UNIT 4

50]

DRYING.

Define UNBOUND MOISTURE & BBOUND MOISTURE UNBOUND MOISTURE: It exerts an eqm vapor pressure equal to the vapor pressure of liquid and it is the one above the critical moisture content of the solid. BBOUND MOISTURE: It exerts eqm vapor pressure less than the vapor pressure of liquid. This is the moisture present below the critical moisture content.

_______________________________________________________________ 51] What is FREE MOISTURE? It is the moisture present over and above the equilibrium moisture content.(This free moisture can be removed by drying) ________________________________________________________________

52]

What is CRITICAL MOISTURE CONTENT? In a rate of drying curve, the transition from constant rate to falling rate takes place at the critical moisture content[Xc]

______________________________________________________________ 53] What is EQUILIBRIUM MOISTURE CONTENT? For a given material being dried under constant drying conditions by a gas at a given temperature and humidity, the lowest moisture content to which the material can be dried is called the equilibrium moisture content. This is therefore the moisture content of the material when at equilibrium with a given partial pressure of the vapor in the gas. _________________________________________________________________ 54] ss What is FREE MOISTURE? Moisture over and above the equilibrium moisture, ( X - X* ) Is called the free moisture. Only the free moisture can be removed by drying. _________________________________________________________________ 55] What are the factors affecting the rate of drying [Nc] at constant rate? N C G n If G is increased , Nc is more. Increasing the humidity generally lowers the drying rate. Increasing the gas temperature increases Nc. If heat conduction through the solid occurs, increasing the solid thickness lowers Nc. If non drying surfaces are heat insulated or drying occurs from all sides, Nc is independent of solid thickness. __________________________________________________________________

56] What is the effect of porosity on the equilibrium moisture content? If the solid is porous X* is more. Inorganic solids which are insoluble in liquid have very low X* 57] When is spray drying used? This is used for solutions, slurries and pastes. They are sprayed as fine droplets into a stream of hot gas. Spray drying gives very rapid drying and it is suitable for heat sensitive products. 58] Discuss Unsaturated surface drying.

During the initial part of the falling rate period the drying rate may be Proportional to the free moisture or drying rate versus X is linear.The drying surface here may be partly dry and partly wet. Drying time between fixed moisture contents proportional to ts, solid thickness. 59] What is the use of flights in a rotary drier? They lift the solid up and shower them down into a moving stream of air and thus exposes all the drying surface thoroughly to the drying action. 60] Explain [a] Drying by infra red radiation [b] Drying by dielectric heating [c] Drying by vaporization from ice or FREEZE DRYING [a] DRYING BY INFRA RED RADIATION : Used for drying of paint films on automobile bodies. Radiation is supplied by infra red lamps and the work travels in a tunnel lined with these lamps. Useful for drying of thin films. [b] DRYING BY DIELECTRIC HEATING: The material passes through a very high frequency {2 to 100} X 10 6 Cycles ,electrostatic field used for polymerizing the bond between layers of plywood. [c] DRYING BY VAPORIZATION FROM ICE OR FREEZE DRYING Vapor pressure of water on pure ice is 4.6 mm Hg . If a material containing water is exposed to a vacuum less than this, it will freeze and water will sublime from solid ice. Used for drying of biological products. 61] What is case hardening in drying? When bound moisture is removed from a colloidal non porous solid, the material shrinks the moisture in the outer layers is less compared to the interior parts. This can cause Checking, Cracking and Warping. The reduced surface moisture also leads to consequent drop in diffusion rate at the surface . In an extreme case this can lead to

formation of an outer layer impervious to moisture. The interior moisture than cannot be removed. This is case hardening. This can be prevented by slow drying using air with a higher humidity. 62] What is hold up in a Rotary drier? How is it related to the retention time? Hold up is defined as the fraction of drier volume occupied by the solid at any instant. Retention time is the hold up divided by the volumetric feed rate. 63] What are the mechanisms in the falling rate of drying? (a) Unsaturated surface drying [See Q No.58] (b) LIQUID DIFFUSION: For non porous solids diffusion of moisture from with in controls, the drying rate is independent of gas velocity and humidity. Drying time between fixed moisture contents is proportional to ( = Solid thickness) (C) CAPILLARY MOVEMENT: For porous solids the moisture flows through the solids through the capillaries by a mechanism involving surface tension. 64] What is THROUGH CIRCULATION DRYING? Here the drying material is kept in a bed and the gas is passed in a bed and the gas is passed through the bed. As long as there is a layer in the bed which has unbound moisture, drying rate is constant. 65] Compare Counter current &Co current adiabatic drying. COUNTER CURRENT FLOW Hottest gas is in contact with the driest solid. This gives rapid drying of the bound moisture which is difficult to remove. How ever the solid may be damaged because it is heated to a high temperature. Also the dried material will carry away a lot of sensible heat thus reducing the thermal efficiency. In co current flow the wet solid is in contact with the hottest gas. The solid will be heated only to the WBT of the gas. Heat sensitive materials can be dried in this manner. At the outlet the gas would have been cooled. This also permits greater control of the moisture content of the discharged solid.