The prediction of drying time of expanded polystyrene blocks : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in Production Technology at Massey University

A study of methods to predict the drying time of expanded polystyrene was made with the aim of optimizing the drying conditions of the drying kiln at Lanwood Industries. Experiments were carried out in both a laboratory and Lanwood Industries factory. The drying rate was found to decrease with increasing product thickness and to increase with increasing drying temperature. Drying temperature between 50 and 60°C has a stronger influence on the EPS drying process than between 40 and 50°C. A simplified theoretical method can be used to predict the drying time in the industrial environment when quick computation is needed. Newton's model can fit the full-scale drying process, but it did not fit the laboratory drying processes well. Page's model has an excellent fit to the three dimensional EPS drying process and it is also able to scale up the laboratory drying results. It supplies a powerful tool to describe the drying process and predict the drying time of the EPS product