Experiment #01

Objective:
To calculate the number of transfer units for tray dryer.

Apparatus:
 Tray dryer apparatus

Working Principle:
 In tray dryer hot air is continuously circulated. Forced convection heating takes place
to remove moister from the solids placed in trays.
 Simuilaneously the moist air is removed partially.
 Wet solid is loaded in to the trays. Trays are placed in the chamber.
 Fresh air is introduced through in let, which passes through the heaters and gets
heated up.

Introduction:

Drying may be defined as the vaporization and removal of water or other liquids from a
solution, suspension, or other solid-liquid mixture to form a dry solid. It is a complicated
process that involves simultaneous heat and mass transfer, accompanied by physicochemical
transformations. Drying occurs as a result of the vaporization of liquid by supplying heat to
wet feedstock, granules, filter cakes and so on. Based on the mechanism of heat transfer that
is employed, drying is categorized into direct (convection), indirect or contact (conduction),
radiant (radiation) and dielectric or microwave (radio frequency) drying.

Heat transfer and mass transfer are critical aspects in drying processes. Heat is transferred to
the product to evaporate liquid, and mass is transferred as a vapor into the surrounding gas.
The drying rate is determined by the set of factors that affect heat and mass transfer. Solids
drying is generally understood to follow two distinct drying zones, known as the constant-rate
period and the falling-rate period. The two zones are demarcated by a break point called the
critical moisture content.

Diagram:

Fig # 1.1
Theory:
A tray Dryer is an enclosed insulated chamber in which trays are placed on top of each other
in trolleys. Tray Dryer are used where heating and drying are essential parts of manufacturing
process in industries such as Chemicals, Dye stuff, Pharmaceutical, Food Products, Colours
etc. The material to be dried either wet or solids are placed in the trays. Heat transfer is by
circulation of hot air by electric heaters or steam in radiator coils. Blower fans are installed
inside to ensure proper circulation and transfer of heat. A control panel to control the
temperature and other parameteres is fixed outside the dryer. These dryers are available in
Mild Steel, Stainless Steel or construction. Tray dryer is used for drying of pigments, food,
bakery, electrodes,chemical and plastic powders. The Drying ovens are normally available
with choice of heating mode, as electrically heated / steam heated & thermic fluid heated.
In electrically heated model, digital temperature controller provided with digital timer to
facilitate working day and night. In steam & thermic fluid heated model, digital temperature
indicator is provided with digital timer , but the temperature controller is not supplied with
the machine.
Drying of solids is considered in two stages, a constant rate period followed by a falling rate
period. Rate of drying correspond to the removal of water from the surface of solid. Falling
rate period corresponds to the removal of water from the interior of surface.
Rate in either case depend upon;
 Flow rate of air
 Solid characteristics
 Tray material
Further conditions should resemble as closely as possible those expected to prevail in the
contemplated large scale operation.

Equipment Setup / Apparatus:

Tray Drier Apparatus, Digital Weight Balance, Wet and Dry Bulb Thermometer, and
Stop Watch.

Fig # 1.2

Components of Equipment:
 Drying chamber
 Air Blower
 Heater
 Orifice in air duct
 Tray
 Balance
 Flow meter
 Air valve to control air flow
  Temperature sensor

Utility required:
 Electric supply
 Wet solid
 Stop watch

Procedure:
 Take dry sand to fill the trays to a depth of about 10 mm each should be accurately
weighed before being saturated with water in a container.
 The sand should be removed from the container and drained of excess 'free' water
before being loaded evenly and smoothly into the drying trays, taking care to avoid
any
spillage.
 The total weight of the wet sand should be noted before drying commences.
 At some arbitrary time (t=0), switch on and set the fan speed control to produce an air
velocity of about 0.5 m/s, Measure the velocity of the air flow through the drier using
the digital anemometer.
 Set the heater power control to a nominal setting and measure the dry and wet bulb air
temperatures upstream of the sand trays using the aspirating Psychrometer.
 Record the total weight of sand in the trays at regular time intervals until drying is
complete.
 The experiment should be repeated for other air temperatures by increasing the power
supplied to the heater up to the maximum setting.
 It is important to keep the air velocity constant and to use the same weight and
distribution of sand in each of the tests.
 Stop the experiment when weight of dried solid become constant.

Observation and calculation:

Tray diameter = 150mm
Surface area of solids = 0.0706m2
Diameter of orifice = 0.026m
Diameter of pipe =0.052m
Area of orifice = a0= 0.0005311m2
Area of pipe = ap=0.002123m2
Surface area of solid = A = 0.0706 m2
Weight of dry solid = S = 291-150=141g
Weight of tray = 150 g
t = Time = θ
G = Mass Velocity
W = Weight of wet Solid=330-150=220 g
X = Mass of drying solid
N = Number of transfer unit
Table 1.1(Observation and calculation)

Sr.# Time (t) Delta t Weight of wet Mass of drying Delta X Sdx
N=
(min) (sec) solid(W) solid(X) Adt
(grams) W −S
X=
S
1 0 180 330-150=180 0.276596 0 0
2 3 180 326-150=176 0.248227 0.028369 0.314762
3 6 180 322-150=172 0.219858 0.028369 0.314762
4 9 180 320-150=170 0.205674 0.014184 0.157381
5 12 180 316-150=166 0.177305 0.028369 0.314762
6 15 180 313-150=163 0.156028 0.021277 0.236072
7 18 180 311-150=161 0.141844 0.014184 0.157381
8 21 180 308-150=158 0.120567 0.021277 0.236072
9 24 180 305-150=155 0.099291 0.021277 0.236072
10 27 180 302-150=152 0.078014 0.021277 0.236072
11 30 180 298-150=148 0.049645 0.028369 0.314762
12 33 180 295-150=145 0.028369 0.021277 0.236072
13 36 180 292-150=142 0.007092 0.021277 0.236072
14 39 180 289-150=139 -0.01418 0.021277 0.236072
15 42 180 286-150=136 -0.03546 0.021277 0.236072
16 45 180 282-150=132 -0.06383 0.028369 0.314762
17 48 180 280-150=130 -0.07801 0.014184 0.157381
18 51 180 277-150=127 -0.09929 0.021277 0.236072
19 54 180 274-150=124 -0.12057 0.021277 0.236072
20 57 180 270-150=120 -0.14894 0.028369 0.314762
21 60 180 268-150=118 -0.16312 0.014184 0.157381
22 63 180 267-150=117 -0.17021 0.007092 0.078691
23 66 180 265-150=115 -0.1844 0.014184 0.157381
24 69 180 262-150=112 -0.20567 0.021277 0.236072
25 72 180 262-150=112 -0.20567 0 0
26 75 180 262-150=112 -0.20567 0 0

Method # 02:

In this method we draw graph between time(t) and mass of drying solid (X).
Graph:

X vs t
0.4
Mass of drying solid (X)

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75
-0.1

-0.2

-0.3

Time (min)

Calculations:

Sr.# Time (t) Delta t Weight of wet Mass of drying Y 2−Y 1

(min) (sec) solid(W) solid(X) slope=
X 2− X 1
(grams) W −S
X=
S
1 0 180 330-150=180 0.276596 0.000158
2 3 180 326-150=176 0.248227 0.000158
3 6 180 322-150=172 0.219858 7.88E-05
4 9 180 320-150=170 0.205674 0.000158
5 12 180 316-150=166 0.177305 0.000118
6 15 180 313-150=163 0.156028 7.88E-05
7 18 180 311-150=161 0.141844 0.000118
8 21 180 308-150=158 0.120567 0.000118
9 24 180 305-150=155 0.099291 0.000118
10 27 180 302-150=152 0.078014 0.000158
11 30 180 298-150=148 0.049645 0.000118
12 33 180 295-150=145 0.028369 0.000118
13 36 180 292-150=142 0.007092 0.000118
14 39 180 289-150=139 -0.01418 0.000118
15 42 180 286-150=136 -0.03546 0.000158
16 45 180 282-150=132 -0.06383 7.88E-05
17 48 180 280-150=130 -0.07801 0.000118
18 51 180 277-150=127 -0.09929 0.000118
19 54 180 274-150=124 -0.12057 0.000158
20 57 180 270-150=120 -0.14894 7.88E-05
21 60 180 268-150=118 -0.16312 3.94E-05
22 63 180 267-150=117 -0.17021 7.88E-05
23 66 180 265-150=115 -0.1844 0.000118
24 69 180 262-150=112 -0.20567 0
25 72 180 262-150=112 -0.20567 0
 26 75 180 262-150=112 -0.20567 0.000158

Experiment #02

Objective:
To calculate the critical moisture content of solid drying.

Apparatus:
 Tray dryer apparatus

Working Principle:
 In tray dryer hot air is continuously circulated. Forced convection heating takes place
to remove moister from the solids placed in trays.
 Simuilaneously the moist air is removed partially.
 Wet solid is loaded in to the trays. Trays are placed in the chamber.
 Fresh air is introduced through in let, which passes through the heaters and gets
heated up.
Theory:

In some products having a relatively high initial moisture content, an initial linear reduction
of the average product moisture content as a function of time may be observed for a limited
time, often known as a "constant drying rate period". Usually, in this period, it is surface
moisture outside individual particles that is being removed. The drying rate during this period
is mostly dependent on the rate of heat transfer to the material being dried. Therefore, the
maximum achievable drying rate is considered to be heat-transfer limited. If drying is
continued, the slope of the curve, the drying rate, becomes less steep (falling rate period) and
eventually tends to become nearly horizontal at very long times. The product moisture
content is then constant at the "equilibrium moisture content", where it is, in practice, in
equilibrium with the dehydrating medium. In the falling-rate period, water migration from the
product interior to the surface is mostly by molecular diffusion, i,e. the water flux is
proportional to the moisture content gradient. This means that water moves from zones with
higher moisture content to zones with lower values, a phenomenon explained by the second
law of thermodynamics. If water removal is considerable, the products usually undergo
shrinkage and deformation, except in a well-designed freeze-drying process. The drying rate
in the falling-rate period is controlled by the rate of removal of moisture or solvent from the
interior of the solid being dried and is referred to as being "mass-transfer limited". This is
widely noticed in hygroscopic products such as fruits and vegetables, where drying occurs in
the falling rate period with the constant drying rate period said to be negligible.

Fig # 2.1

Equipment Setup / Apparatus:

Tray Drier Apparatus, Digital Weight Balance, Wet and Dry Bulb Thermometer, and
Stop Watch.

Fig # 1.2

Components of Equipment:
 Drying chamber
 Air Blower
 Heater
 Orifice in air duct
 Tray
 Balance
 Flow meter
 Air valve to control air flow
 Temperature sensor

Utility required:
 Electric supply
 Wet solid
 Stop watch

Procedure:
  Take dry sand to fill the trays to a depth of about 10 mm each should be accurately
weighed before being saturated with water in a container.
 The sand should be removed from the container and drained of excess 'free' water
before being loaded evenly and smoothly into the drying trays, taking care to avoid
any
spillage.
 The total weight of the wet sand should be noted before drying commences.
 At some arbitrary time (t=0), switch on and set the fan speed control to produce an air
velocity of about 0.5 m/s, Measure the velocity of the air flow through the drier using
the digital anemometer.
 Set the heater power control to a nominal setting and measure the dry and wet bulb air
temperatures upstream of the sand trays using the aspirating Psychrometer.
 Record the total weight of sand in the trays at regular time intervals until drying is
complete.
 The experiment should be repeated for other air temperatures by increasing the power
supplied to the heater up to the maximum setting.
 It is important to keep the air velocity constant and to use the same weight and
distribution of sand in each of the tests.
 Stop the experiment when weight of dried solid become constant.

Observation and calculation:

Tray diameter = 150mm
Surface area of solids = 0.0706m2
Diameter of orifice = 0.026m
Diameter of pipe =0.052m
Area of orifice = a0= 0.0005311m2
Area of pipe = ap=0.002123m2
Surface area of solid = A = 0.0706 m2
Weight of dry solid = S = 291-150=141g
Weight of tray = 150 g
t = Time = θ
G = Mass Velocity
W = Weight of wet Solid=330-150=220 g
X = Mass of drying solid
N = Number of transfer unit
Table 2.1 (calculation and observation)

Sr.# Time (t) Delta t Weight of wet Mass of drying Delta X Sdx
N=
(min) (sec) solid(W) solid(X) Adt
(grams) W −S
X=
S
1 0 180 330-150=180 0.276596 0 0
2 3 180 326-150=176 0.248227 0.028369 0.314762
3 6 180 322-150=172 0.219858 0.028369 0.314762
4 9 180 320-150=170 0.205674 0.014184 0.157381
5 12 180 316-150=166 0.177305 0.028369 0.314762
6 15 180 313-150=163 0.156028 0.021277 0.236072
7 18 180 311-150=161 0.141844 0.014184 0.157381
8 21 180 308-150=158 0.120567 0.021277 0.236072
9 24 180 305-150=155 0.099291 0.021277 0.236072
10 27 180 302-150=152 0.078014 0.021277 0.236072
11 30 180 298-150=148 0.049645 0.028369 0.314762
12 33 180 295-150=145 0.028369 0.021277 0.236072
13 36 180 292-150=142 0.007092 0.021277 0.236072
14 39 180 289-150=139 -0.01418 0.021277 0.236072
15 42 180 286-150=136 -0.03546 0.021277 0.236072
16 45 180 282-150=132 -0.06383 0.028369 0.314762
17 48 180 280-150=130 -0.07801 0.014184 0.157381
18 51 180 277-150=127 -0.09929 0.021277 0.236072
19 54 180 274-150=124 -0.12057 0.021277 0.236072
20 57 180 270-150=120 -0.14894 0.028369 0.314762
21 60 180 268-150=118 -0.16312 0.014184 0.157381
22 63 180 267-150=117 -0.17021 0.007092 0.078691
23 66 180 265-150=115 -0.1844 0.014184 0.157381
24 69 180 262-150=112 -0.20567 0.021277 0.236072
 25 72 180 262-150=112 -0.20567 0 0
26 75 180 262-150=112 -0.20567 0 0

For critical moisture content we need to draw graph between number of transfer units (N) and
mass or drying solid (X).

Graph:

Chart Title
0.35

0.3

0.25

0.2

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
03 01 03 02 01 02 02 02 03 02 02 02 02 03 01 02 02 03 01 01 01 02
0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.