Dry Temperature Research Articles

Assessing the thermal efficiency and emission reduction potential of alcohol-based fuel curing equipment in tobacco-curing

So far, coal, petroleum, and natural gas are still the most widely used fuels, and the emissions of SO2, NOX and particulate matter produced from their combustion have a serious influence on the air. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a clean fuel. In this study, the bulk curing barns were equipped with different fuel equipment, Barn A used traditional coal heating equipment; Barn B used biomass briquettes fuel (BBF) integrated heating equipment; Barn C equipped with alcohol-based fuel (ABF) heating equipment. The temperature of the outer surface of the heating equipment, the exhaust gas of the chimney, and the curing heat efficiency and energy consumption were analyzed. Compared with the barn BBF and barn coal, the barn ABF can meet the flue-cured tobacco curing highest temperature requirements of 68 °C, the accuracy of the target dry bulb temperature (DBT) curve during the curing of flue-cured tobacco was 93.4%. At the same time, during ABF combustion, the emissions of CO2 and CO were 40.82% and 0.19%, respectively. However, no emissions of NOX, SO2, and H2S were detected in the chimney exhaust. Compared with the barn BBF and barn coal, the thermal efficiency of barn ABF heating equipment in the barn was increased by 44.78% and 86.28%, respectively. Additionally, the coast per kilogram of dry tobacco was reduced by 19.44% and 45.28%, respectively. Therefore, compared to barn coal and barn BBF, the barn ABF can control temperature changes more accurately, and shows an obvious advantage in environmental protection and heat utilization efficiency.

Polyvinylidene Fluoride-Based Gel Polymer Electrolytes for Calcium Ion Conduction: A Study of the Influence of Salt Concentration and Drying Temperature on Coordination Environment and Ionic Conductivity.

Calcium-ion batteries emerged as a potential sustainable alternative energy storage system; however, there remains the need to further develop electrolytes to improve their performance. We report a gel polymer electrolyte (GPE)-based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) for calcium ion conduction. The gel electrolyte was synthesized by combining a PVDF polymer host, Ca(TFSI)2 salt, and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) solvent. Using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, we analyze the effect of salt concentration and drying temperature on the degree of salt dissociation in the electrolyte. Our results show that the concentration of free cations in the electrolyte is primarily coordinated with NMP as well as PVDF, generating a suitable network for ion transport, i.e., a liquid electrolyte encompassed within a polymer matrix. We find that processing conditions such as drying temperature, which varies solvent content, play a critical role in developing polymer electrolytes that demonstrate optimal electrochemical performance. The GPEs are semicrystalline and stable up to 120 °C, which is critical for their use in applications such as in electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems. The ionic conductivity of the GPEs exhibit Arrhenius-type behavior, and the total ionic conductivity at room temperature is suitable for applications, with values of 0.85 × 10-4 S/cm for 0.5 M and 3.56 × 10-4 S/cm for 1.0 M concentrations. The results indicate that the GPE exhibits high conductivity and good stability, making it a promising candidate for use in high-performance calcium ion batteries.

Optimization of the Heat-Drying Conditions of Drone Pupae by Response Surface Methodology (RSM).

Recent research has been conducted on various types of pre-processing methods for insects, including freeze-drying, microwave drying, hot air heat drying, and non-heat drying. This study aimed to identify the factors that have the greatest impact on heat drying conditions and establish the optimal heat drying conditions for drone pupae (Apis melifera L.) using response surface methodology (RSM) to minimize quality changes. Drone pupae were treated under various conditions, including blanching time (53-187 s) (X1), drying temperatures (41.6-58.4 °C) (X2), and drying time (266-434 min) (X3). The effect of these treatments on response variables, including the color parameter (WI, YI, BI, △E, and BD), AV, and TB of the dried drone pupae, was evaluated using a central composite design. The whole design consisted of 20 experimental points carried out in random order, which included eight factorial points, six center points, and six axial points. The optimal drying conditions for drone pupae were determined to be a blanching time of 58 s, a drying temperature of 56.7 °C, and a drying time of 298 min. The response variables were most affected by drying temperature and drying time and to a lesser extent by blanching time. The processed drone pupae using the optimized drying conditions resulted in the color parameters (WI, BI, YI, ΔE, and BD) being found to be 66.67, 21.33, 26.27, 31.27 and 0.13, respectively. And TB (log CFU/g) and AV (mg/g) values were found to be 3.12 and 4.33, respectively. The estimated and actual values for dried drone pupae showed no significant difference (p < 0.05). Comparing the physicochemical and microbiological properties of freeze-dried and optimal heat-dried drone pupae, the L and b value as well as PV were significantly lower in the heat-dried samples, while no significant difference was observed in the a value and AV (p < 0.05). Our study suggests that the model we developed can be applied to the large-scale production of drying conditions for use in the pharmaceutical and food industries.

DETECTION OF DISCOMFORT INDEX WITH REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY: THE CASE OF ANTALYA PROVINCE

Abstract. Thermal adaptation and thermal comfort indices are critical in determining the thermal comfort of the outdoor environment. They also play an essential role in research on heat stress, an environmental threat that can affect individuals' productivity, health and even survival. Urban growth and the resulting expansion of impervious surfaces affect the thermal characteristics of a landscape by raising Land Surface Temperatures (LST). The resulting warming can lead to thermal discomfort, the prevalence of heat-related health problems, air pollution, increased water use and energy demand for air conditioning, among others. Recently, efforts to understand the effects of urbanization and landscape changes on indoor and outdoor temperatures have increased significantly. Together with remote sensing technology, this study aims to understand human heat stress, and geographic information system (GIS) is a tool used in the research. In the estimation of heat stress, besides temperature, physiological status, environmental impact and relative humidity factors are also important. The discomfort index (DI) is a heat stress indicator proposed by Thom (1959), which expresses the contribution of air temperature and relative humidity to human thermal comfort. The discomfort index proposed by Thom (1959) was calculated as DI=0.5Ta+0.5Tw (Ta: dry bulb temperature, Tw: wet bulb temperature) modified by SOHAR, Adar and Laky (1963). In the study, the dry bulb temperature, assumed to be equal to the air temperature, was taken monthly from MODIS LST data at 1km resolution. Relative humidity was produced by interpolating 73 meteorological data in the study area at 1km resolution. Wet bulb temperature is difficult to measure, so it was calculated from dry bulb temperature and relative humidity data so that the discomfort index as a measure of heat stress in the study area was calculated with a resolution of 1 km. The discomfort index was calculated monthly and annually and classified according to Thom's 4 comfort classes. According to the calculation results, Antalya's average discomfort index value for the whole year is 24.9 °C, indicating that Antalya is a moderately comfortable place. This value varies monthly, especially in April and October when the heat stress is the highest.

Change of Seasons: Boston Marathon Wet Bulb Globe Temperature Index in October

The importance of providing wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) heat stress flag category measurements in real time is well recognized by road race directors, and it is bound to become even more important with the rise of extreme weather and pandemic outbreaks. The purpose of this paper is to describe the WBGT index and its components measured during the 125th running of the Boston Marathon on October 11, 2021, for qualitative comparison to measurements made similarly on its traditional April date, 2014 to 2019. Monitoring occurred at the 7 km, 18 km, and 32 km marks of the race in the towns of Ashland, Natick-Wellesley, and Newton. The outdoor WBGT index was calculated from direct hourly measurements of the dry bulb, black globe, and natural wet bulb temperatures from 0900 to 1500 h. The WBGT index was not different among towns; thus, the average hourly values for the 3towns were compared to historical data averaged identically. Although the black globe temperature fluctuated considerably in response to changing cloud cover, on average, partly cloudy skies kept the solar load comparable to what has been observed in April. Dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures were higher than those on most April dates shown, which resulted in a yellow (or amber) flag day for most of the race. The historic October Boston Marathon was among the warmest in recent history. Like the impact of COVID-19 on the 2021 Boston Marathon, future climate challenges around outdoor activities could necessitate rescheduling; they underscore the importance of real-time WBGT index measures.

Petroleomics by design of experiments in ESI(±)FT-ICR MS analysis

The Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance mass spectrometer (FT-ICR MS) is an efficient and widely used analytical instrument for characterizing complex organic mixtures at the molecular level. The Electrospray ionization (ESI) source is commonly used for identifying heteroatomic compounds (N, O, S) in crude oil. The high complexity of the sample provides a wealth of information, and therefore, processing and visualization programs are used to facilitate data interpretation. Several experimental configurations of parameters exist for the acquisition of ESI(+)FT-ICR MS and ESI(-)FT-ICR MS of crude oils. In this context, the design of experiments can help obtain optimal test conditions. The objective of this work was to identify the most significant experimental parameters among the 11 available (concentration, skimmer, time of flight (TOF), flow rate, ion accumulation time (IAT), accumulated scans (scans), dry temperature, capillary, dry gas, nebulizer, and collision voltage (CV)) for the acquisition of ESI(±)FT-ICR MS in Petroleomics using design of experiments by Plackett Burman and full design. Global desirability was used as a response parameter obtained from MS data (resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, signal-to-charge ratio signal with highest absolute intensity, total signals, low mass error, and high mass error). Additionally, responses from the mass spectra processing program were also used (the number of molecular formulas, molecular formulas of the majority class, average error, assignment percentage, amount of DBE in the plot of DBE versus carbon number (CN), and the relationship between the number of zero intensities and the number of DBE values in the plot of DBE versus CN). The study found that concentration and flow rate were the most significant experimental parameters for ESI(+), while for ESI(-), TOF and CV were the most significant experimental parameters. Lower concentration (0.1–0.5 mg/mL) and higher flowrate (5–6 µL/min) improved the desirability by ESI(+), higher values of CV (50 V) improved the desirability by ESI(-) for crude oil analysis.

The Optimization of Hybrid (Microwave-Conventional) Drying of Sweet Potato Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM).

Hybrid microwave-hot air (MW-HA) drying of sweet potatoes was optimized using a face-centered central composite design (FCCCD) with response surface methodology through the desirability function. The independent variables were drying temperature (50-70 °C) and microwave power (0-180 W), while the investigated responses were the drying time (Dt), the rehydration ratio (RR), the water-holding capacity (WHC), the antioxidant activity change (AA-PC), the total phenolic content change (TPC-PC), and the beta-carotene content change (BC-PC). The main criteria for the optimization of hybrid drying of sweet potatoes was to produce dried potatoes in the shortest drying time with a maximum RR and WHC and with minimum bioactive content (AA, TPC, and BC) loss. The optimum conditions were found to be a drying temperature of 54.36 °C with a microwave power of 101.97 W. At this optimum point, the Dt, RR, WHC, AA-PC, TPC-PC, and BC-PC were 61.76 min, 3.29, 36.56, 31.03%, -30.50%, and -79.64%, respectively. The results of this study provide new information about the effect of the hybrid drying method (MW-HA) on the rehydration ability and bioactive compounds of sweet potatoes, as well as the optimum values of the process.

Spatiotemporally heterogeneous soil thermohydraulic processes in the frozen soil of the Tibetan Plateau

Frozen soil properties and thermohydraulic processes are still not fully understood due to lack of in-situ measurements, especially in the high altitudes and high latitudes (HAHL). Based on hourly measurements at 10, 40, 80 and 120 cm depths at 21 sites in the west, south and northeast regions of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) during July 2018 - July 2019, we examined soil particles, spatiotemporal variations of soil thermohydraulic processes and their connections with environmental factors to reveal the heterogenous frozen soil properties on the TP. Sand and silt are the dominant soil particles and clay is less than 10% at the sites. Existing and widely used soil products underestimates (significantly overestimates) sand (clay) content on the TP which raises the uncertainty in the thermohydraulic parameters derived from these products. Diurnal soil moisture and temperature variations are seen only above 40 cm, but seasonal variations occur down to 120 cm due to the soil memory effect. Seasonally frozen soil and permafrost soil show different freezing and melting processes. Dry soil features greater soil temperature temporal variability and deeper maximum frozen depth than wet soil. Zero curtain occurs in both dry and wet soil, and displays high (low) frequency but short (long) duration at 10 (80) cm that vary spatially. Moisture depression exists in seasonally frozen soil and is determined by the initial soil moisture and temperature gradient strength. The strong thermohydraulic coupling existed in cold season collapses in warm season. Soil moisture exhibits higher spatiotemporal variability than soil temperature. At daily time scale, the influences of precipitation, wind speed and relative humidity on soil moisture and temperature vary under different climate conditions. These findings fill the knowledge gaps in the soil thermohydraulic processes in the HAHL, and improve the understanding of frozen soil properties and heat-water coupling processes in soil in the HAHL. The study will benefit the Earth system model development and improve the quality of soil temperature and moisture assimilation and remote sensing products in the HAHL.

Freeze-dried nanocrystal dispersion of novel deuterated pyrazoloquinolinone ligand (DK-I-56-1): Process parameters and lyoprotectant selection through the stability study

Recently, nanocrystal dispersions have been considered as a promising formulation strategy to improve the bioavailability of the deuterated pyrazoloquinolinone ligand DK-I-56-1 (7‑methoxy-2-(4‑methoxy-d3-phenyl)-2,5-dihydro-3H-pyrazolo[4,3-c]quinolin-3-one). In the current study, the freeze-drying process (formulation and process parameters) was investigated to improve the storage stability of the previously developed formulation. Different combinations of lyoprotectant (sucrose or trehalose) and bulking agent (mannitol) were varied while formulations were freeze-dried under two conditions (primary drying at -10 or -45 °C). The obtained lyophilizates were characterized in terms of particle size, solid state properties and morphology, while the interactions within the samples were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In the preliminary study, three formulations were selected based on the high redispersibility index values (around 95%). The temperature of primary drying had no significant effect on particle size, but stability during storage was impaired for samples dried at -10 °C. Samples dried at lower temperature were more homogeneous and remained stable for three months. It was found that the optimal ratio of sucrose or trehalose to mannitol was 3:2 at a total concentration of 10% to achieve the best stability (particle size < 1.0 μm, polydispersity index < 0.250). The amorphous state of lyoprotectants probably provided a high degree of interaction with nanocrystals, while the crystalline mannitol provided an elegant cake structure. Sucrose was superior to trehalose in maintaining particle size during freeze-drying, while trehalose was more effective in keeping particle size within limits during storage. In conclusion, results demonstrated that the appropriate combination of sucrose/trehalose and mannitol together with the appropriate selection of lyophilization process parameters could yield nanocrystals with satisfactory stability.

Corn kernel hardness and drying temperature affect particle size post-hammer-milling and pellet quality in broiler and swine diets

The particle size (PS) of ground corn affects the live performance, nutrient digestibility, energy utilization, and gut health of poultry and swine. Endosperm hardness influences kernel breakability. The interactive effects of corn moisture content at harvest and drying temperature (DT) can also affect starch-protein matrix structure, breakage susceptibility, and pellet durability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of drying temperature (35 or 120 °C) in two yellow-dent corn hybrids with different kernel hardness (average and hard) on the geometric mean diameter (dgw) and standard deviation by weight (Sgw) when hammermilled, and pellet quality. Four different settings combinations of tip speeds (4213, 3862, 3335, and 2458 m/min) and screen of 8/64", 3.18 mm (8 −8); 20/64", 7.94 mm (20 −20); 24/64", 9.53 mm (24 −24); and 24/64", 9.53 mm (24 −24) respectively were used to target four dgw (400, 700, 925, and 1250 µm). After grinding, the 400 and 700 µm corn were included in broiler and sow diets to assess the impact of these treatments on the pellet durability index (PDI). Grinding and pelleting data were analyzed using a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of two corn varieties (CV) and two DT in a randomized complete block design with blocks by grinding or pelleting event. The average hardness CV generally had the lowest dgw. The hard CV had the biggest dgw when kernels were dried at 35 °C, and the tip speed setting was 3335 m/min. Drying at 120 °C increased dgw for the average hardness CV when the target PS were 700, 925, and 1250 µm, but caused no increase in dgw at the lowest target PS. In contrast, the dgw of hard CV was not affected by DT when ground to target 700 and 1250 µm and increased at 400 µm with the high DT. The average hardness CV had higher Sgw, especially when dried at 35 °C. Higher particle uniformity (lower Sgw) was observed with hard CV. Diets containing the hard CV presented better PDI than diets with the average CV. Better broiler feed PDI was observed with corn dried at 120 °C than at 35 °C. However, this effect was the opposite when grinding at a lower PS target for sow gestation diets. The PS distribution and damaged starch of corn affected PDI. Higher corn DT affected dgw and Sgw differently depending on CV and improved PDI in broiler diets, while 35 °C DT improved PDI in sow diets.

An experimental investigation of how coal's secondary oxidation process is impacted by primary oxidation temperature and ventilation

A worldwide calamity has resulted from spontaneous coal combustion, and actions such as opening enclosed fire areas and processing coal left in mines can ignite oxidized coal. Using a procedural temperature rise testing system, the impact of various primary oxidation temperatures and ventilation rates on secondary coal oxidation was examined in this research. The variation laws of the indicator gas, characteristic temperature, and exothermicity parameters were mainly analyzed, and the activation energy of each stage in the low-temperature oxidation process was calculated. The findings demonstrate that the secondary oxidation process's trend of sign gases (CO and C2H4) and exothermic characteristic characteristics of coal with temperature is unaffected by the primary oxidation temperature and ventilation. Increasing ventilation reduces the indicator gas concentration and the coal's exothermic characteristic parameters in the initial stages of low-temperature secondary oxidation, whereas it has the reverse effect in the later stages. Stage Ⅰ of the secondary low-temperature combustion procedure is significantly influenced by ventilation and the first oxidation temperature, but stages Ⅱ and III are only marginally affected. When the coal is secondarily oxidized at low temperatures, primary oxidation reduces the Ea of stage I, while increased ventilation raises the Ea of stage I. T1 (critical temperature) rises as the airflow rate rises, whereas T2 (dry cracking temperature) falls. The findings can provide theoretical guidance to open enclosed fire areas and process coal left in mines and other goaf operations and can further enrich the theory of preventing and controlling secondary coal oxidation.

Study of inflatable temperature–sensitive hydrogel to prevent the coal spontaneous combustion

A serious of inflatable temperature–sensitive hydrogel (HPMC–CS–EM) were prepared to prevent coal spontaneous combustion (CSC). Through performance tests, it was found that gel of 50 mPa∙s HPMC had good fluidity, the addition of EM can increase the water loss in the early pyrolysis stage. A50, B50 prepared by 50 mPa∙s HPMC and 0 %, 0.5 % EM had good performance which were suitable for the prevention of CSC. The inhibition of A50, B50 on CSC was tested by means of paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and thermogravimetry. Inhibition experiments revealed that more water and hydrocarbon gas were released from B50 gel, thereby significantly reducing the concentration and amount of free radicals, the maximum water loss rate temperature and the dry crack temperature. The more carbon residue of A50 gel made it have better inhibition effect in the slow oxidation stage. The average apparent activation energy was obtained by the combination of universal integral and differential at multiple heating rates, indicating that these two gels remarkably reduced the tendency of CSC.

Performance assessment of hybrid recuperative heat exchanger for diesel engine generated exhaust gas

In this study, the use of supplemental heat energy from exhaust gas of a stationary diesel engine was assessed to explore a new method of drying black nightshade seeds in a solar-exhaust gas greenhouse dryer. The energy recovery potential of a hybrid recuperative heat exchanger (HRHE) was demonstrated with the objective of utilizing the recovered energy from an engine on milling operations to heat a fluid stream of drying air. The results show that 4.45 kW of thermal energy was available in exhaust gas of a diesel engine operated at 2500 rpm when mass flow rate was 45.07 kg/h at a temperature of 357.36 °C. The rate of heat utilized for solar-exhaust gas mode ranged from 40.49 to 685.94 J/m2.s and from 21.69 to 668.11 J/m2.s in exhaust gas mode of drying. The heat exchanger raised the dryer temperature by an average of 11.78 °C when temperature differences between inside and outside were compared in solar-exhaust gas mode of drying. The average hourly rise in temperature inside the dryer was 8.04 °C with a minimum rise of 3.7 °C and a maximum of 9.41 °C when exhaust gas was utilized to provide heat energy. The performance of the solar-exhaust gas greenhouse dryer improved when thermal energy was used as a supplement in drying and as a result the drying time for black nightshade seeds was significantly reduced from 11 h in solar mode to 10 h in solar-exhaust gas mode of drying. Moreover, the seeds were dried for 14 h when exhaust gas mode of drying was performed without utilizing solar energy. The percent internal uncertainty for experimental measurements of relative humidity (γ) was 4.1% and 17.5% for temperature (T) observations. The three proposed thermal models for temperatures and moisture evaporation performed better with low RMSEs in exhaust gas mode compared to the other modes of drying.

Physical–Chemical, Functional and Antioxidant Properties of Dehydrated Pumpkin Seeds: Effects of Ultrasound Time and Amplitude and Drying Temperature

Physical–Chemical, Functional and Antioxidant Properties of Dehydrated Pumpkin Seeds: Effects of Ultrasound Time and Amplitude and Drying Temperature

SAFE WORKING CONDITIONS IN HOT MINE ENVIRONMENT – THE ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT INDICES

The article presents the discussion and practical examples relating to the interpretation of the notion of safe working areas in hot environment based on various indices (American Effective Temperature (ATE), climate equivalent temperature (t zk ) and the Silesian temperature (TS)). The first, theoretical part includes an analysis of the allowable dry bulb temperatures in line with the threshold values for the specified indices in case of various relative humidity and airflow velocity values. Also, the variability of the studied allowable working areas was exhibited for hypothetical extreme cases (such as an airflow of 0 m/s or the relative humidity of φ = 0%) as well as for actual conditions registered in headings. The second part consisted in the analysis of the allowable full-time working conditions for two selected cases of driving roadways. The analysis was conducted for two indices applied in the first part and complemented with an appraisal considering the dry bulb temperature (t s ) and the wet kata thermometer units (K w ). It has been exhibited that while regulating the airflow and the dry bulb temperature in the heading, significant differences in the interpretations (ranges) of safe working areas occur depending on the index that is being used. The conducted works indicate that by applying air cooling in the heading (decreasing the psychrometric temperatures considering the thermodynamic process corresponding to sensible air cooling) or by increasing the airflow, the requirements of the microclimate indices are fulfilled in the following order: ATE, t zk , TS.

Effect of drying temperature and drying time on the crystallinity degree of Zn(II)-tartrate complex

This study examines the impact of drying temperature and drying time on the degree of crystallinity of the Zn(II)-tartrate complex. Crystallinity degree is one of many important factors in material science which may alter the properties and applications of transition metal complexes. The Zn(II)-tartrate was synthesized using a direct mixing solution method at room temperature. Drying temperature and drying time were varied at 80 ​°C, 100 ​°C, and 120 ​°C for 1 and 2 ​h, respectively. The obtained white solid of Zn(II)-tartrate was characterized by FTIR and powder-XRD. Analysis by FTIR and powder XRD confirms that Zn(II)-tartrate was successfully synthesized and has considerably good crystallinity degree. The crystallinity of Zn(II)-tartrate is influenced by the temperatures and drying times. The higher the temperature and the longer the drying time, the higher the degree of crystallinity of Zn(II)-tartrates obtained. The crystallinity degrees and crystallite size of the Zn(II)-tartrates obtained in this work were around 74–75% and 16 ​nm, respectively. Further analysis of the selected sample by DTA-TGA analysis shows that the complex has a good thermal stability up to 300 ​°C. Moreover, the DRS spectrum shows that Zn(II)-tartrate absorbs UV light at 200–236 ​nm with a direct bandgap energy of 5.54 ​eV, which is slightly higher than the KNa-tartrate precursor.

Effect of Drying Temperature of Ambar Pumpkin on Proximate Composition and Content of Bioactive Ingredients

Pumpkins are often used as a fodder component and food due to their high nutritional value and share of bioactive components (e.g., carotenoids, polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFAs)). Due to their high moisture content, they must be preserved; drying is still the most popular method. Our work aimed to assess the optimal drying temperature to keep the best possible nutritional value of the raw material. For this purpose, pumpkin was dried at 40 °C, 60 °C and 80 °C. Then, the proximate composition, carotenoid content, fatty acids, and antioxidant properties were determined. The results indicate that the carotenoids were relatively stable up to 60 °C and then decreased sharply. Furthermore, antioxidant activity was the highest at 40 °C and 60 °C. However, in the case of PUFA content, drying at 80 °C was the most effective, probably due to the shorter exposure time to the stimulus.

Effect of Inlet Air Humidity Control on a Novel Indirect Condensative Cooling Performances in Achieving Air Thermal Comfort

The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of controlling inlet air relative humidity on the performance of solid dry pad based indirect condensative cooling (SDP-ICC) system, in an effort to have a better air thermal comfort. The main evaporative cooling parameter such as cooling efficiency, cooling capacity, and temperature drop, condensation rate and energy efficiency ratio would be observed, together with the final dry and wet bulb air temperature and relative humidity in respect to reach the standard air thermal comfort. During the experiment test, the inlet air would be heated respectively using 1.0 kW, 1.5 kW and 2.0 kW heater in a climate chamber before it passed through to the solid dry pad, to be cooled indirect condensatively. The air velocity would be set on 11.3 m3/. The test results indicate that to achieve an air thermal comfort significantly in the evaporative and or condensative cooling system, the air should need to be treated with more than one thermal process, rather than cooling only. In this research, the SDP-ICC has only achieved the air thermal comfort in respect to its relative humidity of 67.3%, 55.65% and 44.3% respectively for heating capacity of 1.0 kW, 1.5 kW and 2.0 kW. The highest SDP-ICC cooling performance has been achieved on 1.5 kW heating capacity, in which it has reached 1.9 kW, 1.83, 3.4oC and 0.237 m3/hr respectively for cooling capacity, energy efficiency ratio, temperature drop and condensation rate. It can be concluded that by heating the inlet air relative humidity in evaporative and or condensative cooling system, it can be resulted the product air which has met the standard air thermal comfort.

Performance evaluation of solar tunnel dryer and electric tray dryer for drying date palm fruit (Pheonix dactylifera L.) in arid region of Rajasthan

Date palm (P. dactylifera, L.) is an important fruit of arid and semi-arid regions.In Western Rajasthan the dates are harvested in the month of July-August but preferred to eat during winter months, so it becomes necessary to dry and store the fruits at least for 4 to 6 months. The use of an appropriate temperature for drying of dates is quite crucial as a higher temperature may encourage case hardening, caramelization and a higher hygroscopicity; whereas a lower temperature would be insufficient to remove significant moisture leading to a clumpy powder. Farmers generally dry the dates in open sun. This traditional uncontrolled drying method is unhygienic and required more time, also weather dependent, so alternate economical methods are being tested in the region by the scientists and the farmers for drying of dates in the form of Pind. The paper deals with the performance of solar tunnel dryer and electric tray dryer installed at the farmer’s field in Bikaner district of Rajasthan. The results reveal the drying time of Medjool date palm fruits in solar tunnel dryer and electric tray dryer.

Potential carbon mineralization assays are confounded by different soil drying temperatures

Measuring carbon dioxide (CO2) produced after re-wetting previously dried soil is an increasingly popular soil health assay, but there is disagreement on the optimal soil drying temperature. We tested whether soil drying temperature impacts water-extractable organic carbon (WEOC) and soil CO2 emissions following rewetting. Soils were collected from corn/soybean croplands and adjacent perennial vegetation at four sites in Iowa, USA. Soil replicates were dried at 22 °C, 35 °C, 55 °C, 85 °C, and rewetted for incubation at 22 °C. Soil WEOC and CO2 emissions after re-wetting increased nonlinearly with drying temperature. Effects on CO2 were largest after four days of incubation, but cumulative differences persisted even after 42 days. Responses of CO2 and its stable isotope ratio (δ13C) to increased drying temperature varied among sites and vegetation types, indicating shifts in C sources. Soil health assays performed with different soil drying temperatures may not be directly comparable, effects of drying temperature may vary idiosyncratically among samples, and drying at 22 °C or 35 °C as opposed to higher temperatures may be preferable to avoid increasing C availability.