have a significant impact on the predicted levels of stress and on the strength of the extruded material. Analysis of the model suggested that gradual temperature and humidity transitions from stage to stage in multistage processes were important to product quality.