PNEUMATIC DRYING OF MEALS: APPLICATION OF THE VARIABLE DIFFUSIV1TY MODEL

The superficial and bound moisture removal from soya meal was studied in a pneumatic dryer. The effect of external condition over the effective diffusivity in drying kinetics prediction has been demonstrated and a model that considers time variable diffusion coefficient was developed and correlated with gas temperature and velocities. A simple experimental technique using a pulse injection of humected solid was utilized to determine real drying kinetics under steady state operation with solids recycling. The model fitted the experimental data well over a gas temperature range between 100° C and 300° C and gas velocities of 3.5 m/ s and 20 m/ s.