Simulation and Analysis of Plug Flow Fluidized Bed Dryer

Abstract

Today many industries now use the dryer as a part of grain-drying process even during wet and dry seasons. This helps in reducing spoilage and wastage of paddy. Mostly the available industrial dryers are expensive to purchase and to maintain its smooth functioning. This study therefore is a step to design a simple Plug flow fluidized dryer that can lead to introduce small scale dryers to paddy process industry. The Plug flow fluidized bed dryers are designed and fabricated in this study consists of the drying chamber, hot air distributer plate, hot air inlet and exit system, paddy entry and exit system, fluidization chamber unit with temperature control unit and the centrifugal fan. The evaluation of dryer is based on drying time and reduction in moisture content and outlet temperature of paddy on quality parameters. Dryer dimensions are very important to analyze heat and mass transfer analysis of the Plug flow fluidized bed drying process of paddy grains. It was found d that heat and mass transfer properties of paddy grains in fluidized bed dryer was decreases as the time of drying passes and very rapid at the start of drying. The model present here predicts about dryer dimensions along safe zone of rough rice moisture content with other parameters. Simulation results show a good agreement between the simulation model and the existing simulation models.