Numerical Analysis of a Convective Drying Chamber from Drying Air Velocity and Temperature Perspective

Abstract

The drying industry has been growing considerably due to the great demand to have non-perishable food. Convective drying is one of the most popular equipment on drying industry (food, chemical, pharmaceutical, etc.). One of the drawbacks of this equipment when it is used for convective drying, is the non-uniformity in the final product quality. This study presents the development of a mathematical model trough Computational Fluids Dynamics (CFD). The drying chamber of a heat pump dryer is assessed from a drying air velocity and temperature profiles perspective. The model was developed solving different transport phenomena related equations. The established procedure was set up with the aim of evaluating the distribution of drying air velocity and temperature on the drying chamber to define the need of redesigning it. The profile results of the air velocity and the temperature show that, in fact there is a need to redesign the chamber. Only trays 2, 3, and 4 are the ones that could achieve the drying of the products. The proposed solution is to implement air distributors or to modify the tray positioning to make the distribution of the drying air and temperature homegeneous.

A numerical simulation of a line-type paint drying furnace

“…They obtained the local temperature distribution for the purpose of identifying film defects. Gómez et al (2018) investigated the relation between temperature and velocity in the drying chamber to re-design the drying chamber with a heat pump. Tanthadiloke et al (2016) improved the thermal efficiency by adjusting the volumetric air flow rate of air blower in an oven.…”

Optimization of the Beef Drying Process in a Heat Pump Chamber Dryer

“…In addition, the condensate is drained out of the chamber, and the moisture-free air is heated and returned to the circuit. In addition to the energy yield, the use of a heat pump reduces the environmental impact of the drying process by reducing the electricity required to operate the drying chamber [11,18,35]. Employing a heat pump can result in up to a 40% lower energy requirement compared to a standard dryer, calculated per mass of raw material dried [4,14].…”