Moisture Removal Research Articles

GEOTEXTILE IN THE MODERN INTERIOR: FEATURES OF USE IN THE DESIGN OF A PHYTOMODULE FOR GREEN WALL

The paper presents the results of research related to the features of using a geotextile material – geotextile profile membrane Izolit Green in the design of a phytomodule for vertical greening of a modern interior. The phytomodule is a modern trend, a unique design; clean indoor air and easy maintenance; it’s coziness and comfort. Vertical landscaping with the help of a phytomodule will advantageously distinguish the room, create the appropriate mood and give it a special charm. Phytomodules for landscaping are a modern solution for decorating a living space. A picture, a wall or a movable structure – everyone can find their own option based on the stylistic preferences and features of the design of the apartment or house. Vertical gardening is a great alternative to nature, requires a minimum of space, and the wall will look different. Phytowall can be easily placed near the desk in the office or apartment. Vertical gardening is a piece of nature that we need, which gives us strength and inspiration. Vertical landscaping is, without exaggeration, one of the most popular and universal trends in interior design. A green wall will help save space for placing plants, create the effect of a natural environment, clean the air and increase humidity in the room. The phytosystem consists of a phytomodule in which live indoor plants are planted. The modular design allows you to assemble green walls of any size. Correctly selected geotextile material can increase the reliability of the phytomodule, increase the time between repair and maintenance work, and extend the life of the phytomodule. Geotextile materials used in the construction of the phytomodule must ensure high-quality drainage properties and rigidity of the structure itself. The varieties of phytomodules, their advantages and disadvantages, features of filling are considered. The structure of the phytomodule was studied, an important component of which is geotextile, which ensures the qualitative characteristics of the phytomodule, in particular, the effective removal of excess moisture and the strength of the structure. The technical characteristics of the geotextile profiled membrane Izolit Green, which can be used in the design of the phytomodule, are considered. The assortment of ideas for garden walls based on the phytomodule is considered.

Experimental study of dehumidification performance and solar thermal energy enhancement properties on a dehumidification system using desiccant coated heat exchanger

Due to the high dehumidification performance realized by removing adsorption heat by inner cooing, desiccant coated heat exchanger (DCHE) has been proposed and widely studied. The heat pump is usually used as the cooling and heat sources of the dehumidification system composed of DCHE because the cooling and heat capacity could be provided by the heat pump at the same time. Moreover, considering the advantage of low-grade thermal energy utilization, solar thermal energy can be used to further enhance the regeneration of DCHE to improve dehumidification performance and energy efficiency. In this paper, the solar-enhanced fresh air dehumidification system using DCHE driven by heat pump was proposed and a series of experiments were conducted under typical Shanghai summer high humidity conditions. The typical moisture removal of the system can be increased by about 15% to 10.14 g/kgDA and the COP could be further increased by over 25% to 5.39. In addition, the influence of different regeneration temperatures enhanced by solar thermal energy on the system has also been studied. Considering the dehumidification performance improvement and energy utilization efficiency, the optimal regeneration temperature is between 60 °C and 65 °C for the system proposed in this paper.

Numerical Energy and Exergy Evaluation of a Filament Bulb Controlled Convective Heat Dryer

The mathematical model for temperature regime thermal analysis evaluation of convective heat dryer has been done. Control volume analysis was adopted in this work while taking note of all the feasible heat transfer mechanisms around the system. Mathematical expressions for the energy, exergy, entropy generation as well as destroyed exergy were derived using the control volume. The consumed energy, exergy, entropy generation and exergy destruction of the dryer were computed. The system temperature gradually increased from its initial room temperature of 270˚C to 720˚C at approximately 2700 secs. The temperature thereafter dropped and stabilized to about 670˚C at 4600 secs while the element dried gradually. The moisture removal curve followed the same trend as that of the temperature with gradual variation from 0.5 to 13.2g/mol. The peak energy from the system is approximately 958J against the useful exergy of 443J which shows that 46.24% of the expended energy was actually useful for the drying purpose and about 10.23% was lost. The energy and exergy efficiencies were also computed and results showed that the efficiencies are functions of temperature just like other influencing parameters which has to be technically controlled. Peak energy efficiency of approximately 54.6% was recorded in the dryer with the peak exergy efficiency of 23.4%. The dryer also yielded a better dried product as compared with the traditional means of drying.

Structure-improved current collector for performance enhancement of electrolyte membrane dehumidifiers: 3D simulations and in-situ measurements

Electro-dehumidification based on proton exchange membrane (PEM) is promising owing to its compact assembly and convenient operation. By numerically improving the effects of current collectors’ structure on the operation performance (moisture removal rate, current/temperature/humidity distribution and energy utilization rate), this research achieved a significant dehumidification enhancement (more than 40%) for electrolyte membrane dehumidifiers. 3D Multiphysics simulation and in-situ verification measurements were conducted. Compared with the original collectors, the dehumidification rate can be enhanced by 35% with the “口” collectors, and by more than 40% with “X”, “#” and “▪” collectors. The best performance occurred with the anode collector of “▪” structure (opening area: 9 × 10-4 m2), which the rate increased by 46%. The improvement effects were mainly due to the improvement of potential distribution (especially on the anode side) and the concentration of the reactant (water vapor) reaching the catalyst interface. Compared with the “口” type, the current density uniformity of membrane dehumidifier with the “▪” collector increased from 0.0033 to 0.032. The temperature and moisture distribution were also more uniform. The opening structure of anode collector resulted in a more significant effect than the opening area. Therefore, the system energy utilization rate and COP (coefficient of performance) can be doubled, up to 3.48 × 10−2 g·J−1·m−2 and 0.26, respectively. This research provides a theoretical basis and practical direction for improving current collectors of PEM dehumidifiers.

Technological aspects of the preparation of jelly marmalade of reduced sugar content and caloric content using a natural carbohydrate-containing product

The article describes the characteristics and properties of natural honey varieties - buckwheat and sunflower. It also presents their comparative analysis of chemical composition, quality indicators, enzyme activity, antioxidant activity, vitamin C content and microbiological indicators. The innovative method of sugar-free jelly marmalade production based on honey by injection molding into a polymeric barrier shell is described. It has been stated that the replacement of white sugar and starch syrup by natural honey in jelly marmalade recipe leads to sugar and calorie content decrease of the product, an increase in its nutritional value, antioxidant activity, antibacterial properties due to the application with honey essential substances for a human body (vitamins of group B, C, antioxidants, antiseptics, enzymes, minerals, etc.). The use of a new method of forming and marmalade packaging in a polymer barrier shell leads to an extension of marmalade shelf life up to 6 months. Analysis of changes in the quality of jelly marmalade samples showed that moisture removal, and with it the process of drying after storage for 180 days, occurs more intensively – 2.2 times in a sample of marmalade packed according to traditional technology, while the content of reducing substances (to the total mass of dried marmalade) in this sample increased by 11.3 %. Daily consumption of the developed product helps to increase immunity, vitality, it normalizes metabolism, strengthens heart muscle, nervous system, it also improves food absorption, work of the gastrointestinal tract, etc. The developed dietary marmalade can be recommended primarily to children during their growth, the elderly people, athletes and adults with heavy physical exertion, obese as well.

Experimental investigation of silica gel and zeolite coated fin-tube heat exchangers under arid climatic conditions

In this paper, a novel concept of an atmospheric water generator (AWG) based on desiccant coated heat exchangers (DCHEs) is presented. Two silica gel coated heat exchangers (SGCHEs) and two zeolite coated heat exchangers (ZCHEs) were prepared by coating a desiccant material on the surface of a conventional air-to-water fin-tube heat exchanger. An experimental set-up was built to investigate the performance characteristics of the prepared DCHEs in terms of the moisture removal capacity MRC, the effective duration of the process te, and the total moisture mass transferred during the dehumidification/regeneration cycle MT. The influence of the regeneration hot-water temperature Tw,in on the performance characteristics was also analysed. The experimental results showed that ZCHEs have better performance characteristics under arid climatic conditions than SGCHEs. It was found that the ZCHEs have approximately four times higher value of the moisture transferred during the dehumidification/generation cycle MT compared to the SGCHEs, 10.15 g for the ZCHEs and 2.60 g for the SGCHEs. Moreover, it can be concluded that the influence of the regeneration water temperature Tw,in for ZCHEs is not as critical as for SGCHEs. The experimental results indicated that when the regeneration hot-water temperature Tw,in decreases from 85 °C to 65 °C, the moisture transferred during the dehumidification/regeneration cycle MT for the ZCHEs decreases from 10.15 g to 7.11 g representing a 30% decrease in the system performance, while for the SGCHEs the same decrease in the regeneration hot-water temperature Tw,in causes a significant decrease in the moisture mass transferred during the cycle MT from 2.60 g to 0.85 g, representing a 67% decrease in the system performance.

Ultrasound as a Non-thermal Pretreatment to Enhance Moisture Removal and Improve the Quality of French Fries

Ultrasound as a Non-thermal Pretreatment to Enhance Moisture Removal and Improve the Quality of French Fries

Modelling and experimental analysis of rice drying in new fluidized bed assisted hybrid infrared-microwave dryer

This study aimed to investigate how infrared (1000–2000 W) and microwave power (100–900 W), air velocity (1–5 m/s) and temperature (40–80 °C) affected the specific energy consumption, the moisture removal rate, and the product's quality (whiteness index, head rice yield, water uptake ratio, and elongation ratio) in hybrid dryer. Rising temperature, velocity and microwave power and lower temperatures resulted in improving head rice yield of paddy samples. The experiments proved that the new hybrid system significantly increased the moisture removal rate (from 100 to 700%), head rice yield (from 5 to 40 %) and decreased the specific energy consumption (from 10 to 80%) compared to the single fluidized bed dryer. The water uptake ratio and elongation ratio of the dried samples in the hybrid dryer were higher than the single dryer, however their whiteness index was not significantly different. The best drying conditions are associated with the lowest specific energy consumption and the highest moisture removal ratio and rice quality. Experimental data were fitted into empirical drying models to explain moisture ratio variations during drying. Nomhorm and verma,s model was found to be the best for moisture ratio prediction. Also, the central composite design of response surface methodology was applied to forecast outputs. A modified cubic model was observed in all responses with high R2 values (greater than0.9). The drying parameters were optimized for the specified constraints, resulting in 68 °C temperature, 5 m/s air velocity, 900 w microwave power, and 1479 w infrared power. The experimental values were found to be 0.368607 g/s for the moisture removal rate, 7.16988 MJ/kg water for the specific energy consumption, 90.6% for the head rice yield, 58 for the whiteness index, 3.63 for the water uptake ratio, and 2.28627 for the elongation ratio, at the optimum treatment conditions.

ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ ЯКОСТІ СУШІННЯ ЗЕРНА КУКУРУДЗИ СУШАРКОЮ МОДЕЛІ STELA AGRODRY MDB-XN 4/15-SU В ЖОРСТКОМУ РЕЖИМІИ

ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ ЯКОСТІ СУШІННЯ ЗЕРНА КУКУРУДЗИ СУШАРКОЮ МОДЕЛІ STELA AGRODRY MDB-XN 4/15-SU В ЖОРСТКОМУ РЕЖИМІИ

Equipment for removing moisture when manipulating piece food products

The work presents the scientific basis for the recognition of small specific parts and finished products on a thin gas layer. The proposed principle is based on the use of the interlayer as a carrier and recognizing the main element of the pneumatic system. The purpose of the work is to substantiate the possibility of increasing the production of high-quality piece food production through the introduction of modern automated devices. Together with the design features of the working surfaces of the devices, the creation of universal pneumatic equipment is ensured. The developed equipment is able to successfully solve the problems of moisture removal, sorting, rejection, orientation of the subject of production. The description of the recognition principle is given. The synthesis of elements of the pneumatic system of the type "pneumatic chamber-working surface of the device-thin gas layer-product" showed that they are interconnected. At the stage of synthesis of elements of the pneumatic system and their structural classification, it was possible to unite the characteristic specifics of the described pieces of food industry with the design features of the devices and the operations implemented on them. The presented device schemes have versatility, multifunctionality, ability to manipulate specific pieces, when switching from one standard size of parts to another.

Drying kinetics of a solar dryer for drying of potato chips in Western Maharashtra, India

The current study focuses on the performance of Solar Greenhouse Dryer for drying of potato chips in Solar Dryer and Open sun condition in Western Maharashtra. The potato chips is a value added product, that can be effectively used during throughout year as snacks, side dish or appetizer. It can be either deep dried or backed for consumption. The potato contains high fiber, it helps to lower the cholesterol level in blood reducing the risk of blood pressure if consumed backed. The potato chips can be effectively stored for one year to six months and consumed as snacks.The experiment was conducted at Bahe, Borgaon, Tal-Walwa, Dist- Sangli, Maharashtra, India located at 17.115o N and 74.33o E. The Moisture Removal Rate (MRR) for drying of potato chips in Solar Greenhouse Dryer and Open sun drying is 83% and 78% respectively. The drying rate observed during the experiment has a better resemblance with simulated Response Surface Modelling.

Technological measures to improve the environmental friendliness of alcohol industry enterprises

The article concerns technological measures to improve the environmental friendliness of food industry enterprises: in particular, aspects of processing waste from the alcohol industry with further use in agriculture (in animal feed). It is important to use methods to optimize the feeding of farm animals, allowing one to involve feed resources that do not have a harmful effect on health and productivity, while significantly reducing the consumption of grain components. This resource is dry distillery grains, which is a waste product of distillery production. Technologies of distillery bard processing include its evaporation with further drying. The main waste at the ethanol plant is whole stillage. It is centrifuged to separate thin stillage from wet grains. Thin stillage contains 5-10% of solids. For reducing energy consumption during the concentration process, it is possible to use a direct contact evaporator (bubbling evaporator). In this article, the bubbling evaporator design was developed. To justify the size of the evaporator, the temperature difference profile along the column length was determined. It is less than 1 and remains constant, which determines the high efficiency of heat transfer. The most effective parameters of the evaporation process according to moisture removal are a gas flow rate of 1.3–1.5 m3/h, air temperature of 400±15. Work results can be used in the design of scalable systems for thin stillage processing and applicable in medium-sized ethanol plants.

Thermogravimetric and thermal characteristics of dehydration of semi-finished products to make pastilles from apple and pumpkin

The stage of drying pastilles (marshmallow) is the most time-consuming and energy-consuming. Its course depends on temperature, air convection, quality of raw materials and other factors. The dynamics of moisture removal can be monitored using thermal analysis methods. These methods provide information on the kinetics of dehydration, thermal stability of components, thermal effects of moisture removal. The results of the study of semi-finished products from apples and pumpkin were obtained on a Netzsch STA 449F3 device. The obtained data can be used in the modeling of technological production processes and can reduce the time and resources spent.

Electrospun Collagen Based Nanofibrous Mats for Wound Healing: An Integrative Review

Wound healing has always been an important issue that needs to be addressed, especially where second-and third-degree burns are considered. These types of burns extend to the dermis in second-degree burns and the tissues in third-degree burns and this process is extremely slow. Hypertrophic scarring and infection which are caused due to decreased immunity are some of the obstacles that need to be tackled. Recent studies show that fish collagen is useful in preventing infections due to its natural antimicrobial properties. Increased cellular respiration, exudate removal and retention of moisture are a few events that promote wound healing and these are aided by electrospun nanofibrous mats. Combining the properties of collagen into the nanofibrous mats in order to facilitate wound healing can potentially serve as an alternative to the current wound healing therapies. This article covers the various types of collagen that can be used with a focus on the synthetic polymeric blending into the collagen structures and its electrospinning process.

Experimental Investigation of Thermal Performance Parameters of Drying Air Unit with a Different Flowrate of Liquid Desiccant Solution

Liquid desiccant air-conditioning systems remove directly the latent load from moist air and remove indirectly sensible load of this air by using an indirect evaporative cooling process. The liquid desiccant must subsequently be regeneration once again with a low-grade heat source like solar energy. In this study, calcium chloride solution was used as a desiccant. For the desiccant solution regeneration process, a flat plate solar collector was employed. Different variables, such as the primary airflow rate and desiccant flow rate, were changed during the experiments. The impact of these variables on the performance parameters of the desiccant systems such as moisture removal rate, moisture efficiency, enthalpy efficiency, sensible heat ratio, and the mass transfer coefficient was studied. The obtained results revealed that as the flow rate of primary air increases, the moisture removal rate, sensible heat ratio, and the mass transfer coefficient increase. For example, from 0.006 m/s to 0.0125m/s when the mass airflow rate increased from 0.1 kg/s to 0.18 kg/s.

Energy-saving drying strategy of spent coffee grounds for co-firing fuel by adding biochar for carbon sequestration to approach net zero

Drying is an important but energy-intensive industrial process, while spent coffee grounds can be used as an abundant and potential biomass waste to replace part of the coal consumption for green fuel production and circular economy. In this study, an energy-saving strategy for efficiently drying spent coffee grounds (SCGs) by adding hygroscopic water chestnut shell biochar with 422% water holding capacity is developed. It is found that the contributions of the thermal conductivity and hygroscopicity of the biochar on the moisture removal of the SCG exhibit a competitive relationship. The hygroscopicity is dominant when the drying temperature is below 50 ℃, whereas the thermal conductivity reigns over the drying process once the drying temperature is equal to or above 50 ℃. To prevent mildew growth with lower drying cost at 105 ℃, the optimum trade-off outcomes of CSCG (i.e., the mixture of SCG and biochar) are the moisture content, water activity, and HHV of 21.71%, 0.60 aw, and 18.88 MJ kg−1, respectively. The S/C mixing ratio of 1 at 105 ℃ and around 20% moisture content has the lowest drying cost of 2.3 × 10−5 USD g−1, which reduces 44% cost compared to SCG with the same conditions. Overall, it was demonstrated that water chestnut shell biochar is a good additive to achieve the energy-saving drying process of SCG, and the dried SCG can be used as a coal co-firing fuel.

DEVELOPMENT OF SOLAR HEAT CONCENTRATION BOX DRYER AND LM 35 SENSOR AS TEMPERATURE MEASURING DEVICE

The solar heat concentration box is a system which convert the solar energy to heat energy in a closed system for farmers to dry their farm produce. The system uses solar collector to harness energy from the Sun and concentrate it on a drying chamber to remove moisture from plantain, tomatoes, yam and pepper harvested from the farm. The system have three compartments system. Firstly, heat chamber. The heat chamber is made up of a solar glass collector, reflector foil and a rectangular wooden box. This chamber converts the Sun energy to heat energy. It is mounted at angle of 60o to the drying chamber. Secondly, the drying chamber. The drying chamber comprises of a cuboids, tray and isolating material. This is the chamber where the farm produce is laid and removal of moisture takes place. Thirdly, an electronic system which is made up of LM 35 sensor is used to convert the heat distribution inside the drying chamber to temperature. The LM 35 is interface with an Ardiuno UNO microcontroller. The microcontroller converts the analog signal output generated from the sensor to a digital output signal which is been display on visual system. The electronic device will enable farmers measure the temperature of the drying chamber at a particular time or period of the day. The system will enable farmers to dry perishable farm produce which is seasonal. This will reduce food shortage and increase in the cost of such seasonal and perishable farm produce during harvest and off-season.

FARMERS' PROSPERITY THROUGH SOLAR DRYING OF DATES

Drying is an essential process in the preservation of agricultural products. Various drying methods are employed to dry different agricultural products. Each method has its own advantages and limitations. Choosing the right drying system is thus important in the process of drying agricultural products. Care must be taken in choosing the drying system. Study comparing traditional drying and other drying methods for the reduction of the drying time and to a significant improvement of the product quality in term so color texture and taste. Drying reduces the possibilities of the contamination by insects and microorganisms so that product is prevented. An experimental study was performed to determine the drying characteristics of dates halves using hot air dryer, solar dryer and open sun drying methods. The date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera) are as a food of high energy value. It is very popular both nationally and internationally. Date fruits are perishable fruit crop grown in coastal region of kutchh of Gujarat state. The date fruits are harvested at ripening stage so the fresh fruits have not longer shelf life. The date halves were dried under hot air flow dryer at temperature level of 50, 60 and 70oC under pre-treatment of blanching and un-blanching. The rate of moisture of blanched sample should only 7.5 % reduction at 54hr drying period while un blanched sample should 13.9 % reduction at 102 hr. In case of date halves drying, the constant weight of sample was achieved at 56 h of drying period in solar cabinet dryer as compared to 320 h for open sun drying. The moisture content was reduced from 69.5 to 8.7 % (w.b.) under solar cabinet dryer for drying of 56 h, while the moisture content was reduce 69.5 to 12.3 % (w.b.) under open sun drying for drying period of 320 h. It was found that the highest moisture removal was 67% for the drying time of 54 h. under hot air flow dryer at 70 oC while minimum moisture removal was 63.6 % for drying time of 320 h. under open sun drying method. In hot air flow drying method, the drying rate for date halves was found to be 32.54, 46.37 and 62.03 g/h at temperature level of 50, 60 and 70 oC respectively for blanched samples, while it was 31.56, 45.53 and 60.93g/h at same temperature levels for unblanched samples.

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT DRYING METHODS ON THE NUTRITIONAL AND SENSORY ATTRIBUTES OF ABELMOSCHUS ESCULENTUS (OKRA)

This work was carried out to study the effect of different drying methods (shade, oven and sun drying) on the nutritional and sensory properties of Abelmoschus esculentus (okra vegetable). Results from this study showed that the carbohydrate content ranged from 11.64% in sample A to 54.20% in sample D, an increase due to the removal of moisture. The crude fat ranged from 0.52% to 3.40%. The ash content was markedly enhanced by drying too and it ranged from 1.30% in fresh sample to 8.91% in shade-dried sample, the fibre content ranged from 1.12% in fresh sample to 16.43 % in sun-dried sample. A slight decrease in mineral content was observed upon drying except sodium and magnesium which was found to be significantly higher in the fresh sample. There were increase in phosphorous and potassium upon drying. The vitamin content showed significant difference (p<0.05) in the level of vitamin C, it ranged from 3.68 mg/kg to 1.41mg/kg, the fresh sample ranked higher followed by shade, oven and sun-dried samples. The result for sensory quality attributes showed significance difference (p<0.05) in all the attributes of the okra soup made from the samples and shade dried sample gave the best result in terms of colour and taste which maybe low temperature processing that retained its sensory qualities. The result of this study suggests that drying improved the concentration of nutrients and could be useful in preserving Abelmoschus esculentus in a good way and ensure its availability all year round

Whey removal characteristics during conventional production of chhana

Whey removal phenomena generally studied in terms of whey removal rate, chhana weight and moisture content during chhana production process. Despite all these above factors, moisture content concerned to be the important one to maintain its soft texture and suitability for manufacturing of diversified products. The present study was undertaken to identify best model to express whey draining process so as to predict the relevant characteristics such as moisture ratio, moisture content and moisture removal rate. Whey removal rate was pursued for different cow milk quantities (5, 10, 15 and 20 kg) using delayed straining technique for gravimetric removal of whey from the chhana mass. Among the mathematical models, Logarithmic model was found best in describing the whey draining characteristics and predicting the moisture ratio of chhana. Whey removal characteristics provides important insights for the development of equipments for chhana production, downstream processing equipments for whey and online sensors for monitoring the process that regulates the moisture content and final quality of chhana and chhana based products. The novelty of the work lied on the incorporation of mathematical modeling to the chhana production process.