Batch Drying

Prepared by:
Rhoda B. Leron, Ph.D.
 Drying

•  The removal of relatively small amounts of water

from a material; water is removed as a vapor by air

dry air wet air

wet solid
 Moisture content
•  Equilibrium moisture content (X*) – the moisture
content of a solid exposed to air sufficiently long for
equilibrium to be reached (kg of H2O/kg of moisture-free
solid)

•  Bound water – water in the solid that exerts a vapor

pressure less than that of liquid water at the same
temperature

* the equilibrium moisture of a given material is

continued to its intersection with the 100% humidity line
Moisture content
 Moisture content
•  Unbound water – the excess moisture content of a solid
than indicated by intersection with the 100% humidity
line (can still exert a vapor pressure as high as that of
ordinary water)

* Held primarily in the voids of the solid

•  Free moisture content (X) – the moisture in the sample

that is above the equilibrium moisture content

* Can be removed by drying under the given %RH

Batch Drying

X = Xt − X *
 Rate of drying curves

Ls dX
X = Xt − X * R=−
A dt
Constant-rate Drying Period

In the constant-rate drying

period, the surface of the
solid is initially very wet and
a continuous film of water
exists on the drying surface.

This water is entirely

unbound water and acts as if
the solid were not present.
 Falling-rate Drying Period

At the critical moisture

content, XC, there is
insufficient water on the
surface to maintain a
continuous film of water.

The entire surface is no

longer wetted, and the
wetted area continually
decrease until the surface is
completely dry.
 Rate of drying curves

Constant-­‐rate  period
Falling-­‐rate    
period

Drying  Rate,  R    
(kg  H2O/h-­‐m2)
Xc

Free  moisture,  X
 Calculations for Constant-rate
Drying Period

•  Using experimental drying curves

•  Drying curve

•  Rate-of-drying curve
Falling-­‐rate     Constant-­‐rate  
period period
RC    
Ls dX
R=−
A dt Drying  Rate,  R    
(kg  H2O/h-­‐m2)

Xc

X* Free  moisture,  X
 Calculations for Constant-Rate
Drying Period
Rearranging to solve for t:

Ls dX
dt = −
A R

Over the time interval X1 at t1 = 0 to X2 at t2 = t:

t2 Ls X2 dX Ls X1 dX
t= ∫ t1
dt = −
A
∫ X1
=
R A
∫ X2
R
 Calculations for Constant-Rate
Drying Period

Within the constant-rate period, where X1 and X2 ≥ XC ,

R=constant = RC:
Falling-­‐rate     Constant-­‐rate  
period period
Ls X1 dX
t=
A
∫ X2
R
RC    

Drying  Rate,  R    
(kg  H2O/h-­‐m2)
Ls
t= (X1 − X 2 )
ARC
Xc X2 X1

Free  moisture,  X
 Calculations for Constant-Rate
Drying Period

•  Using predicted transfer coefficients

Ls λW (X1 − X 2 ) Ls (X1 − X 2 )
t= =
Ah(T − TW ) Ak y M B (H W − H )
where
Ls = kg dry solid used
λW = latent heat at TW
h = heat transfer coefficient
A = exposed drying area
ky = gas film mass transfer coefficient
Tw = wet bulb temperature
T = dry bulb temperature
Hw = humidity at TW
H = humidity at T
 Calculations for Constant-Rate
Drying Period

•  The rate of drying is

h(T − TW )
RC = = k y M B (H W − H )
λW

For air flowing parallel to the drying surface

•  At : 45 > T >150°C, gas mass velocity, 2450 >G > 29 300 kg/h-m2 or 0.61 > v >
7.6 m/s

h = 0.0204G 0.8 (SI)

(English)
h = 0.0128G 0.8
 Calculations for Constant-Rate
Drying Period
For air flowing parallel to the drying surface

•  At : 45 < T <150°C, gas mass velocity, 2450 <G < 29 300 kg/h-m2 or 0.61 < v <
7.6 m/s.

h = 0.0204G 0.8 (SI)

h = 0.0128G 0.8 (English)

For air flowing perpendicular to the drying surface

•  At : 39000 >G > 19 500 kg/h-m2 or 0.90 < v < 4.6 m/s

h = 1.17G 0.37 (SI)

h = 0.37G 0.37 (English)

 Calculations for Falling-Rate
Drying Period

Falling-­‐rate     Constant-­‐rate  
period period
RC    

X1
Drying  Rate,  R     Ls dX
(kg  H2O/h-­‐m2) t=
A
∫ R
X2

X2 X1 Xc

Free  moisture,  X
 Calculations for Falling-Rate
Drying Period

Falling-­‐rate     Constant-­‐rate  
period period X1
RC     Ls dX
t=
A
∫ R
Drying  Rate,  R     X2
(kg  H2O/h-­‐m2)

X2 X1 Xc

Free  moisture,  X
Determined by
numerical
integration
 Calculations for Falling-Rate
Drying Period
If the rate is a linear function of X: The equation of the line
can be written from X1 to
Falling-­‐rate     Constant-­‐rate   X2 as:
period period
R = aX + b
 R1  
Drying  Rate,  R    
(kg  H2O/h-­‐m2)
where:
 R2  
R1 − R2
a=
X1 − X 2
X2 X1

Free  moisture,  X
 Calculations for Falling-Rate
Drying Period
If the rate is a linear function of X:

Falling-­‐rate     Constant-­‐rate  
period period
 R1=  RC     For X1 = XC at R1 = RC:

Drying  Rate,  R    
(kg  H2O/h-­‐m2) RC − R2
a=
 R2   XC − X 2

X2 X1  =  Xc

Free  moisture,  X
 Calculations for Falling-Rate
Drying Period
Differentiating to get an expression for dX:

R = aX + b ⇒ dR = adX

Substituting: Integrating:

Ls
X1
dX Ls dR
R1
Ls ( X1 − X 2 ) R1
t=
A
∫ R = Aa ∫ R t= ln
A ( R1 − R2 ) R2
X2 R2
 Calculations for Falling-Rate
Drying Period
If the rate is a linear function through the origin:

Falling-­‐rate     Constant-­‐rate   The equation of the line

period period can be written from X1 to
X2 as:
 R1  
Drying  Rate,  R    
(kg  H2O/h-­‐m2) R = aX ⇒ dR = adX
 R2  
where:

X2 X1 R1 − R2
a=
Free  moisture,  X
X1 − X 2
 Calculations for Falling-Rate
Drying Period
If the rate is a linear function through the origin:

Falling-­‐rate     Constant-­‐rate   For X1 = XC at R1 = RC:

period period
 R1=  RC    
R1 − R2 RC − 0
Drying  Rate,  R     a= =
(kg  H2O/h-­‐m2) X1 − X 2 XC − 0
 R2  
RC
a=
XC
X2 X1

Free  moisture,  X
 Calculations for Falling-Rate
Drying Period
Differentiating to get an expression for dX:

R = aX ⇒ dR = adX

Substituting: Integrating and taking

a = RC/XC:
X1 R1
Ls dX Ls dR Ls XC R1
t=
A
∫ R = Aa ∫ R t= ln
X2 R2 ARC R2
 Calculations for Falling-Rate
Drying Period

For X1 = XC at R1 = RC:

Ls XC R1 Ls XC RC
t= ln t= ln
ARC R2 ARC R2

Noting that:

RC R2 Ls XC XC
= t= ln
XC X 2 ARC X2
 Sample Problem 1

A batch of wet solid whose

drying-rate curve is shown is
to be dried from a free
moisture content of X1 = 0.40
kg H2O/kg dry solid to X2 =
0.05 kg H2O/kg dry solid.
The weight of the dry solid is
Ls = 399 kg dry solid and A =
18.58 m 2 of top drying
surface. Calculate the time for
drying.
 Solution

Given:

X1 = 0.40 kg H2O/kg dry

solid
X2 = 0.05 kg H2O/kg dry
solid

Ls = 399 kg dry solid

A = 18.58 m2
X1
Required:
X2
drying time, t
 Solution

From the figure:

RC = 1.50 kg H 2 O/h ⋅ m 2
RC    
XC = 0.19 kg H 2 O/kg solid tC

X1
tf
X2
 Solution

In the constant-rate period ( from X1 = 0.40 to XC = 0.19):

Ls
tC = (X1 − XC )
ARC

399 kg dry solid kg H 2 O

tC = (0.40 − 0.19)
(18.58 m 2
)(1.50 kg H 2 O/h ⋅ m 2
) kg dry solid

tC = 3.0 h
 Solution

In the falling-rate period

(from XC = 0.19 to X2 = 0.05):

XC RC    
Ls dX
tf =
A
∫ R
tC
X2

X1
tf
X2
 Solution

For the falling-rate period,

several values of R can be read
off the plot fore various X:

Ex: RC    
at X = XC R = RC = 1.5
X = X2 R = R2 = 0.37

X R
0.19 1.5
0.15 1.2 R2    
0.10 0.9 X1

0.065 0.7
X2
0.05 0.37
 Solution

Values of 1/R are taken and Plot of X vs. 1/R

plot vs. X: 3

XC
X R 1/R 2.5
dX
0.19 1.5 0.67
Area = ∫ R
2 X2
0.15 1.2 0.83
1/R

0.10 0.9 1.11 1.5

0.065 0.7 1.43

1
0.05 0.37 2.70
0.5

0
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12 0.14 0.16 0.18 0.2
X
 Solution

Solving for the area under the curve (of each trapezoid or rectangle):

X R 1/R ΔX (1/R)ave ΔX(1/R)ave

0.19 1.5 0.67 0.04 0.75 0.03
0.15 1.2 0.83 0.05 0.97 0.0485
0.10 0.9 1.11 0.035 1.27 0.0444
0.065 0.7 1.43 0.015 2.065 0.031
0.05 0.37 2.70 0.154

XC
dX
Area = ∫ = 0.154 m 2
X2 R
 Solution

In the falling-rate period (from XC = 0.19 to X2 = 0.05):

399
tf = (0.154) = 3.3 h
18.58

Therefore, the total drying time (from X1 = 0.40 to X2 = 0.05) is

calculated as:

tt = 3.0 h + 3.3 h = 6.3 h

Batch Drying

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