Drying Characteristics of Barley Grain Dried in a Spouted-Bed and Combined IR-Convection Dryers

A study was performed to determine the drying characteristics and quality of barley grain dried in a laboratory scale spouted-bed dryer at 30, 35, 40, and 45°C and an inlet air velocity of 23 m/s^-1, and in an IR-convection dryer under an infrared radiation intensity of 0.048, 0.061, 0.073, and 0.107 W cm^-2 at an air velocity of 0.5 m/s^-1. The results show that the first, relatively short, phase of a sharp decrease in the drying rate was followed by the phase of a slow decrease. The time of barley drying depended on temperature of inlet air in a spouted-bed dryer and on radiation intensities in an IR-convection dryer. Barley drying at 45°C in a spouted-bed dryer was accompanied by the lowest total energy consumption. The average specific energy consumption was lower and the average efficiency of drying was higher for drying in a spouted-bed dryer. The effective diffusivities were in the range 2.20-4.52 × 10^-11 m² s^-1 and 3.04-4.79 × 10^-11 m²/s^-1 for barley dried in a spouted-bed and in an IR-convection dryer, respectively. There were no significant differences in kernel germination energy and capacity between the two drying methods tested.     

DRYING OF GRANULAR PARTICLES IN A MULTISTAGE INCLINED FLUIDIZED BED WITH MECHANICAL VIBRATION

A mathematical model for the drying rate of granular particles in a multistage inclined fluidized bed(IFB) is presented from the standpoint of simultaneous heat and mass transfer, with taking the effect of mechanical vibration added vertically into consideration.

Steady-state distributions for the temperatures and concentrations of the particles and the heating gas, and for the moisture content of the particles are numerically calculated based on the present model. The calculated results show fairly good agreement with the experimental data, which were obtained from the drying experiments of brick particles in a three-stage IFB using comparatively low temperature air(40-60°C) as the heating gas.

It has been found within the range of the experimental conditions employed that, the mechanical vibration added vertically enhances the over-all drying rate of the particles and its effect can be considered equivalent to an increase in the air velocity.     

Energy Saving in Industrial Wood Drying Addressed by a Multiscale Computational Model: Board, Stack, and Kiln

This article proposes a multiscale computational model able to calculate energy consumption in a batch lumber kiln. A dual-scale computational model of wood drying deals with the boards/stack interaction and serves as a basis for the present work. A new module was added here that calculates heat losses through kiln walls (convection, condensation) and the energy used by each kiln component (fans, heating elements, humidifier, vacuum pump, etc.). The corresponding mathematical formulation is presented and then theoretical results are compared to those collected in an industrial vacuum kiln. As application example, the effect of air reversal, air velocity, and kiln insulation are exhibited, which depicts the great potential and prospects of this new tool for energy savings in relation to the product quality.     

Modeling Condensation and Evaporation on Fruit Surface

Rewarming of fruits and vegetables after cooling is characterized by heat and mass transfer processes, which leads commonly to condensation of water on the produce surface at temperatures below the dew point. This effect may affect the produce quality due to microbial growth at unfavorable environmental conditions. The amount of condensed water is a function of the produce surface temperature and of the surrounding conditions as air temperature, air humidity, and air flow. Under practical conditions, both the warming and the condensation are strongly affected by the packaging system used. Depending on the flow conditions close to the produce surface, parameters of heat and mass transfer under laboratory conditions were measured. A mathematical model was developed for the determination of the amount of condensed water on fruit surfaces, its reevaporation, and its total dwell time dependent on the environment air conditions. The model describes the heat and mass transfer processes on single fruits. The process of diffusion of humidity in air and proceed of surface temperature is the basis for the model.     

Atmospheric Freeze Drying—Modeling and Simulation of a Tunnel Dryer

Drying is an important unit operation in processing of foods and other biotechnological products. Vacuum freeze drying is said to be the best drying technology regarding product quality of the end product, but the disadvantages are, among others, expensive operational costs and batch drying. Atmospheric freeze drying was introduced to lower the production costs of high-quality dried foods, and the need of simulation tools became important in estimations of the industrial drying processes.

A simplified mathematical model (AFDsim) is developed based on uniformly retreating ice front (URIF) considerations. The model is used to calculate theoretical drying curves of atmospheric freeze dried foods in a tunnel dryer. Studies of thermal and mass transfer properties during drying are essential for understanding the changes in product quality and for designing and dimensioning the drying process. The model can be used to simulate industrial atmospheric freeze drying of different foodstuff in a tunnel. The results from AFDsim modeling are in good accordance with the experimental results.     

Drying of Probiotics: Optimization of Formulation and Process to Enhance Storage Survival

This work describes how probiotic bacteria can be dried at low temperature in two steps, combining spray drying and vacuum drying, in order to enhance their survival during storage. A sufficient number of dried probiotics survived storage for more than 3 months at 30°C, if an appropriate combination of protein and carbohydrate was selected as carrier and storage conditions were maintained optimal. The use of soy protein and maltodextrin or skim milk and arabic gum resulted in the best survival rates of probiotics during storage. No evident difference was found between different spray dryer configurations, although a cocurrent flow was preferred.     

Effect of processing on in vitro digestibility of protein and starch in quinoa seeds

The in vitro digestibility of protein in raw quinoa assessed by an enzymic method was 78%, significantly ( P > 0.01 ) lower than that of casein, 91%, and also somewhat lower ( P > 0.01) than that of the raw washed quinoa sample, 83%. the process used to remove the outer layers of the seeds containing saponins increased the protein digestibility significantly ( P > 0.01), by 7%. Heat treatments increased protein digestibility over that of raw quinoa samples. Only the cooked sample treated for 60 min presented a slightly lower protein digestibility, 77%, than those obtained for other heat-treated samples.
The temperature, time and moisture used in cooking and autoclaving of whole seeds of quinoa did not improve starch digestibility significantly. the digestibility of the starch in the raw and precooked samples was 72 and 77%, respectively, after drum drying and about 64% after extrusion in both cases. Precooking at 60°C for 20 min does not improve the digestibility of the quinoa starch.     

An Analog Front‐End Circuit for ISO/IEC 14443‐Compatible RFID Interrogators

An analog front‐end circuit for ISO/IEC 14443‐compatible radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogators was designed and fabricated by using a 0.25 µm double‐poly CMOS process. The fabricated chip was operated using a 3.3 Volt single‐voltage supply. The results of this work could be provided as reusable IPs in the form of hard or firm IPs for designing single‐chip ISO/IEC 14443‐compatible RFID interrogators.     

三平板剪切干涉仪自动测试系统

三平板剪切干涉仪是环路剪切干涉仪中最简单的一种,它具有基本等光程、剪切量连续可调、两出射光束恒相互平行等特点。利用三平板剪切干涉仪对激光器出射波面质量进行检测,探讨了由剪切干涉图复原原始波面的1阶微分法,编制了专家辅助软件系统,为光机型的三平板剪切干涉仪配置了实时图像采集、处理系统,实现了光、机、电、算相结合,融硬、软件于一体的数字波面剪切干涉仪,并通过实验验证了方法的重复性精度。     

律师统战工作初探

律师的思想政治特征状态及发展趋势，关系到律师行业的健康发展，影响着改革开放和社会经济发展的大局，左右着建设社会主义法治国家的进程。对此进行认真分析是做好律师统战工作的基础和前提。通过从思想观念、政治态度、道德认识、价值取向等层面分析了律师的现状和特征，揭示了团结、帮助、教育、引导律师对做好律师的统战工作的重要意义。