THE DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION OF AN INDUSTRIAL DRYER FOR SULTANA RAISINS

A mathematical model of a tunnel dryer for sultana grapes is presented and applied for the determination of size and optimal operating conditions of the dryer. The optimum condition is given by the minimization of heat consumption, expressed as the ratio of thermal load to production, with some constraints regarding the production rate of the dryer and the maximum permissible air temperature. The optimization variables are temperature and humidity of the drying air, and product loading thickness on the trays. The optimum condition requires the operation of the dryer on the maximum permissible air humidity, which corresponds to a high degree of recirculation of exhaust air. This can be accomplished using automatic control of fresh air and humid air inlet and exhaust dampers along the length of the dryer, during the entire drying cycle.