Cross-flow drying - Introduction Validation of a Cross-Flow Dryer Model Bhagwati Prakash and Terry J. Siebenmorgen University of Arkansas Rice Processing Program Cross-flow drying - Introduction Cross-flow drying research goals 1. Determine non-uniformity of drying across the column thickness and its impact on milling yields of rice 2. Optimize drying process variables, e.g. drying air temperature, airflow rate, grain flow rate, etc. 3. Evaluate feasibility of a single-pass drying process Current objective: Validate a mathematical model predicting rice MC and air temperature across the column during drying, using a) a lab-scale dryer and b) a commercial dryer Mathematical Modeling: Possibilities Distribution of grain and air properties throughout a drying column Mathematical Modeling: Possibilities Distribution of grain and air properties throughout a drying column 1
Mathematical Modeling: Possibilities Discretization of the drying column Distribution of grain and air properties throughout a drying column Mathematical description of drying Lab-scale rice dryer Grain properties: M = M(x, t) T = T(x, t) Heat balance for drying air Air properties: T = T(x, t) W = W(x, t) Fan Controlled Environmental Chamber Heat balance for grain Mass (Moisture) balance for drying air Mass (Moisture) balance for grain Require numerical solutions: MATLAB / JavaScript Outside view of the dryer Inside view of the dryer Lab-scale rice dryer Lab-scale rice dryer Fan Controlled Environmental Chamber Outside view of the dryer Inside view of the dryer 2
Rice moisture content (%, wet basis) Rice moisture content (%, wet basis) Rice moisture content (%, wet basis) Lab drying experiments Initial rice MC (% w.b.) 17.6 (0.1) Initial rice temperature ( o F) 79 ± 2 Plenum air temperature ( o F) Plenum air RH (%) 10 Drying duration (min) 15, 30, 45, 60, No. of replicate drying runs 2 Total number of drying runs 5 x 2 = 10 Model validation: MC of rice 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 Distance from heated-air plenum (inch) Initial moisture content Model validation: MC of rice 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 Distance from heated-air plenum (inch) Model validation: MC of rice 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 Distance from heated-air plenum (inch) Initial moisture content Model - 45 min Model - 60 min Model - min Initial moisture content Experiment - 45 min Experiment - 60 min Experiment - min Distance from heated-air plenum (in) Distance from heated-air plenum (in) 3
Distance from heated-air plenum (in) Model - 45 min Experiment - 45 min Model - 60 min Experiment - 60 min Model - min Experiment - min 70 0 15 30 45 60 75 Drying duration (min) Model - 3 in Experiment - 3 in 70 0 15 30 45 60 75 Drying duration (min) Model - 3 in Experiment - 3 in Model - 9 in Experiment - 9 in 70 0 15 30 45 60 75 Drying duration (min) Model - 3 in Experiment - 3 in Model - 9 in Experiment - 9 in Model - 15 in Experiment - 15 in Model validation: RMSEs Root mean square error (RMSE) measures the goodness of model fit to the experiments. RMSE = e 1 2 + e 2 2 + e 3 2 + + e n 2 n Drying duration Rice MC (%, w.b.) 15 min 0.3 30 min 0.3 45 min 0.2 3.8 60 min 0.1 3.4 min 0.1 3.6 Special thanks to Greg Baltz and Running Lake Farms, Pocahontas, Arkansas. 4
MC removed (percentage points, w.b.) Need more tests at commercial facilities (Volunteers requested) Grain inverters (or turnflows) Grain inverters switch the position of rice kernels, and thus improve uniformity of drying. Need more tests at commercial facilities (Volunteers requested) Grain inverters (or turnflows) Grain inverters switch the position of rice kernels, and thus improve uniformity of drying. Model (% inversion) Inverter 5
MC removed (percentage points, w.b.) MC removed (percentage points, w.b.) Range of MC (percentage points, w.b.) MC removed (percentage points, w.b.) Range of MC (percentage points, w.b.) Non-uniformity of drying 3.5 2.5 1.5 0.5 Non-uniformity of drying 3.5 2.5 0 GI 1 GI 2 GI 1.5 0.5 Plenum air temperature: ºF 0 GI 1 GI 2 GI 0 GI 1 GI 2 GI Plenum air temperature: ºF Plenum air temperature: ºF 6
0 GI 1 GI 2 GI Thank you. Plenum air temperature: ºF 1. The model accurately predicts rice drying even when the grain flow is altered by inverters. 2. Need to validate at commercial scale. 7