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Soybean drying as a moving boundary problem: Shrinkage and moisture kinetics prediction
Author(s) -
Guilherme Gustavo Lopes,
Nicolin Douglas Junior
Publication year - 2020
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/jfpe.13497
Subject(s) - shrinkage , thermal diffusivity , moisture , diffusion , mass transfer , radius , water content , materials science , thermodynamics , process (computing) , fick's laws of diffusion , mechanics , diffusion equation , constant (computer programming) , composite material , physics , geotechnical engineering , computer science , geology , computer security , economy , service (business) , economics , programming language , operating system
In this work, the diffusion of moisture in the drying process of soybean grains is mathematical modeled considering shrinkage. Moisture and radius data as a function of time were obtained by experimental tests in a drying oven for three different drying temperatures. Radius decrease was registered by image analysis. The parameters of the diffusion model were obtained by nonlinear regression. The model provided diffusivity values and drying constants at the surface of the grains as a function of temperature. The average moisture profiles presented good agreement with the experimental values. Although the radius profiles predictions presented higher deviation when compared with the experimental values, a good agreement were found, especially at the higher drying rates of the process. The model provided good predictions of the moisture and radius profile for the drying process of soybean grains and the diffusivities and drying constants for considering the grain shrinkage during the process. Practical Applications Diffusion coefficients are crucial parameters to be estimated in order to design highly efficient drying process for food industry. Thus, if the mass transfer is mathematically modeled considering realistic aspects, which occur during the drying process, such as the shrinkage of the grains, the diffusion coefficients estimated become more trustable, allowing the project and optimization of drying equipment for the grain processing industry.