A proposed mathematical model for exergy analysis of an infrared (IR) drying process

Abstract

In this paper, a new mathematical model was proposed for exergy analysis of an IR drying process. The exergy balance equation was derived based on the IR heating principle and accordingly was applied for determining the exergetic parameters, i.e., exergy destruction and exergy efficiency. A simple heat and mass transfer model was taken into account to ascertain the applicability of the presented model to actual IR drying process at different drying conditions. An illustrative example was numerically solved for a typical food during IR drying process. This model can be offered as an adaptable framework to scrutinise the economical and environmental concerns associated with the application of the IR drying method, to compare the exergetic performance of the IR drying process with the other available drying techniques, to optimise the design of IR drying facilities and their elements and to recognise the suitable applications and optimal configurations for IR drying equipments.