Improvement in the Efficiency and Capacity of Chopped Spring Onion Drying

ABSTRACT

Appropriate strategy for drying chopped spring onion with a batchwise flat bed was investigated. Both experimental and simulated results such as product quality, drying capacity and energy consumption were taken into consideration. For simulation work, equations of drying parameters such as specific heat, equilibrium moisture content and thin layer drying were first developed from the lab-scale experimental results. Then a mathematical model including shrinkage for a batchwix flat bed drying was developed. The model was lested with the results obtained from a food processing plant with an acceptable accuracy. Appropriate drying strategy war then investigated. The approximate conclusion was that the drying should be devided into 3 stages. In the 1^st stage, drying air temperature was 80°C, specific air flow rate was 33.9 m³/min -kg dry matter and drying time was 0.5 h. In the 2nd stage, drying air temperature and drying time were kept unchanged but specific air flow rate was decreased to 13.5 m³/min - kg dry matter. In the final stage, drying air temperature was decreased to 67°C, specific air flow rate was also decreased to 6.8 m³/min - kg dry matter and drying time was approximately 1.7 h. Following the suggested strategy, specific primary energy cornsumption was 6.2 MJ/kg H₂O, drying time was 2.7 h and product quality was maintained. It was proven that energy consumption was approximalcly 70% of that of the present practice in the plant.