Lab Notes For Drying
Lab Notes For Drying
Lab Notes For Drying
Timothy Placek
February 21, 2006
These materials are provided to highlight important concepts which will be employed in the lab experiments dealing with drying and dryers. They are not intended to be complete or the soul source of information necessary to properly conduct and analyze the laboratory experiment and data. Most of the material contained here is drawn from Geankoplis Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles, 4/e. Drying as a Process (Unit Operation) Object: Removal of liquid (usually water) from solid material. Batch drying: Wet material is inserted in drying equipment and removed after an appropriate amount of time. Continuous drying: Wet material is continuously introduced and dry material withdrawn after a contacting period. Methods: 1. Addition of heat: Heat is added to ambient air which then contacts the wet material (the moist air is usually removed). 2. Vacuum drying: Evaporation is enhanced by lowering the pressure over the wet material and heat may be added by direct contact with a metal tray holding the wet material or by radiation (IR). 3. Freeze drying: Low pressures and temperatures are employed to cause the water to sublime from a solid state (ice). Equipment: (see appropriate references) 1. Tray Dryer (as employed in our lab)
2. Vacuum-Shelf Indirect Dryers (trays which operate below atmospheric) 3. Continuous Tunnel Dryers (moving trays (trucks) or belts)
6. Spray Dryers
7. Crop/Grain/Lumber Drying
2. Vapor Pressure of Water (steam tables, and equations) 3. Humidity and Humidity Charts
5. Saturation Humidity, Hs
6. Percentage Humidity, Hp
8. Dew Point Temperature 9. Humid Heat (Capacity), cs = kJ/kg DA . K, amount of energy to raise an amount of wet air 1 degree based on the number of kg DA 10. Humid Volume, vH , m3 occupied by wet gas/kg DA
15. Use of Humidity Charts (wet bulb, dry bulb, adiabatic saturation lines, some charts have enthalpy data as well.
Xt =
Varies with time Reflects the moisture content held after extended contact with air having humidity H.
Temperature Effects on Equilibrium Moisture Content Bound Water Unbound Water Free Moisture
Poorly understood (predictive models inadequate, usually use empirical equations (data). Hygroscopically bound water. Has a physical/chemical association with the solid. Moisture in excess of the bound water (held primarily in voids) Moisture in excess of X*
Experiment 2 Procedure: 1. Repeat the experiment using the 3 mm beads. For this run you will start the experiment in a simulated 2nd falling rate regime. To do this, calculate how much water you must add to the tray so that the 3 mm beads will be about 20% saturated. Add the water to the tray FIRST and add the beads on top. In this way
the beads above the water will be dry and all drying will be due to evaporation from the air-water interface and diffusion through the beads above. Minimum Report Requirements 1. Groups should arrange to exchange data from the two experiments, that is, one group will run the 100-200 micron beads and the other group will run the 3 mm beads. 2. Using mass and energy balances on the dryer tray, derive the equation you will use to determine the convective heat transfer coefficient, h for the 100-200 micron bead run. Include in sample calculations section. 3. Determine the heat transfer coefficient (h) from gas to bed surface using your equation and the constant rate data from the 100-200 micron bead data. Why couldnt you use data from the 3 mm bead data? 4. Compare the calculated value of h to what you would expect from an empirical equation from literature (i.e. Geankoplis or Faust.) Fully explain any possible discrepancies between your experimental value of h and the predicted value, assuming that the predicted value is correct. Separately, state any reasons you think the predicted value might not be correct. Hint: think in terms of the assumptions made, as well as propagation of error. 5. Compare the drying curve from the 100-200 micron bead run with what is described in Geankoplis and Faust. In what ways are they similar? Different? Prepare the following plots: a. mass (m) of tray in grams vs. time (t), b. rate of drying, dm/dt (grams/minute), on the y-axis vs. time in minutes on the x-axis. (Use TableCurve 2-D or other software of your choice to smooth and differentiate data.) c. Plot bed temperature with time directly under this plot so that the time scale is the same and drying rate and temperature can be compared directly. Discuss fully. d. Percent saturation on y-axis, time in minutes on x-axis. Discuss fully. 6. Using the steady state data from the 3 mm bead run, calculate the effective diffusivity as follows: Plot (1 S ) 2 on the y-axis vs
2M W C e x A x t on the x-axis. A L H T2
Use linear regression to find the slope, which should equal Deff (see derivation in handout). Compare this result to what is given in the graph in the Whittaker review article. Does your result match the experimental data given there? Why or why not?
7. Include in your discussion section, a full description of what is happening in the drying process by referencing both the drying curves, and the temperature data. Additional References: 1. Bird, R.B., Stewart, WE, and Lightfoot, EN, Transport Phenomena, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1960 2. Kaviany, M., Principles of Heat Transfer in Porous Media, Springer-Verlag, New York. 1991 3. Ceaglske, NH and Hougen, OA, Drying granular solids, Indust. Eng. Chem. 29-7, 805-812 4. Perrys Handbook