THE INFLUENCE OF THE DRYING MEDIUM ON HIGH TEMPERATURE CONVECTIVE DRYING OF SINGLE WOOD CHIPS

ABSTRACT

High temperature convective drying of single wood chips with air and superheated steam respectively is studied theoretically. The two-dimensional model presented describes the coupled transport of water, vapour, air and heat. Transport mechanisms included are the convection of gas and liquid, intergas as well as bound water diffusion. In the initial part of the drying process, moisture is transported to the surface mainly due to capillary forces in the transversal direction where evaporation occurs, As the surface becomes dry, the drying front moves towards the centre of the particle and an overpressure is simultaneously built up which affects the drying process

The differences between drying in air and steam respectively can be assigned to the physical properties of the drying medium. The period of constant drying rate which does not exist (or is very short) in air drying becomes more significant with decreasing amounts of air in the drying medium and is clearly visible in Dure superheated steam drying. The maximal drying rate is larger in air drying, and shorter drying times are obtained since the heat flux to the wood chip particle increases with increasing amounts of air in the drying medium. The period of falling drying rate can be divided into two parts: in the first, the drying rate is dependent upon the humidity of the drying medium whereas in the second, there is no such correlation.     

THE RELEASE OF MONOTERPENES DURING CONVECTIVE DRYING OF WOOD CHIPS

ABSTRACT

The release of volatile organic components (VOC) during high temperature convective drying of wood chips was studied experimentally and theoretically. The drying medium was superheated steam with a pressure of two bar. Two different temperature levels of the drying medium, 160 and 180 °C, and two different materials, Scots Pine and Norway Spruce, were investigated. It was found that the main components released consist of various types of monoterpenes, with α-pinene dominating in each of the two materials. The amount released is dependent on the drying temperature as well as the time of the drying process.

In order to describe the release rate of monoterpenes during drying, two separate models, called the communicating and the non-communicating model respectively, were developed. The mechanisms included for the transport of monoterpenes are, in the communicating model, transport by diffusion and with the advective gas and liquid flow within the tracheids and, in the non-communicating model, diffusion within the resin canal system.

The results obtained using the communicating model largely overpredict the experimental results. To avoid this rapid release, additional mass transfer resistance for the transport of monoterpenes between the two canal systems could be introduced. The non-communicating model was found to be useful in explaining the release rate when drying spruce. This model, however, can not distinguish between the two temperature levels studied.     

STEAM DRYING OF WOOD CHIPS IN PNEUMATIC CONVEYING DRYERS

A model for a pneumatic conveying dryer is presented. Although the main emphasis is put on superheated steam drying of wood chips, it can be used for other porous materials as well

The model includes a comprehensive two-dimensional model for the drying of single wood chips which accounts for the main physical mechanisms occurring in wood during drying. The external drying conditions in a pneumatic conveying dryer were calculated by applying the mass, heat and momentum equations for each incremental step in dryer length. A plug flow assumption was made for the dryer model and the single particle and dryer models were solved in an iterative manner. The non-spherical nature of wood chips were accounted for by measuring the drag and heat transfer coefficients

Model calculations illustrate the complex interactions between steam, particles and walls which occur in a flash dryer. The drying rate varies in a very complex manner through the dryer. The internal resistance to mass transfer becomes very important in The drying of less permeable wood species such as spruce. Two effects were observed as the particle size was increased: firstly the heat transfer rate decreased, and secondly the residence time increased. To some extent, these effects compensate for each other, however, the net result is that larger chips have a higher final moisture content.     

STEAM DRYING OF WOOD CHIPS IN PNEUMATIC CONVEYING DRYERS

ABSTRACT

A model for a pneumatic conveying dryer is presented. Although the main emphasis is put on superheated steam drying of wood chips, it can be used for other porous materials as well

The model includes a comprehensive two-dimensional model for the drying of single wood chips which accounts for the main physical mechanisms occurring in wood during drying. The external drying conditions in a pneumatic conveying dryer were calculated by applying the mass, heat and momentum equations for each incremental step in dryer length. A plug flow assumption was made for the dryer model and the single particle and dryer models were solved in an iterative manner. The non-spherical nature of wood chips were accounted for by measuring the drag and heat transfer coefficients

Model calculations illustrate the complex interactions between steam, particles and walls which occur in a flash dryer. The drying rate varies in a very complex manner through the dryer. The internal resistance to mass transfer becomes very important in The drying of less permeable wood species such as spruce. Two effects were observed as the particle size was increased: firstly the heat transfer rate decreased, and secondly the residence time increased. To some extent, these effects compensate for each other, however, the net result is that larger chips have a higher final moisture content.     

THE INFLUENCE OF DRYING MEDIUM,TEMPERATURE, AND TIME ON THE RELEASE OF MONOTERPENES DURING CONVECTIVE DRYING OF WOOD CHIPS

ABSTRACT

The release of volatile organic components (VOC) during the drying of wood chips was studied experimentally. The drying medium was hot dry air with a pressure of 1 bar and velocity of 1 m/s. Four different temperature levels of the drying medium, i.e., 120, 140, 160 and 180°C, and two different materials, Scots Pine and Norway Spruce, were investigated. It was found that the main components released consist of various types of monoterpenes, with α-pinene dominating in each of the two materials. The amount released is time-dependent, showing a maximum at shorter times. The release rate is more intensive at higher drying temperatures. The mass-balance for α-pinene was checked by comparing the amount present in the wood chip before and after drying with the amount obtained by integrating the release curve. A good agreement was obtained. Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope pictures were taken of both the spruce and pine chip in order to investigate differences in the wood structure before and after drying with air at 160°C. No obvious structural change could, however, be observed. The influence of the drying medium on the release rate of monoterpenes (air and superheated steam) was also studied. The results showed that the release rate was faster when drying with superheated steam.     

HIGH TEMPERATURE DRYING OF WOOD SEMI-INDUSTRIAL KILN EXPERIMENTS

We briefly introduce the main results obtained in our laboratory about high temperature drying kinetic of softwood and hardwood. We point out during drying the acceleration effect of pressure gradient in vapour phase which develops in the wood.

Then we give the main experimental results carried out on a small industrial kiln which can dry wood boards with moist air and superheated steam at high temperature till 180°C and velocity above to 6 m/s. The drying process is completely automated. Tested species are : beech, poplar, fir and maritime pine.

We show that the drying kinetics are almost the same using the industrial kiln or the wind tunnel and we define for different board thicknesses, temperatures and velocities the optimal sequences of the process. The influence on the quality of the pretreatment, the various drying periods and the post-steaming is of importance.     

PROTOTYPE HIGH TEMPERATURE/HIGH PRESSURE KILN FOR THE EVALUATION OF WOOD DRYING SCHEDULES

A new laboratory kiln was developed and built to perform over a very wide range of drying conditions. For example, the dry bulb temperature can vary from 30°C to 150°C and the dew point can be adjusted between 20°C and 130°C. Obviously, with such a high level of dew point, pressures over atmospheric pressure may be induced inside the chamber. For this reason, the kiln has been designed to withstand pressure of up to 3 bars. This kiln can also perform vacuum drying.

A programmable controller allows the temperature levels to be maintained within ± 0.2°C. Because the whole kiln can be heated only through the agitated water present at the bottom of the kiln, the load temperature can be increased up to 130°C in saturated conditions, without any change of moisture content.

The kiln has various sensors attached and is capable of withstanding severe conditions (high temperature, saturated vapour and elevated pressures). At present, air and water temperatures as well as temperature at different locations within the board can be collected during the drying process. A load cell and pressure gauges are also available. The first tests performed using this equipment are presented at the end of the paper.     

PROTOTYPE HIGH TEMPERATURE/HIGH PRESSURE KILN FOR THE EVALUATION OF WOOD DRYING SCHEDULES

ABSTRACT

A new laboratory kiln was developed and built to perform over a very wide range of drying conditions. For example, the dry bulb temperature can vary from 30°C to 150°C and the dew point can be adjusted between 20°C and 130°C. Obviously, with such a high level of dew point, pressures over atmospheric pressure may be induced inside the chamber. For this reason, the kiln has been designed to withstand pressure of up to 3 bars. This kiln can also perform vacuum drying.

A programmable controller allows the temperature levels to be maintained within ± 0.2°C. Because the whole kiln can be heated only through the agitated water present at the bottom of the kiln, the load temperature can be increased up to 130°C in saturated conditions, without any change of moisture content.

The kiln has various sensors attached and is capable of withstanding severe conditions (high temperature, saturated vapour and elevated pressures). At present, air and water temperatures as well as temperature at different locations within the board can be collected during the drying process. A load cell and pressure gauges are also available. The first tests performed using this equipment are presented at the end of the paper.     

INFLUENCE OF THE DRYING MEDIUM PARAMETERS ON DRYING INDUCED STRESSES

ABSTRACT

A thermomechanical model of drying of capillary-porous materials whose material constants depend on moisture content and temperature is presented in the paper. The finite element method is used for the solution of two-dimensional problem of convective drying of a prismatic bar. The moisture distributions, temperature distributions, drying induced strains and stresses for various drying medium parameters are determined. The effect of these parameters on moisture distribution and in particular on drying induced stresses is discussed.     

SUPERHEATED STEAM IMPINGEMENT DRYING OF TORTILLA CHIPS

ABSTRACT

Low-fat snack products are the driving forces for the drying of tortilla chips before frying. Super-heated steam impingement drying of foods has the advantage of improved energy efficiency and product quality. The temperature profile, drying curves, and the physical properties (shrinkage, crispiness, starch gelatinization and microstructure) of tortilla chips dried at different superheated steam temperatures and heat transfer coefficients were measured. Results indicated that the steam temperature had a greater effect on the drying curve than the heat transfer coefficient within the range of study. The microstructure of the samples after steam drying showed that higher steam temperature resulted in more pores and coarser appearance. The modulus of deformation and the shrinkage of tortilla chips correlated with moisture content. A higher steam temperature caused less shrinkage and a higher modulus of deformation. The pasting properties showed that samples dried under a higher steam temperature and a higher heat transfer coefficient gelatinized less during drying and had a higher ability to absorb water. Comparison of the superheated steam drying and air drying revealed that at elevated temperatures the superheated steam provided higher drying rates. Furthermore, there was a less starch gelatinization associated with air drying compared to superheated steam drying.     

THE INFLUENCE OF PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE ON THE KINETICS OF VACUUM DRYING OF KETOPROFEN

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the influence of temperature and pressure on drying kinetics of 2-(3-benzoylphenil propionic acid) ketoprofen, in a vacuum dryer on laboratory scale, Experimentally determined relations between moisture content and drying rate vs time, were approximated with an exponential model. Model parameters were correlated with drying conditions (temperature, pressure) and defined by functions of their potentions.

From an energy balance of the process, a mathematical model for simulating dependence of sample temperature vs drying time, and moisture content of material, has been developed.

Simulation of the drying kinetics and sample temperature, by use of those functional dependencies shows good agreement with experimental results.     

PA6切片连续气流干燥国产化技术的开发

分析了引进装置的ＰＡ６切片干燥工艺流程和设备的特点，介绍了巴陵石油化工设计院开发的３０ｔ／ｄＰＡ６切片连续气流干燥设备和工艺。该工艺采用了卧式脱水机和国产ＨＣ－１型脱氧催化剂及其他国产干燥设备，投产后切片含水达到０．０６％，符合高速纺丝要求，与进口设备相比节省投资约２／３。     

FRUIT AND VEGETABLE POWDERS PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY ON THE BASES OF SPRAY AND CONVECTIVE DRYING METHODS

ABSTRACT

The peculiarities of fruit and vegetable powders production technology based on spray & convective drying methods are shown.

The experimental data related to the drying kinetics of apple juice droplets as well as the production flow diagrams and the performance of a spray dryer intended for the treatment of hygroscopic pasty products are presented.     

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS OF BEET PULP DRYING IN SUPERHEATED STEAM UNDER PRESSURE

ABSTRACT

Beet pulp drying in superheated steam under pressure makes it possible to save energy in sugar factories. A new concept of a two-stage convective steam drier is presented. To obtain kinetic data on beet pulp drying, an experimental setup was built. Beet pulp samples were dried at steam pressure up to 4 bar and temperature up to 220° C.     

INFLUENCE OF PROCESS CONDITIONS ON THE DRYING RATE OF CASSAVA CHIPS IN A SOLAR SIMULATOR

ABSTRACT

Experiments were carried out in a solar simulator to study the influence of air temperature (25-40°C), air relative humidity (40-80%), air velocity (0.95-2.2 m/s), radiation intensity (0-916 W/m²), and loading density (10-30 kg/m²) on the drying rate of a bed of cassava chips (2×2×2 cm). Well-known thin-layer drying equations were fitted to the experimental data, and the empirical constants were used in a statistical analysis of the influence of process conditions on the drying rate. The air temperature, air velocity, radiation intensity, and loading density influenced the drying rate significantly (p=0.05). The effects of the air temperature and the radiation intensity were attributed to the temperature-dependent diffusion of moisture within the chips, while the effect of the air velocity was ascribed to the resistance to mass transfer at the air-chip interface. Equations were presented to express the empirical constants as functions of the process variables.     

INFLUENCE OF THE DRYING MEDIUM PARAMETERS ON DRYING INDUCED STRESSES

A thermomechanical model of drying of capillary-porous materials whose material constants depend on moisture content and temperature is presented in the paper. The finite element method is used for the solution of two-dimensional problem of convective drying of a prismatic bar. The moisture distributions, temperature distributions, drying induced strains and stresses for various drying medium parameters are determined. The effect of these parameters on moisture distribution and in particular on drying induced stresses is discussed.     

THE INFLUENCE OF COMPRESSION WOOD ON THE DRYING CURVES OF PINUS RADIATA DRIED IN DEHUMIDIFIER CONDITIONS

Measurements of drying rate of Pinus radiata at 55°C and 30% RH are presented. The data, which has been used to establish empirical models for P. radiata under dehumidifier drying conditions, was obtained in four drying runs in a drying tunnel, each yielding detailed drying curves for twelve sample sapwood boards of size 350 × 100 × 50 mm. Compression wood was found to have a significant effect on the drying rate curve, giving lower drying rates at 40-100% MC. This effect is interpreted through the use of a numerical multiple-mechanism two-zone model and quantified by using best-fit diffusion parameters from an isothermal diffusion model. A positive correlation was discovered between the moisture diffusion coefficient and initial moisture content, a strong indicator for the presence of compression wood. In the two-zone model, the compression wood effect was replicated by using a tenfold decrease in permeability to liquid flow. Attributes of compression wood that could cause reduced permeability include an increased proportion of latewood, narrower lumen, and a scarcity of bordered pits on the radial walls of longitudinal tracheids.     

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 OF WOOD BIOMASS AT HIGH PRESSURE STEAM ATMOSPHERE; EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH AND APPLICATION

ABSTRACT

Imatran Voima Oy together with Technical Research Centre of Finland has carried out experimental research on fuel drying at high pressure steam atmosphere. The pilot dryer is a pressurized flash dryer. Since its commissioning in 1991, the dryer has been used for drying experiments of peat and wood biomass for about 1000 h. The dryer operates at 23 bar pressure steam atmosphere with capacity of abt. 1000 kg/h of wet feedstock.

The developed high pressure steam dryer is planned to be used in a power plant process suitable for wet fuels as peat, biomass, and brown coal. The process is based on the connection of a pressurized fuel dryer, a pressurized gasifier, and a gas turbine. The integration of the high pressure steam dryer to the process increases the power generating efficiency of the process essentially.     

THE INFLUENCE OF COMPRESSION WOOD ON THE DRYING CURVES OF PINUS RADIATA DRIED IN DEHUMIDIFIER CONDITIONS

ABSTRACT

Measurements of drying rate of Pinus radiata at 55°C and 30% RH are presented. The data, which has been used to establish empirical models for P. radiata under dehumidifier drying conditions, was obtained in four drying runs in a drying tunnel, each yielding detailed drying curves for twelve sample sapwood boards of size 350 × 100 × 50 mm. Compression wood was found to have a significant effect on the drying rate curve, giving lower drying rates at 40–100% MC. This effect is interpreted through the use of a numerical multiple-mechanism two-zone model and quantified by using best-fit diffusion parameters from an isothermal diffusion model. A positive correlation was discovered between the moisture diffusion coefficient and initial moisture content, a strong indicator for the presence of compression wood. In the two-zone model, the compression wood effect was replicated by using a tenfold decrease in permeability to liquid flow. Attributes of compression wood that could cause reduced permeability include an increased proportion of latewood, narrower lumen, and a scarcity of bordered pits on the radial walls of longitudinal tracheids.