Convective and Microwave Drying of Prolate Spheroidal Solids: Modeling and Simulation

Abstract

This paper focuses some fundamental aspects of combined convective and microwave drying of prolate spheroidal solids. A transient mathematical modeling based on the diffusion theory (mass and heat balance equations) written in prolate spheroidal coordinates was derived and the importance of this procedure on the analysis of the drying process of wet porous solid, is also presented. Results pointed to the behavior of the moisture migration and heating of the solid with different aspect ratio. Solids with higher area/volume relationships dry and heat faster.