On the Influence of Glass Transition on Shrinkage in Convective Drying of Fruits: A Case Study of Banana Drying

The ideal shrinkage model assumes that the extent of shrinkage is equal to the volume of liquid water removed from the dried medium. Generally if a material undergoes glass transition during the drying process, shrinkage will no longer be ideal. The aim of this study was to observe how the glass transition temperature influences the shrinkage kinetics. Cylindrical banana samples were dried. Shrinkage extent was significant for all drying conditions (temperature: 30-50°C, relative humidity: 0-80%). Deviation from linearity was found to be affected not only by drying air temperature but also by its relative humidity.     

The Thin-Layer Drying Characterstics of White Onion Slices

ABSTRACT

A batch–type experimental dryer with a computer–aided data acquisition system was designed and built for the thin layer drying studies of onion (Allium cew L., cv. Southport White Globe) slices. Twenty seven single–layer drying curves were established for a temperature range of 42.5–90⁰C, an air velocity range of 0.6–1.4 m/s, an air humidity range of 0.0093–0.0442 kg of water/kg of dry air: and a slice thickness range of 0.002–0.005 m. The single–term exponential model adequately described the single–layer drying behaviour of the onion slices. l'he dependence of the drying rate constant on air temperature, absolute humidity, velocity and on slice thickness was best explained by an Arrhenius–type relationship. The drying rate constant in which moisture diffusion and shrinkage effects are lumped was greatly influenced by the sample thickness and drying air temperature, and to a lesser extent, by the air humidity and velocity.     

Mechanosorptive Creep of Hemlock under Conventional Drying: I. The Determination of Free Shrinkage Strain

The dynamic free shrinkage behavior of Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) was investigated in order to provide the theoretical basis for the determination of drying mechanosoptive creep mechanism. Small specimens taken from five distinct positions within a log were dried at three constant temperatures (40, 60, and 80°C) and stepwise decreasing relative humidity conditions and their free shrinkage strain S in the tangential and radial directions was determined. The anisotropic shrinkage ratios G were also calculated and analyzed as functions of moisture content and temperature. The influential mechanism of the drying temperature, moisture range, and specimen position on the free shrinkage behavior was revealed. Two different function types were chosen to simulate the relationship between the free shrinkage strain and its variables (temperature, moisture, wood positions) for the specified moisture ranges.     

Air-Impingement Drying of Tortilla Chips

Tortilla pieces were prepared from nixtamalized masa flour, and dried under impinging hot air. The effect of different drying conditions on the drying rate, texture, shrinkage profile and microstructure was analyzed. The results indicated that drying rate was mostly affected by the air temperature; texture was crispier at higher air temperatures: shrinkage of the piece was higher at lower convective heat transfer coeffieient; and microstructure looked smoother at higher air temperature.     

Corn,Rice, and Wheat Seed Drying by Two-Stage Concept

Corn, rice, and wheat seeds with an initial moisture content (IMC) of 20–25% wb were dried to moisture content below 18% wb at 40–80°C in a fluidized bed dryer (FBD) and spouted bed dryer (SBD) and the seeds with IMC 18% wb were dried to below 14% wb at air temperatures 18–30°C and relative humidity 60–70% by an in-store dryer (ISD). As a result, it appears that a two-stage drying concept is feasible in drying high-moisture-content seeds due to the high germination rate of dried seeds. Nonetheless, the drying temperature must be carefully selected. A drying temperature of 40°C was clearly safe for all samples, whereas more than 90% of wheat seeds still germinated after drying at 60°C in FBD. Furthermore, drying seeds with IMC 18% wb by ISD was safe under specified drying conditions.     

The Effect of Glass Transition Temperature on the Procedure of Microwave–Freeze Drying of Mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus)

Freeze drying (FD) yields the best quality of dried mushroom but at the cost of a long drying time and high overall cost. Air drying (AD) gives an unacceptably poor quality product. To achieve faster drying along with a high-quality product, a microwave–freeze drying (MFD) technique was developed to dry mushrooms. The relationship between dried mushroom quality and the glass transition temperature during the MFD process was studied to optimize the MFD process. According to the change tendency of the glass transition temperature of mushroom during MFD, a step-down microwave loading scheme for the MFD process was developed to obtain good product quality.     

Effect of High-Temperature Drying and Restraint on Twist of Norway Spruce

During drying, timber distortion is a major defect mainly due to shrinkage anisotropy, differences in longitudinal shrinkage, and spiral grain. The distortion can be reduced by external restraint and use of appropriate kiln schedules. The research presented here is part of a project on the improvement of shape stability of Norway spruce by high-temperature drying. The effects of drying temperatures between 80 and 170°C and restraint on the extent of twist in Norway spruce were investigated on 30 cm lengths. Results show that significant twist reduction could be achieved in restrained specimens sawn from core wood. This effect was permanent even after exposure to subsequent moisture cycling. In addition to high-temperature drying, heat-treated material (Thermowood®) was also investigated. As for the high-temperature dried material, twist amplitude in moisture cycling was highest for pith-in specimens. Increased heat-treatment temperature reduced the twist amplitude, thus improving the shape stability. However, for the material dried in this study, shape stability was not influenced by the drying temperature.     

Effect of High-Temperature Drying and Restraint on Twist of Norway Spruce

During drying, timber distortion is a major defect mainly due to shrinkage anisotropy, differences in longitudinal shrinkage, and spiral grain. The distortion can be reduced by external restraint and use of appropriate kiln schedules. The research presented here is part of a project on the improvement of shape stability of Norway spruce by high-temperature drying. The effects of drying temperatures between 80 and 170°C and restraint on the extent of twist in Norway spruce were investigated on 30 cm lengths. Results show that significant twist reduction could be achieved in restrained specimens sawn from core wood. This effect was permanent even after exposure to subsequent moisture cycling. In addition to high-temperature drying, heat-treated material (Thermowood®) was also investigated. As for the high-temperature dried material, twist amplitude in moisture cycling was highest for pith-in specimens. Increased heat-treatment temperature reduced the twist amplitude, thus improving the shape stability. However, for the material dried in this study, shape stability was not influenced by the drying temperature.     

Air-Impingement Drying of Tortilla Chips

ABSTRACT

Tortilla pieces were prepared from nixtamalized masa flour, and dried under impinging hot air. The effect of different drying conditions on the drying rate, texture, shrinkage profile and microstructure was analyzed. The results indicated that drying rate was mostly affected by the air temperature; texture was crispier at higher air temperatures: shrinkage of the piece was higher at lower convective heat transfer coeffieient; and microstructure looked smoother at higher air temperature.     

Drying Kinetics and Antioxidant Phytochemicals Retention of Salak Fruit under Different Drying and Pretreatment Conditions

Kinetics of hot air drying and heat pump drying were studied by performing various drying trials on salak slices. Isothermal drying trials were conducted in hot air drying and heat pump drying at a temperature range of 40–90°C and 26–37°C, respectively. Intermittent drying trials were carried out in heat pump drying with two different modes: periodic heat air flow supply and step-up air temperature. It was observed that the effects of relative humidity and air velocity on drying rate were significant when moisture content in salak slices was high, whereas the effects of temperature prevailed when the moisture content was low. As such, it was proposed that drying conditions should be manipulated according to the moisture transport mechanisms at different stages of drying in order to optimize the intermittent drying and improve the product quality. Generally, loss of ascorbic acid during drying was attributed to thermal degradation and enzymatic oxidation, whereas the loss of phenolic compounds was mainly due to thermal degradation. Experimental results showed that heat pump drying with low-temperature dehumidified air not only enhanced the drying kinetics but produced a stable final product. Heat pump–dried samples retained a high concentration of ascorbic acid and total phenolic compounds when an appropriate drying mode was selected.     

The Thin-Layer Drying Characterstics of White Onion Slices

A batch-type experimental dryer with a computer-aided data acquisition system was designed and built for the thin layer drying studies of onion (Allium cew L., cv. Southport White Globe) slices. Twenty seven single-layer drying curves were established for a temperature range of 42.5-90⁰C, an air velocity range of 0.6-1.4 m/s, an air humidity range of 0.0093-0.0442 kg of water/kg of dry air: and a slice thickness range of 0.002-0.005 m. The single-term exponential model adequately described the single-layer drying behaviour of the onion slices. l'he dependence of the drying rate constant on air temperature, absolute humidity, velocity and on slice thickness was best explained by an Arrhenius-type relationship. The drying rate constant in which moisture diffusion and shrinkage effects are lumped was greatly influenced by the sample thickness and drying air temperature, and to a lesser extent, by the air humidity and velocity.     

Dynamic Viscoelasticity of Wood After Various Drying Processes

In this study, specimens of heartwood from Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata [Lamb.] Hook.) plantation trees were dried by high-temperature drying (HTD), low-temperature drying (LTD), and freeze vacuum drying (FVD), respectively. The dynamic viscoelastic properties of dried and untreated wood specimens with various moisture contents were investigated in the temperature range between ? 120 and 40°C at 1 Hz using a dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The results indicated that the relative storage modulus and relative loss modulus were both the highest for HTD wood and the lowest for FVD wood, and that two mechanical relaxation processes developed. The α relaxation process in the higher temperature range was presumably a result of surpassing the glass transition of hemicelluloses with low molecular weight, whereas the β relaxation process occurring in the lower temperature range was most probably due to the motions of both methyl groups in the amorphous region of wood cell wall and adsorbed water molecules in wood. As moisture content increased, the decrease of relative storage modulus with increasing temperature became more dramatic, and the loss peak temperatures of the relaxation processes shifted to lower temperature range. The difference of dynamic mechanical behavior among untreated and dried specimens reduced with the increase of moisture content.     

Drying Shrinkage Mechanisms in Portland Cement Paste

The shrinkage mechanisms of portland cement paste were investigated from shrinkage, weight loss, and pore structure measurements using nitrogen sorption and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). Thin samples (2.3 mm) of well-hydrated (165 d) pastes of 0.4 and 0.6 water-to-cement (W/C) ratios were dried directly from saturated surface dry state to 75%, 50%, 11%, and 0% relative humidity (rh). From equilibrium shrinkage vs calculated increase in surface free energy curves two active stress mechanisms were identified. The Gibbs-Bangham (surface free energy) effect is the major stress mechanism, which is active in the entire rh range investigated, whereas the capillary stress effect is active above 25% rh. From elastic modulus calculations it can be concluded that true Gibbs-Bangham shrinkage accounts for only 33% of total first drying shrinkage. Thus nearly 67% of first drying shrinkage may be due to a decrease in interlayer spacing caused by Gibbs-Bangham and capillary induced stresses. Further, nitrogen measures the true external surface area, and total external pore volume can be obtained from combined measurements using nitrogen sorption and MIP.     

粉煤灰加气混凝土干燥收缩特性的研究

试验研究了初始含水率、相对湿度、温度和试件尺寸等因素对粉煤灰加气混凝土干燥收缩的影响,并结合实际使用条件就各因素对粉煤灰加气混凝土应用过程的干燥收缩进行了分析.     

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.     

The Application of Heat Pump in Drying of Biomaterials

ABSTRACT

The UN estimates that 6.4 billion people will be living on Earth by the year 2000. As a consequence, dried biomaterials demand will rise and equipments will have to be built or redesigned to accomadate changes. The design and innovations on industrial dryers require fundamental knowledge conceived in laboratory units. The new heat pump dryer operates at a wide relative humidity and the air temperature is adjustable from –20 to 100'C. Above and belw freezing point drying modes are done in the same plant which allows the control of biomaterial properties. The technique consists of two stages, unbound weakly held water removal by freeze drying. and tightly bound moisture desorption by medium temperature drying. The fluidized and shelf heat pump dryers have the required features to dry heat sensitive biomaterials. The dryers were built and extensive research on biomaterials has been conducted at The Norwegian Institute of Technology. Many emeriments were done on effect of heat pump drying conditions on–enrime and biological active bacteria solutions, fruits, cod fish, fish feed and shrimps. At optimum heat drying conditions, the bacteria Rhodococcus reached 100% viability and dried biomolecules attained full biolosical activity. The heat pump dryer allowed adjustment of the bio–mterial properties and quality according to its phase, shape and size. Dried samples showed improvements on survival rate. rehydration, colour, hardness and mono–multimolecular sorption isotherms over poorly dried products. Beneficial results were achieved for nearly all tests. This indicates that the heat pump dryer application has high potential in processing heat sensitive biomaterials.     

吸附干燥工艺条件对川白芷有效成分及形貌影响的研究

在吸附式低温干燥实验装置上进行了川白芷吸附干燥实验研究,考察了干燥介质温度、相对湿度、空速、试样切片厚度对白芷中欧前胡素和总香豆素含量的影响,用正交实验优选适宜干燥工艺条件;用扫描电镜(SEM)对干燥前后白芷不同部位的细胞组织形貌变化进行了分析。结果表明:对要求干燥后白芷的最终含水率≤14%的情况下,吸附干燥川白芷适宜的工艺条件为:温度35℃,干燥介质相对湿度3%,空速3.54 s 1,切片厚度约为2～3 mm;干燥后白芷中欧前胡素含量为0.40%,总香豆素含量为2.01%。干燥介质空速对川白芷中欧前胡素含量的影响最为显著,干燥温度是影响川白芷中总香豆素含量的主要因素。吸附干燥前后白芷的木栓层、韧皮层、形成层细胞组织形貌变化显著,皮层和木质层细胞组织形貌变化较小。     

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.     

Heat Pump Drying of Green Sweet Pepper

Thin-layer drying experiments under controlled conditions were conducted for green sweet pepper in heat pump dryer at 30, 35, and 40°C and hot air dryer at 45°C with relative humidities ranging from 19 to 55%. The moisture content of sweet pepper slices reduced exponentially with drying time. As the temperature increased, the drying curve exhibited a steeper slope, thus exhibiting an increase in drying rate. Drying of green sweet pepper took place mainly under the falling-rate period. The Page equation was found to be better than the Lewis equation to describe the thin-layer drying of green sweet pepper with higher coefficient of determination and lower root mean square error. Drying in heat pump dryer at 40°C took less time with higher drying rate and specific moisture extraction rate as compared to hot air drying at 45°C due to lower relative humidity of the drying air in a heat pump dryer though the drying air temperature was less. The retention of total chlorophyll content and ascorbic acid content was observed to be more in heat pump–dried samples with higher rehydration ratios and sensory scores. The quality parameters showed a declining trend with increase in drying air temperature from 30 to 45°C. Keeping in view the energy consumption and quality attributes of dehydrated products, it is proposed to dry green sweet pepper at 35°C in heat pump dryer.     

Drying of water treatment process sludge in a fluidized bed dryer

The drying characteristics of water treatment process (WTP) sludge were investigated with a fluidized bed. The equilibrium moisture ratio of WTP sludge increased with relative humidity and decreased with temperature of drying air. However, equilibrium moisture ratio of WTP sludge was more sensitively dependent on relative humidity than temperature of drying air. When the sludge was dried in a batch fluidized bed, the drying rate of sludge decreased as the moisture ratio of sludge in the bed decreased. The periods of constant drying rates were apparently not observed on the drying rate curves. In addition, the maximum drying rates were increased with bed temperature and superficial air velocity. As the fluidized bed was operated continuously, the degree of drying of WTP sludge increased with bed temperature but was weakly dependent on superficial air velocity. However, the drying efficiency was decreased with bed temperature and relatively insensitive to superficial air velocity and increased with feed rate of sludge.