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FINITE-ELEMENT SIMULATION AND VALIDATION OF STEPWISE DRYING OF BANANAS |
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| Authors: | R Ranjan J Irudayaraj J N Reddy A S Mujumdar |
| Affiliation: | 1. Applied Geoscience and Engineering, Reading , Pennsylvania, USA;2. Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania, USA;3. Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Texas A &4. M University , College Station, Texas, USA;5. Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore , Singapore |
| Abstract: | A two-dimensional finite-element formulation and solution of a set of transient coupled heat and diffusive moisture transfer equations is presented. The solution procedure developed uses an alpha family of approximation for stepping in time for the solution of the coupled set of equations applied to simulate the stepwise convective drying behavior of banana slices. The model tested was validated with experimental data from different sources for stepwise drying of banana using a heat pump dryer (HPD) as well as continuous batch drying in both Cartesian and cylindrical coordinate systems. The maximum deviation of moisture content between experimental and simulation results was 0.05% wet basis (% w.b.). Good agreement of the simulated results with experimental data for stepwise as well as continuous convective drying of banana samples indicates the validity of the procedure and its incorporation in the optimization of drying processes. |
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