Premium
A MODEL FOR TEMPERATURE AND MOISTURE DISTRIBUTION DURING CONTINUOUS MICROWAVE DRYING *
Author(s) -
BOLDOR D.,
SANDERS T.H.,
SWARTZEL K.R.,
FARKAS B.E.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of food process engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.507
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1745-4530
pISSN - 0145-8876
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-4530.2005.00387.x
Subject(s) - microwave , pyrometer , water content , moisture , mass transfer , dielectric , analytical chemistry (journal) , materials science , arachis hypogaea , chemistry , thermodynamics , composite material , temperature measurement , optoelectronics , botany , chromatography , physics , geotechnical engineering , quantum mechanics , biology , engineering
A heat and mass transfer model of continuous drying of farmer stock (in‐shell, uncured) peanuts ( Arachis hypogaea L.) in a planar microwave applicator was developed and investigated. Transport phenomena equations previously developed for batch‐type microwave drying were successfully adapted to account for the spatial variation of the electric field inside the applicator. The theoretical equations developed, together with experimental methods, were used to determine the effect of microwave power level and dielectric properties on the temperature profiles and reduction in peanuts’ moisture content (mc). The temperature profiles from the solution of these equations matched the experimental ones determined using fiber optic temperature probes inserted into drying peanut pods. An exact theoretical determination of mc reduction during microwave drying was not possible due to the dependence of dielectric properties on mc. The surface temperature distribution of the peanut bed measured using infrared pyrometry was well correlated with internal temperature profiles.