Drying Process Simulation Methodology based on Chemical Kinetics Laws

Abstract

It is shown that the existing approaches to drying process modeling, based on a system of interconnected differential equations of heat and mass transfer or on statistical processing of drying process experimental data, have significant drawbacks. It greatly complicates the development of computer means for controlling production processes. During modeling it is proposed to consider drying process from the standpoint of physical chemistry as a quasi-topochemical heterogeneous reaction and perform mathematical modeling of this process based on the laws of chemical kinetics. The basic issues of methodology of drying process modeling based on the laws of chemical kinetics are reviewed: the study of the equation of drying rate during the removal of free and bound moisture; methods for determining composition of the aqueous fractions with different forms and energy of moisture in materials; methods of determination of an activation energy of moisture; the influence of the concentration of moisture and other process factors on the drying speed. The methodological approach considered in the article allows developing reliable mathematical models of drying kinetics for the purposes of computer technologies for managing production processes and avoiding the errors that the authors note in previously published works.

The Influence of Microwave Treatments on Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity of Mentha piperita L.

“…Lately, the use of non-conventional methods known as green technologies is of particular interest, especially because through these methods the processing time is reduced, an increase in colour intensity as well as in the concentration of different compounds is obtained, at the same time as obtaining some quality final products with the best possible properties [ 27 ]. Microwave field processing is a technology applied in many food processes that contributes to reducing processing time, with direct influences on food preservation due to the direct antimicrobial effects on microorganisms [ 28 ]. The sensitivity of microorganisms to processing in the microwave field depends on the characteristics of the cells, such as their structure and size.…”