Heat and Mass Transfer during Drying of Lentil Based on the Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics: A Numerical Study

Abstract

This paper aims to present a mathematical model, based on the thermodynamics of irreversible processes to describe both the heat and mass transfer (liquid and vapor) during the drying of bodies with oblate spheroidal shape. The model was applied to describe drying of lentil grain, considering variables transport coefficients and convective boundary conditions at the surface of the solid. All equations were presented in oblate spheroidal coordinates and numerically solved by using the finite-volume method. Results of the average moisture content, average temperature, liquid flux, vapor flux, and moisture content and temperature distributions inside a lentil kernel during drying process (T=40 oC, RH=50% and v=0.3 m/s) were presented and analyzed.