System modelling of non-stationary drying processes

Abstract

The kinetics of the drying process in continuous drum dryers differs from the drying of single objects in a batch mode. Drying process is affected by too many factors; hence, it is practically impossible to obtain an analyt- ical solution from the initial equations of heat and mass transfer, since the duration of drying depends on the opera- ting parameters. Therefore, it is of high theoretical and practical importance to create a highly efficient rotary drum dryer. Its design should be based on an integrated research of non-stationary processes of heat and mass transfer, hydrodynamics of fluidized beds, and drying kinetics in the convective heat supply. The experiment described in the present paper featured sunflower seeds. It was based on a systematic approach to modelling rotary convective drying processes. The approach allowed the authors to link together separate idealized models. Each model characterized a process of heat and mass transfer in a fluidized bed of wet solids that moved on a cylindrical surface. The experiment provided the following theoretical results: 1) a multimodel system for the continuous drying process of bulky mate- rials in a fluidized bed; 2) an effective coefficient of continuous drying, based on the mechanics of the fluidized bed and its continuous dehydration. The multimodel system makes it possible to optimize the drying process according to its material, heat-exchanger, and technological parameters, as well as to the technical and economic characteristics of the dryer.