DRYING

Rice​ ​moisture​ ​content:

● 13%​ ​-​ ​one​ ​year
● 14%​ ​-​ ​6​ ​months,​ ​considered​ ​safe​ ​level​ ​for​ ​storage​ ​and​ ​milling​ ​of​ ​grains
● 12%​ ​-​ ​safe​ ​level​ ​for​ ​storing​ ​seeds
● 11%​ ​-​ ​safest,​ ​where​ ​everything​ ​stops
● Agri​ ​crops,​ ​MC:​ ​horti​ ​–​ ​60%,​ ​grains​ ​–​ ​20​ ​–​ ​26%
● Harvested​ ​at​ ​a​ ​high​ ​moisture​ ​level​ ​because​ ​of​ ​maturity,​ ​and​ ​if​ ​left​ ​standing​ ​in​ ​the
field,​ ​would​ ​incur​ ​heavy​ ​shattering​ ​losses​ ​that​ ​would​ ​result​ ​in​ ​low​ ​production
● With​ ​high​ ​MC,​ ​there​ ​is​ ​increased​ ​natural​ ​respiration​ ​in​ ​the​ ​grain​ ​that​ ​causes
deterioration​ ​of​ ​rice

Advantages​ ​of​ ​Drying

● Early​ ​harvest​ ​reduces​ ​field​ ​losses
● Allow​ ​long​ ​time​ ​storage​ ​without​ ​deterioration
● Allows​ ​farmer​ ​to​ ​plan​ ​for​ ​next​ ​harvest
● Drying​ ​can​ ​be​ ​done​ ​in​ ​foul​ ​or​ ​fair​ ​weather
● Enables​ ​farmer​ ​to​ ​sell​ ​better-quality​ ​product

Hygroscopic​ ​nature​ ​of​ ​grain

Hygroscopic
- Absorb​ ​or​ ​lose​ ​moisture​ ​depending​ ​on​ ​surrounding​ ​conditions​ ​(temperature,​ ​RH)
until​ ​it​ ​reaches​ ​equilibrium​ ​moisture​ ​content​ ​(EMC)
● Grains​ ​can​ ​become​ ​wet​ ​or​ ​dry​ ​depending​ ​on​ ​the​ ​temperature​ ​and​ ​RH​ ​of​ ​the
atmospheric​ ​air
● Drying​ ​is​ ​a​ ​function​ ​of​ ​the​ ​difference​ ​in​ ​water​ ​vapor​ ​pressure
● If​ ​vapor​ ​pressure​ ​of​ ​moisture​ ​within​ ​the​ ​grain​ ​is​ ​higher​ ​than​ ​the​ ​vapor​ ​pressure​ ​of
moisture​ ​in​ ​the​ ​atmosphere,​ ​the​ ​grain​ ​losses​ ​moisture​ ​and​ ​drying​ ​takes​ ​effect
● If​ ​the​ ​grain​ ​is​ ​dry​ ​(with​ ​low​ ​vapor​ ​pressure)​ ​and​ ​the​ ​surrounding​ ​air​ ​is​ ​wet,​ ​then​ ​the
grain​ ​will​ ​gain

Drying​ ​Principles
● A​ ​simple​ ​method​ ​of​ ​lowering​ ​the​ ​moisture​ ​of​ ​the​ ​air​ ​and​ ​heating​ ​the​ ​air
● Heating​ ​the​ ​air​ ​will​ ​reduce​ ​the​ ​RH​ ​of​ ​the​ ​air​ ​hence​ ​lowering​ ​its​ ​vapor​ ​pressure
● When​ ​wet​ ​grains​ ​come​ ​in​ ​contact​ ​with​ ​heated​ ​air,​ ​drying​ ​takes​ ​place​ ​due​ ​to
difference​ ​in​ ​vapor​ ​pressure

General​ ​Drying​ ​Behavior

A​ ​–​ ​B:​ ​heating​ ​period
● A​ ​–​ ​B:​ ​heating​ ​period,​ ​drying​ ​rate​ ​slowly​ ​increasing,​ ​very​ ​slight​ ​change​ ​in​ ​MC
● Immediately​ ​after​ ​contact​ ​between​ ​the​ ​sample​ ​and​ ​the​ ​drying​ ​medium,​ ​the​ ​solid
temp​ ​adjusts​ ​until​ ​it​ ​reaches​ ​a​ ​steady​ ​state.​ ​Grain​ ​(solid)​ ​temp​ ​increases,​ ​air​ ​temp
remains​ ​constant​ ​all​ ​throughout.
● At​ ​steady​ ​state,​ ​temp​ ​within​ ​the​ ​drying​ ​solid​ ​=​ ​wet​ ​bulb​ ​temp​ ​of​ ​the​ ​drying​ ​medium
(air-water​ ​vapor​ ​mixture),​ ​they​ ​become​ ​quite​ ​stable

B​ ​–​ ​C:​ ​constant​ ​rate​ ​period​ ​(CRP)

● After​ ​adjusting,​ ​drying​ ​rate​ ​and​ ​grain​ ​temp​ ​remains​ ​constant,​ ​while​ ​MC​ ​is​ ​constantly
decreasing​ ​with​ ​time.
● Removal​ ​of​ ​surface​ ​water:​ ​entire​ ​surface​ ​is​ ​saturated​ ​with​ ​water,​ ​heat​ ​transfer
(drying​ ​air​ ​to​ ​the​ ​product),​ ​and​ ​mass​ ​transfer​ ​(from​ ​the​ ​product​ ​to​ ​the​ ​air).
● CRP​ ​ends​ ​when​ ​no​ ​free​ ​moisture​ ​appears​ ​on​ ​the​ ​surface​ ​and​ ​the​ ​solid​ ​reaches​ ​critical
MC​ ​(CMC)​ ​where​ ​the​ ​drying​ ​rate​ ​ceases​ ​to​ ​be​ ​constant
● CMC​ ​–​ ​minimum​ ​MC​ ​of​ ​the​ ​grain​ ​that​ ​will​ ​sustain​ ​a​ ​rate​ ​of​ ​flow​ ​of​ ​water​ ​to​ ​the
surface​ ​of​ ​the​ ​grain​ ​equal​ ​to​ ​the​ ​max​ ​rate​ ​of​ ​water​ ​removed​ ​from​ ​the​ ​grain​ ​under
the​ ​drying​ ​condition

C​ ​-​ ​D:​ ​first​ ​falling​ ​rate​ ​period​ ​(FRP)

● Falling​ ​rate
● Movement​ ​of​ ​moisture​ ​within​ ​the​ ​material​ ​to​ ​the​ ​surface
● Removal​ ​of​ ​the​ ​moisture​ ​from​ ​the​ ​surface
● When​ ​it​ ​reaches​ ​CMC,​ ​grain​ ​surface​ ​temp​ ​rises​ ​and​ ​drying​ ​rate​ ​falls​ ​off​ ​rapidly
● Takes​ ​longer​ ​than​ ​CRP
● Removal​ ​of​ ​moisture​ ​is​ ​from​ ​the​ ​surface​ ​of​ ​the​ ​product.​ ​Surface​ ​becomes​ ​more​ ​and
more​ ​depleted​ ​in​ ​liquid​ ​because​ ​the​ ​rate​ ​of​ ​liquid​ ​movement​ ​to​ ​the​ ​surface​ ​is
SLOWER​ ​than​ ​the​ ​rate​ ​of​ ​mass​ ​transfer​ ​from​ ​the​ ​surface.​ ​(convective​ ​heat​ ​transfer
from​ ​the​ ​drying​ ​gas​ ​steam​ ​to​ ​the​ ​product,​ ​convective​ ​mass​ ​transfer​ ​to​ ​the​ ​drying
gas)
 ● First​ ​FRP​ ​terminates​ ​when​ ​there​ ​is​ ​no​ ​area​ ​of​ ​liquid-saturated​ ​surface

D​ ​-​ ​E:​ ​second​ ​falling​ ​rate​ ​period​ ​(FRP)

● Drying​ ​rate​ ​further​ ​decreases​ ​until​ ​it​ ​becomes​ ​zero​ ​and​ ​MC​ ​reaches​ ​EMC
● All​ ​evaporation​ ​occurs​ ​from​ ​the​ ​interior​ ​of​ ​solid​ ​(transfer​ ​of​ ​internal​ ​moisture​ ​to​ ​the
surface)
● Grain​ ​temperature​ ​increases​ ​until​ ​it​ ​reaches​ ​the​ ​temperature​ ​of​ ​drying​ ​air
● Diffusion​ ​of​ ​heat​ ​and​ ​mass​ ​transfer​ ​grows​ ​longer
● This​ ​takes​ ​longest​ ​because​ ​drying​ ​rate​ ​is​ ​controlled​ ​by​ ​diffusion,​ ​as​ ​compared​ ​to​ ​the
other​ ​periods​ ​where​ ​there​ ​is​ ​convective​ ​heat​ ​transfer​ ​to​ ​the​ ​product,​ ​and​ ​mass
transfer​ ​is​ ​controlled​ ​by​ ​surface​ ​tension​ ​and​ ​gravity
● Falling​ ​rate​ ​is​ ​controlled​ ​by​ ​the​ ​movement​ ​of​ ​moisture​ ​within​ ​the​ ​material​ ​to​ ​the
surface​ ​by​ ​liquid​ ​diffusion,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​removal​ ​of​ ​water​ ​from​ ​the​ ​surface