A Novel Energy Efficient Adsorption Drying with Zeolite For Food Quality Product: A Case Study in Paddy and Corn Drying

Nowadays, the importance of powdered food products as for example soups, sauces, dried yeasts, and herbal medicine is increasing for consumer convenience. Mostly, these products have been produced with drying process either, direct sunlight, conventional, or modern dryer. The direct sunlight dryer depends on the daily weather extremely both in the product drought and process continuity. Meanwhile,conventional dryer results high energy consumption as well as low product quality due to the introduction of hot air. In addition, modern dryer process can improve the product quality, but the energy efficiency was fair. This paper discusses the design and application of adsorption dryer with zeolite for food. Here, the air as drying medium was dehumidified by zeolite to enhance the driving force. Thus, the drying can be well conducted in low or medium temperature. The dryer was designed in single and multi stage system. Result showed that energy efficiency of single stage dryer was 70 - 72% (10% higher than that of conventional dryer). While in multi stage, the energy efficiency can reach 80% (for two stage) and 90% (for three stage). In corn and paddy drying, the dryer with zeolite can speed up drying time and retain the nutrition and physical quality

Advance Drying Technology for Heat Sensitive Products

This book presents the advance drying technology for heat sensitive products cited from international journals, handbooks, and current research of authors. In the first edition, the printing and publication was funded Diponegoro University. In this second edition, the publication was supported from Directory of Higher Education under competitive research grant. The topic discusses the current drying technology for heat sensitive product, challenges, development and application in accordance with high quality product as well as efficient energy usage. Unlike first edition, this book observes and evaluates several food products drying under air dehumidification. The conceptual process has been also submitted to Indonesian Patent 2014. In the first edition, the book consisted of 7 chapters. Whereas, in this second edition, the book was extended up to 10 chapters completed with application of air dehumidification for food drying. Chapter 1 discusses about the challenge and progress on drying technology development. Chapter 2 describes the application and research of vacuum and freezes dryer. It is followed by the concept of air dehumidified by zeolite for efficient drying, depicted in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 evaluates the conventional condenser and adsorption dryer for low temperature drying. Chapter 5 is an overview of microwave and radio frequency dryer. After that, Chapter 6 presents the types of dryers applied in industries involving tray, spray, fluidized, moving bed, and drum dryer. Chapter 7 evaluates the future possible development for innovative dryer namely adsorption dryer with zeolite for industry. Chapters 8, 9 and 10 present the application of air dehumidification for agriculture and food drying. These chapters are results of the research conducted during 2012 – 2014

ACIAR Grain Storage Research Program: Research Report 1983-84

Crop Production/Industries,

Optimum Operation Parameters of the Combination of a Mixed-Flow Dryer and Continuous in-Bin Aeration for Paddy under Malaysian Conditions

The design of a mechanical paddy dryer or any improvement of the dryer can be successfully done by incorporating all significant variables concerned in its operation through an optimization model. All constraints employed in the optimization model should satisfy local requirements and suitabilities. This study was conducted to determine the optimum parameters for the operation of a mixed-flow paddy dryer followed by continuous in-bin aeration. The aeration was provided to enhance the mixed-flow dryer operation. The optimization study was done by incorporating the working parameters of each operation in two separate empirical non-linear optimization models. The two models were associated in such a way that the optimum results of the mixed-flow drying were the inputs to the aeration stage, and vice versa. A computer simulation programme was used to obtain all pertinent information of each operation prior to developing the optimization model. A major modification was done to the mixed-flow drying simulation programme to make it suitable for simulating paddy drying under local conditions so that it can be used to evaluate the performance of an existing mixed-flow dryer. The simulated results of this programme agreed reasonably well with the actual tests conducted on the dryer. The optimum result showed that only two passes of the dryer operation and one period of the in-bin aeration were required for drying fresh wet paddy from moisture content of 30.50 to about 16.00 percent dry basis. Different optimum drying air temperature and airflow rate were obtained from each pass of the drying. The values of 70.48 degree Celsius and 10.00 kglm2.min were respectively the optimum drying air temperature and airflow rate of the first drying pass. For the second pass, the optimum drying air temperature of 77.05 degree Celsius and airflow rate of 5 kg/m2.min were obtained. An optimum aeration period of 32.31 hours with airflow rate of 0.77 m3/mt.min was required following the first drying pass. The grain germination of 94.71 percent and dry matter loss of 0.6 percent were the optimum grain quality criteria obtained from the study. An average specific energy requirement of 5.13 ML/kg of water removed at the net grain output capacity of 6.88 mt/hr were recorded for the optimum conditions

Modeling the Drying Kinetics of Green Bell Pepper in a Heat Pump Assisted Fluidized Bed Dryer

In this research, green bell pepper was dried in a pilot plant fluidized bed dryer equipped with a heat pump humidifier using three temperatures of 40, 50 and 60C and two airflow velocities of 2 and 3m/s in constant air moisture. Three modeling methods including nonlinear regression technique, Fuzzy Logic and Artificial Neural Networks were applied to investigate drying kinetics for the sample. Among the mathematical models, Midilli model with R=0.9998 and root mean square error (RMSE)=0.00451 showed the best fit with experimental data. Feed-Forward-Back-Propagation network with Levenberg-Marquardt training algorithm, hyperbolic tangent sigmoid transfer function, training cycle of 1,000 epoch and 2-5-1 topology, deserving R=0.99828 and mean square error (MSE)=5.5E-05, was determined as the best neural model. Overall, Neural Networks method was much more precise than two other methods in prediction of drying kinetics and control of drying parameters for green bell pepper. Practical Applications: This article deals with different modeling approaches and their effectiveness and accuracy for predicting changes in the moisture ratio of green bell pepper enduring fluidized bed drying, which is one of the most concerning issues in food factories involved in drying fruits and vegetables. This research indicates that although efficiency of mathematical modeling, Fuzzy Logic controls and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) were all acceptable, the modern prediction methods of Fuzzy Logic and especially ANNs were more productive and precise. Besides, this report compares our findings with previous ones carried out with the view of predicting moisture quotients of other food crops during miscellaneous drying procedures. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Simulation of site-specific irrigation control strategies with sparse input data

Crop and irrigation water use efficiencies may be improved by managing irrigation application timing and volumes using physical and agronomic principles. However, the crop water requirement may be spatially variable due to different soil properties and genetic variations in the crop across the field. Adaptive control strategies can be used to locally control water applications in response to in-field temporal and spatial variability with the aim of maximising both crop development and water use efficiency. A simulation framework ‘VARIwise’ has been created to aid the development, evaluation and management of spatially and temporally varied adaptive irrigation control strategies (McCarthy et al., 2010). VARIwise enables alternative control strategies to be simulated with different crop and environmental conditions and at a range of spatial resolutions. An iterative learning controller and model predictive controller have been implemented in VARIwise to improve the irrigation of cotton. The iterative learning control strategy involves using the soil moisture response to the previous irrigation volume to adjust the applied irrigation volume applied at the next irrigation event. For field implementation this controller has low data requirements as only soil moisture data is required after each irrigation event. In contrast, a model predictive controller has high data requirements as measured soil and plant data are required at a high spatial resolution in a field implementation. Model predictive control involves using a calibrated model to determine the irrigation application and/or timing which results in the highest predicted yield or water use efficiency. The implementation of these strategies is described and a case study is presented to demonstrate the operation of the strategies with various levels of data availability. It is concluded that in situations of sparse data, the iterative learning controller performs significantly better than a model predictive controller

Air pollution and livestock production

The air in a livestock farming environment contains high concentrations of dust particles and gaseous pollutants. The total inhalable dust can enter the nose and mouth during normal breathing and the thoracic dust can reach into the lungs. However, it is the respirable dust particles that can penetrate further into the gas-exchange region, making it the most hazardous dust component. Prolonged exposure to high concentrations of dust particles can lead to respiratory health issues for both livestock and farming staff. Ammonia, an example of a gaseous pollutant, is derived from the decomposition of nitrous compounds. Increased exposure to ammonia may also have an effect on the health of humans and livestock. There are a number of technologies available to ensure exposure to these pollutants is minimised. Through proactive means, (the optimal design and management of livestock buildings) air quality can be improved to reduce the likelihood of risks associated with sub-optimal air quality. Once air problems have taken hold, other reduction methods need to be applied utilising a more reactive approach. A key requirement for the control of concentration and exposure of airborne pollutants to an acceptable level is to be able to conduct real-time measurements of these pollutants. This paper provides a review of airborne pollution including methods to both measure and control the concentration of pollutants in livestock buildings

Drying performances and milling quality of rice during industrial fluidized bed drying of paddy in Malaysia

Field investigation on the operation of an industrial fluidized bed paddy dryer of 25 t/h capacity available in a processing complex of Padiberas Nasional Berhad (BERNAS) of Malaysia was carried out to assess its drying characteristics, energy consumption and quality of product during two paddy harvesting seasons. A grain drying simulation model was used to predict dryer performance which can be used as a basis for improving drying operations. For the first season (August-September), average drying rate was found to be 538 kg moisture/h to reduce moisture content (mc) from 36.98± 0.89% dry basis (db) to 27.58±0.79% (db) at 100-120°C of drying air temperature with a feed rate (capacity) of 7.75 t/h. In the second season (February-March), average drying rate was found to be 435 kg moisture/h to reduce mc from 28.14 ±0.68% (db) to 22.54 ± 0.69% (db) at 78-90°C drying air temperature with a feed rate of 9.5 t/h. The thermal and electrical energy consumptions were obtained as 7.57 and 0.97 MJ/kg water removed, respectively, for the first season, while 5.92 and 1.2 MJ/kg water removed for the second season. Higher head rice yield and whiteness and lower milling recovery were achieved during the first season than the second season at acceptable milling degree and transparency. Meanwhile, simulation results indicated that the dryer performed better in terms of increased drying capacity during the second than the first season; the dryer could be operated at 150°C to achieve almost double throughput capacity up to 20 t/h for the second season, while for the first season, high mc hindered the capacity to be at or below 7.75 t/h even when using higher a temperature of 160°C to reduce moisture to the desired final moisture of 24-25% (db). proportion of slower vehicles based on users’ opinion poll

Computational Investigation of Fluidized Drying of Paddy by Air with a State Variable of Time

In study of improvement drying paddy, experimental and industrial investigation for paddy are inefficient in both time and resources compare to computational investigation. Experimental and industrial investigation are limited to estimate and predict the output parameter compared to numerical and computational investigation. A mathematical model of fluidized drying of paddy by air with a state variable of time were formulate. Drying process were simulate computationally for various given boundary conditions. Literature review were studied to understand the drying formula used for drying paddy and a quality paddy specification. Mathematical formulation for numerous heat and mass transfer equations for drying paddy were modified from previous study. Initial condition used based on previous study was initial moisture content of paddy of 24% dry basis, air temperature of 115oC, air velocity of 2.3 ms-1. For the fluidized dryer specification, this project also used the same parameter as the experimental fluidized industrial dryer with these criteria; bed thickness 10cm, and 4.85 x 0.97 m2 bed area. With the same initial condition used from the experimental study, computational investigation were done using numerical model and 4th order Runge-Kutta formulation. Coding in MATLAB was applied to numerical calculation of partial differential model and results were simulated for both data reported from experimental and mathematical model. The two result were compared and showed that the computational approach were capable to predict moisture content of paddy. Graph plotted by simulation shows very insignificant difference from result obtained by experimental results. This computational approach provide easy and comprehensive method for research and development of fluidized drying in further improvement

Hybrid techniques to enhance solar thermal: the way forward

Solar is one of the pillars for clean and environment friendly energy. The drawback of the solar is the interruption during the night and cloudy and rainy weather. This paper presents the author’s experience on enhancing the solar thermal systems by integration techniques with either other energy resources or thermal energy storages (TES). The present works includes the hybrid solar drying through integration with thermal backup unit. The experimental results on hybrid drying showed enhancement of 64.1% for Empty Fruit Bunch, and 61.1% for chili pepper, compared with open solar mode drying. Secondly, solar water heating was proved to be sufficient to supply hot water during the day and night time by integration with TES. The experimented system was able to maintain the water hot up to the next morning. On large scale and industrial application, experimental results on modified inclined solar chimney had shown enhancement via integration with wasted flue gas. By this technique, the system was developed to operate 24 hours a day. The efficiency was enhanced by 100% in case of hybrid operation compared with solar mode operation. The research results are demonstrating that the integration techniques can contribute effectively in enhancing the performance of the thermal solar systems.The author acknowledges Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS for providing the financial, technical and logistic support to execute the solar hybrid program. The program is sponsored under many internal research funds, e.g. STIRF no. 24/07.08, STIRF no. 44/08.09, URIF 19/2012 and URIF 22/2013. Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia is acknowledged for providing the research fund of the solar hybrid drying program under PRGS scheme