Heat and Mass Transfer Analysis of Banana Slices for
Food Processing Applications
Pavan Bhaskar
Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
The National Institute of Engineering,
Mysuru, Karnataka, India
Chirag N
Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
The National Institute of Engineering,
Mysuru, Karnataka, India
Dr. Sathisha H M
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
The National Institute of Engineering,
Mysuru, Karnataka, India
Abstract—Food processing methods are used to turn fresh food
into value added food products. This is done to keep food edible
and safe while also preserving and extending its shelf life. Drying
is one of the simplest and oldest strategies for extending the shelf
life of the food and preserve it in an ambient environment. It is a
complicated process involving simultaneous heat and mass
transfer processes, along with changes in the thermal and physical
properties of the food material as well as the shrinkage of the food
material. Studying this process using mathematical modelling will
help understand the drying mechanism. It will aid in the
comprehension and optimization of the kinetics of this process.
The aim of this paper is to investigate the process of drying of
banana slices by developing a transient model with simultaneous
heat and mass transfer processes. The Multiphysics model involves
coupled Fourier's and Fick's laws as well as varying thermal and
physical properties of the material during the drying process. The
moisture and temperature distributions inside the food substance
can be predicted using this model. The effect of varying the drying
air conditions was also investigated in this paper.
I. INTRODUCTION
Drying is a food preservation technique that extends the
shelf life of food. It is a very simple and old technique, which
is used extensively for food processing and preservation. The
goal of this process is to supply heat to the material, evaporate
moisture, to obtain a dried food product without losing a
significant amount of its nutritional content. Hence, it is an
energy intensive process which involves simultaneous heat
transfer and mass transfer processes, along with changes to the
thermal and physical properties of the food substance.
Bananas have a high moisture content. Due to this they are
easily perishable and cannot be stored for a long time. Hence,
drying techniques such as hot air convective drying of banana
slices are commonly used to minimize its moisture content.
Mathematical modelling of this process can help us to
understand the kinetics of the drying mechanism. It can also be
used to optimize the process and increase its energy efficiency.
Abhishek V Nayak
Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
The National Institute of Engineering,
Mysuru, Karnataka, India
Rahul H
Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
The National Institute of Engineering,
Mysuru, Karnataka, India
Many empirical and fundamental models have been
developed for the process of drying of banana slices. Empirical
models such as the Page and Newton equations [1] are simple
to use and are frequently applied to depict the drying curves.
However, these models cannot be used to predict or visualize
the temperature and moisture distributions inside the food
material. This is because they do not represent the actual
physics involved in the drying process. [2]
Esmaeel Seyedabadi et al. [3] developed a fundamental
model which can predict the temperature and moisture
distributions of the banana sample under different conditions
using the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) approach. They
have also taken into consideration, the shrinkage effects of the
material. C Kumar et al. presented a report on the Multiphysics
modelling for convective drying of food products [4]. The
effects of changing the drying air conditions has been
investigated in this model using Finite Element Method (FEM)
calculations. Temperature and moisture concentration could be
predicted at any position and time during the drying process
using this model.
Rosa Fabiana et al. presented a report on “Mathematical
modelling of drying process of unripe bananas” [5]. They
developed a model for the simultaneous heat and mass transfer
involved in the drying of unripe banana, by considering the
initial thermophysical properties as constant. They also
assumed that the banana is made up of a homogenous material.
Their report revealed that, only using the diffusion of moisture
can simulate the drying process appreciably.
In general, the process of drying of banana slices can be
analyzed by using Fourier’s law for the heat transfer process
and Fick's second law for the mass transfer process. Solving
these equations involves a high complexity as they are non-
linear and are coupled together. This is because the thermal and
physical properties of the food material change with the
temperature and moisture and hence, vary throughout the
drying process. Hence, to solve these equations, numerical
approaches are preferred over analytical methods.
 Fig. 1. Schematic view showing the different transport phenomena
involved in the drying process
This paper describes the mathematical modelling of the
drying of banana slices using a diffusion approach. Here, the
diffusion coefficient is dependent on temperature and follows
an Arrhenius type relation as given by Wang and Brennan [6].
The model was developed in an FEM software and validated
using experimental data from literature. The model can predict
the temperature and moisture concentration distributions at any
point of time during the drying process. The effects of changing
the drying conditions, air temperature and air velocity, is also
studied in this paper.
II. METHODOLOGY AND IMPLEMENTATION
A. Model Development
Drying of banana slices involves the following heat transfer
and mass transfer phenomena: Convective heat transfer between
the banana surface and the drying air; Conductive heat transfer
inside the banana; Diffusion of moisture from the inner layers to
the outer surface; and Evaporation of diffused water from the
outer surface of the banana. The schematic view of this process
is illustrated in Fig. 1.
The following assumption were considered for this model:
• Chemical reactions do not take place inside the
material
• Moisture and temperature are distributed uniformly
inside the material initially
• Drying air conditions are considered constant during
process
B. Banana Slice Model
The banana slice was approximated to be a cylindrical
geometry of 36 mm diameter and 4 mm thickness. Since the
banana slice model was symmetric, a 2D axisymmetric
geometry was considered as shown in Fig. 2.
C. Governing Equations
The diffusion of moisture inside the banana material is a
mass transfer phenomenon. Fick’s second law is used to
describe this process. For a cylindrical geometry it is given by
𝜕𝑐
+ 𝛻. (−𝐷𝛻𝑐) + 𝒖. 𝛻𝑐 = 𝑅 (1)
𝜕𝑡
The conduction and convection of heat inside and on the
surface of the banana are governed by Fourier’s law of heat
transfer. For a cylindrical geometry it is given by
𝜕𝑐
𝜌𝑐𝑝 + 𝜌𝑐𝑝 𝒖. 𝛻𝑇 = 𝛻. (𝑘𝛻𝑇) + 𝑄 (2)
𝜕𝑡
Fig. 2. 2D Axisymmetric Geometry of Banana Slice
D. Boundary and Initial Conditions
The boundary conditions for the governing equations are
described below. The initial conditions are provided in Table 1
along with the input parameters.
1) Heat Transfer
There is no temperature gradient at the centerline of the
banana slice. Hence, no flow was considered here.
𝒏. (𝑘𝛻𝑇) = 0 (3)
Heat energy is convected into the material from the hot
drying air. Some of this energy is used up by the moisture for
its evaporation from the surface. The rest is conducted into the
material. Hence, the boundary conditions for heat transfer at
free boundaries were considered as follows.
𝒏. (𝑘𝛻𝑇) = ℎ 𝑇 (𝑇𝑎𝑖𝑟 − 𝑇) − 𝒏. (𝐷𝑟𝑒𝑓 𝜆𝛻𝑐) (4)
Here, the first term corresponds to the heat convection at the
banana surface. The second term refers to the heat required for
evaporation of moisture from the banana surface, where λ is the
latent heat of evaporation of water. Azzouz, Guizani et al. [7]
gave the following relation for the second boundary condition
𝒏. (𝐷𝑟𝑒𝑓 𝜆𝛻𝑐) = ℎ𝑚 𝜌(𝑀 − 𝑀𝑒 )ℎ𝑓𝑔 (5)
2) Mass Transfer
No flow boundary condition was considered at symmetry.
𝒏. (𝐷𝛻𝑐) = 0 (6)
At free surfaces, the moisture leaves the material by
evaporation. This moisture is transported from the core to the
surface of the material by diffusion. Hence, the boundary
conditions for the mass transfer at free boundaries were
considered as follows.
𝒏. (𝐷𝛻𝑐) = ℎ𝑚 (𝑐𝑏 − 𝑐) (7)
E. Input Parameters
The input parameters are listed in Table 1. It also includes
the material properties, taken from literature [8][9]. Details
about a few important input parameters are discussed here.
1) Specific Heat and Thermal Conductivity
The specific heat and thermal conductivity of the banana do
not remain constant during the drying process. Moisture
dependent relations were considered for these as given by Bart-
Plange, Addo et al. [10]
𝐶𝑠 = 0.811𝑀𝑤 2 − 24.75𝑀𝑤 + 1742 (8)
𝐾𝑠 = 0.006𝑀𝑤 + 0.120 (9)
 TABLE I. INPUT PARAMETERS
Parameter Value Unit
Density
Air, ρa 1.060 kg/m3
Water, ρw 994.59 kg/m3
Banana, ρb 980 kg/m3
Specific Heat
Air, Cp air 1005 J/kg-K
Water, Cp water 4184 J/kg-K Fig. 3. Meshing of domain with refined mesh at free boundaries
Banana, Cs 0.811Mw2–24.75Mw+1742 J/kg-K
Thermal Conductivity F. Solution methodology, mesh and implementation
Air, kair 0.02896 W/m-K
Banana, ks 0.006 Mw + 0.120 W/m-K
The 2D axisymmetric geometry of the banana slice was as
Viscosity of Air, μair 20.10 × 10-6 N-s/ m2
shown in Fig. 2. The three-dimensional problem was reduced
Equilibrium Moisture, Me 0.29 (dry basis) kg/kg to a two-dimensional problem to simplify it and decrease the
Diffusion Coefficient, D 2.41 × 10-10 m2/s computation time. A free triangular mesh was used consisting
Effective Diffusivity, Deff D0 e-Ea/RT m2/s of 4470 domain elements and 414 boundary elements. The
Integration Constant, D0 0.01751 m2/s mesh was refined at the free boundaries as shown in Fig. 3. The
Activation Energy, Ea 51.21 kJ/mol model was solved for a time period of 36000 s (60 mins) with a
Gas Constant, R 8.314 kJ/mol-K time step size of 30 s.
Latent Heat of Vaporization
Water (in J/kg), hfg 2358600 J/kg III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Water (in J/mol), λ hfg × MH2O = 42454.8 J/mol
The model was first validated using experimental data from
Heat Transfer Coefficient, hT 18.94 W/m2-K
literature. The drying process was analyzed using Moisture
Mass Transfer Coefficient, hm 7.326 × 10-6 m/s
Ratio (MR) and temperature variation with drying time, as well
Drying Conditions
as the temperature and moisture contours. Parametric analysis
Air Velocity, vair 0.7 m/s
was also performed. The details of these are discussed below.
Air Temperature. Tair 60 ℃
Initial Conditions
Moisture Content, M0 4 (dry basis) Kg/kg A. Validation of the Model
Temperature, T0 25 ℃ Moisture Content inside the banana model provides the best
idea about the drying process. Hence, it was considered for
2) Effective Diffusivity validating the model using the experimental data from Karim
Effective diffusivity is dependent on temperature and is and Hawaldar [13]. The experimental data provides the average
obtained using the Arrhenius type relationship as given by value of moisture in the banana slice at differ rent time intervals.
Wang and Brennan [6] The experiment was carried out for 500 minutes with drying air
temperature of 60℃ and drying air velocity of 0.7m/s.
−𝐸𝑎
𝐷𝑒𝑓𝑓 = 𝐷0 𝑒 𝑅𝑇 (10)
Islam, Haque et al. [11] has calculated the activation energy,
Ea to be 51.21 kJ mol-1 and the integration constant, D0 to be
0.01751 m2 s-1.
3) Heat and Mass Transfer Coefficients
The average heat and mass transfer coefficients were
calculated using the Nusselt number, Nu and the Sherwood
number, Sh respectively. [12]
The relation to calculate average Nusselt number for
laminar and turbulent flows respectively are given as follows.
ℎ𝑇 𝐿
Laminar: 𝑁𝑢 = = 0.664𝑅𝑒 0.5 𝑃𝑟 0.33 (11)
𝑘
ℎ𝑇 𝐿
Turbulent: 𝑁𝑢 = = 0.0296𝑅𝑒 0.5 𝑃𝑟 0.33 (12)
𝑘

The calculation of Sherwood Number is similar to Nusselt

number and are given as follows.
ℎ𝑚 𝐿
Laminar: 𝑆ℎ = = 0.664𝑅𝑒 0.5 𝑆𝑐 0.33 (13)
𝐷
ℎ𝑚 𝐿
Turbulent: 𝑆ℎ = = 0.296𝑅𝑒 0.5 𝑆𝑐 0.33 (14)
𝐷

Here, Re is Reynold’s Number, Pr is Prandtl Number, and Sc Fig. 4. Moisture profile obtained from simulation and experimental data
is Schmidt Number. (Drying air conditions: Temperature = 60℃, Velocity = 0.7 m/s)
 The volume averaged moisture content (dry basis) of the
banana slice was computed from the simulation at the same
intervals and compared against the experimental data for
validation as shown in Fig. 4. It can be observed that the
simulation data closely agrees with the experimental data. This
indicates that the model can simulate the drying process and
predict the moisture content accurately at any point of time
during the process.
B. Temperature and Moisture Ratio
Temperature of material and moisture ratio are two
parameters of interest during the analysis of drying process.
Moisture Ratio is an indication of the drying rate of the banana
slices. It is a parameter widely used by many empirical and
fundamental model to describe the drying curves and the
moisture content inside a substance. It is calculated as follows:
𝑀𝑡 −𝑀𝑒
𝑀𝑅 =
𝑀0 −𝑀𝑒
Fig. 5 shows the variation of the material temperature
throughout the drying process. Fig, 6 shows the variation of
Moisture Ratio, where we can conclude that the rate of drying is
higher initially and decreases gradually. These graphs are plotted
for drying air temperature of 70 ℃ and velocity of 0.5 m/s.
Fig. 5. Material Temperature variation with drying time (Drying air
conditions: Temperature = 70℃, Velocity = 0.5 m/s)
Fig. 6. Moisture Ratio variation with drying time (Drying air conditions:
Temperature = 70℃, Velocity = 0.5 m/s)
C. Temperature and Moisture Distribution
The temperature and moisture concentration distributions
can be predicted at any point of time during the drying process.
Fig. 7 shows the temperature distribution of the banana slice
after drying with air of temperature 70℃ and velocity 0.5 m/s
for 600 minutes. The temperature gradient is less inside the
banana because the thickness of the banana slice is very less.
Fig. 8 shows the moisture (dry basis) distribution of the
banana slice after drying with air of temperature 70℃ and
velocity 0.5 m/s for 600 minutes. It can be observed that there
is less moisture present towards the peripheral surface. The
moisture content is more at the center of the banana slice.
(15)
Fig. 7. Temperature Distribution after 600 minutes of drying (Drying air
conditions: Temperature = 70℃, Velocity = 0.5 m/s)
Fig. 8. Moisture (dry basis) distribution after 600 minutes of drying (Drying
air conditions: Temperature = 70℃, Velocity = 0.5 m/s)
D. Parametric Analysis
The simulation was performed for 16 cases, with drying air
temperatures of 40℃, 50℃, 60℃ and 70℃, and drying air
velocities of 0.5 m/s, 0.7 m/s, 1 m/s and 1.5 m/s. Parametric
analysis was done to investigate the effect of the drying
conditions on the drying rate.
The effect of changing the drying temperature (40℃, 50℃,
60℃ and 70℃) for the same drying air velocity (0.7 m/s) is
shown in Fig. 9. It can be observed that increasing the drying
temperature can significantly increase the rate of drying and
hence, reduce the time required to achieve the required product.
Fig. 10 shows the effect of drying air velocity on the drying
process. Here, the air temperature is kept constant at 70 ℃ and
the air velocity is changed between 0.5 m/s, 1 m/s and 1.5 m/s.
It was observed that the effect of air velocity is not as significant
to the drying process compared to the air temperature and its
influence is further reduced as the velocity increases.
Fig. 9. Moisture Ratio profile for different drying air temperatures (Drying air
velocity = 0.7 m/s)
IV. CONCLUSION
A mathematical model of the drying process of banana slice
discussed in this paper. This model was validated and the
various findings were presented. The model was able to predict
and visualize the temperature and moisture distributions at any
point of time during the drying process. The temperature and
moisture ratio profiles could also be plotted to understand their
variation throughout the process.
Moisture Ratio was used as an indication of the progress of
the drying process. From this, it was observed that the rate of
drying was higher at the start of the process, and it gradually
decreased throughout the process. This observation was also
evident from the material temperature vs drying time graph.
The temperature gradient inside the banana slice was
observed to be very small. This is because thickness of the slice
is very less. The moisture content was observed to be higher at
the center of the banana slice. This is of interest as the presence
of moisture in the product can lead to spoilage and decrease its
shelf life.
The effect of changing the drying air conditions, i.e.,
temperature and velocity were also observed. Increasing the air
velocity did not have a considerable impact on the drying time.
Increasing the temperature has a significant impact in reducing
the drying time. However, it should be kept in mind that if the
temperature is too high, the nutritional content can reduce,
which reduces the value of the product. This effect cannot be
estimated using this model.
Finally, this model can be easily modified for a different food
material and a different food processing application. Additional
physics can be added and the geometry can be changed easily to
adapt to a different process.
Fig. 10. Moisture Ratio profile for different drying air velocities (Drying air
temperature = 70℃)
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