CONDENSATION THERMOELECTRIC DRYER AS THE BEST WAY OF DRYING FRUIT RAW MATERIALS

Abstract

Drying of raw fruits and vegetables is both a thermophysical and technological process, in which the processes of heat and mass transfer are connected in one whole. When drying the prepared raw materials, the structural – mechanical, physico – chemical and other properties of the dried raw materials change. The choice of method and optimal mode of the drying process, the calculation of the design of the dryer and all ancillary equipment, is determined by the properties of the dried material, as well as the technology of its production. As in most processes, the naturalness of dried products and the ecological purity of the technological process come to the fore. Criteria of quality and efficiency of the process are combined into one task – to increase the efficiency of the drying process and the creation of non-energy-intensive heat technologies and equipment for their implementation. This article looks at a comparison of different drying chambers in their structure and principle of operation, which should play a major role in the energy efficiency of the entire drying process. The energy efficiency of the drying process of fruit and vegetable raw materials is achieved by improving the technological equipment and installing energy efficient controls, but we should not forget about the environmental friendliness of the process and the rational use of mechanical and thermal energy in the system. One of the most common processes is convective drying in a chamber or tunnel dryer. Significant increase in energy efficiency of the drying process is possible with the implementation of deep recovery of thermal energy using steam compression or thermoelectric heat pumps. After carrying out a series of laboratory and research works to compare different convection drying systems with thermoelectric heat pump, a diagram reflecting the heat consumption per 1 kg of evaporated moisture for each system was built.