The thickness of the sand layer on the plate is 4 cm.

A thin layer helps to provide shorter drying

times and ensure economical drying. The dimension of the plate is 19 cm by 11 cm. the drying

time may have been shorter if the plate is wider. Another factor that affects the drying rate is the

temperature. The higher the temperature, the shorter drying time it will have to take. The moisture

content of the air retards evaporation of the water from the sand which causes slow drying. Know

that we record the moisture content of the sand every now and then. Consequently, the wind speed

may have contributed to the evaporation of water content.

Under unsteady state drying, the temperature within the system change with time. The wet

sand for example was placed in an oven. When you take it out after several minutes, the wet sand

loses some of the water, until it becomes dry over time.

Drying is an energy intensive process involving simultaneous heat and mass transfer. Based

on the mechanism of heat transfer, drying is categorized into direct (convection), indirect or contact

(conduction), radiant (radiation) and dielectric or microwave (radio frequency) drying. Heat

transfer and mass transfer are critical aspects in drying processes. Heat is transferred to the product

to evaporate liquid, and mass is transferred as a vapor into the surrounding gas.