Pharos University

Faculty of Engineering
Petrochemical
Department
MASS TRANSFER
LECTURES (9-12)
DRYING
1-INTRODUCTION:
The drying of materials is often the final operation in a manufacturing
process, carried out immediately prior to packaging or dispatch.
Drying refers to the final removal of water, or another solute, and the
operation often follows evaporation, filtration, or crystallization.
With a crystalline product, it is essential that the crystals are not
damaged during the drying process, and, in the case of pharmaceutical
products, care must be taken to avoid contamination. Shrinkage, as
with paper, cracking, as with wood, or loss of flavor, as with fruit,
must also be prevented.
All drying processes involve the removal of water by vaporization,
which reuires the addition of heat.
The addition of heat is accomplished by means of hot air or hot gases
depending on the nature of the material to be dried.
2- REASONS FOR DRYING:
!a" To reduce the cost of transport.
!b" To make a material more suitable for handling as, for e#ample, with soap
powders, dyestuffs and fertilizers.
!c" To provide definite properties, such as, for e#ample, maintaining the free$
flowing nature of salt.
!d" To remove moisture which may otherwise lead to corrosion. %ne
e#ample is the drying of gaseous fuels or benzene prior to chlorination.
3- GENERAL PRINCIPLES:
The moisture content of a material is usually e#pressed in terms of its
water content as a percentage of the mass of the dry material, though
moisture content is sometimes e#pressed on a wet basis.
&f a material is e#posed to air at a given temperature and humidity, the
material will either lose or gain water until an euilibrium condition is
established.
This euilibrium moisture content varies widely with the moisture
content and the temperature of the air.
A non$porous insoluble solid, such as sand or china clay, has an
euilibrium moisture content approaching zero for all humidities and
temperatures, although many organic materials, such as wood,
te#tiles, and leather, show wide variations of euilibrium moisture
content.
Moisture may be present in two forms:
Bound moisture' This is water retained so that it e#erts a vapour
pressure less than that of free water at the same temperature. Such
water may be retained in small capillaries, adsorbed on surfaces, or as
a solution in cell walls.
Free moisture' This is water which is in e#cess of the euilibrium
moisture content.
4- HUMIDIFICATION TERMS:
&n design of dryers using air, &t is reuired to know the properties of air$
water system !humidity chart", and humidity terms'

Wet !" te#$e%&t!%e: T'e te#$e%&t!%e ()*(+&te* , & t'e%#-#ete% .'e) .&te%
&)* &(% %e&+' e/!("(%(!#0
5- TYPES OF DRY!" '
During the drying process, (ot air enters with a humidity !(
)
", and a relative
humidity (r
)
, and e#its with a (umidity !(
*
", and relative humidity (r
*
. The
path from (r
)
to (r
*
may be carried out at a constant Td.b, in this case the
process is called isothermal drying. &f the path is taken at constant Tw.b, in
this case, the process is called adiabatic drying.
Types of dryin#:
$-sot%erma& dryin#
'-(diabati) dryin#
E*amp&e +$,:
Air containing +.++, kg water vapour per kg of dry air is heated to -*, . in
a dryer and passed to the lower shelves. &t leaves these shelves at /+ per cent
humidity and is reheated to -*, . and passed over another set of shelves,
again leaving at /+ per cent humidity. This is again repeated for the third and
fourth sets of shelves, after which the air leaves the dryer. %n the assumption
that the material on each shelf has reached the wet$bulb temperature and that
heat losses from the dryer may be neglected, determine'
!a" the temperature of the material on each tray0
!b" the amount of water removed in kg1s, if , m-1s moist air leaves the dryer0
!c" the temperature to which the inlet air would have to be raised to carry out
the drying in a single stage.
So&ution: 2or each of the four sets of shelves, the condition of the air is
changed to /+ per cent humidity along an adiabatic cooling line. &nitial
condition of air' T = -*, ., ( 3 +.++, kg1kg
-- Rate of Dryin#:
&n drying, it is necessary to remove free moisture from the surface and also
moisture from the interior of the material. &f the change in moisture content
for a material is determined as a function of time, a smooth curve is obtained
from which the rate of drying at any given moisture content may be
evaluated. The form of the drying rate curve varies with the structure and
type of material, and two typical curves are shown'
&n curve ), there are two well$defined zones' A4, where the rate of drying is
constant and 45, where there is a steady fall in the rate of drying as the
moisture content is reduced. The moisture content at the end of the constant
rate period is represented by point 4, and this is known as the critical
moisture content.
5urve * shows three stages, D6, 62 and 25. The stage D6 represents a
constant rate period, and 62 and 25 are falling rate periods. &n this case, the
Section 62 is a straight line, however, and only the portion 25 is curved.
Section 62 is known as the first falling rate period and the final stage, shown
as 25, as the second falling rate period. The drying of soap gives rise to a
curve of type ), and sand to a curve of type *.
1- TIME FOR DRYING:
&f a material is dried by passing hot air over a surface which is initially wet,
the rate of drying curve in its simplest form is represented by 456, shown in
2igure'
where' w is the total moisture,
w
e
is the euilibrium moisture content !point 6",
w 7 we is the free moisture content, and
w
c
is the critical moisture content !point 5".
!ote: f . w-we
f$.w$-we
f). w)-we
E*amp&e +',: