Proc.

of the International Conference on Electrical, Computer and Energy Technologies (ICECET 2022)
20-22 June 2022, Prague-Czech Republic

Thermo–acoustic analysis of apples when

2022 International Conference on Electrical, Computer and Energy Technologies (ICECET) | 978-1-6654-7087-2/22/$31.00 ©2022 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/ICECET55527.2022.9872757

dehydrated in an ultrasound-assisted convection

system
Daniel Aguilar-Torres Omar Jiménez-Ramírez Juan Antonio Jimenez-Garcia
Instituto Politécnico Nacional Instituto Politécnico Nacional Universidad Autónma del Estado de México
ESIME Culhuacan ESIME Culhuacan Centro Universitario Nezahualcóyotl Estado de
Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico México, Mexico
dan_a_torres@hotmail.com ojimenezr@ipn.mx jajimenezg@uaemex.mx
0000-0002-9402-0509 0000-0003-1566-8604 0000-0002-7303-1284

Guillermo Luque-Zúñiga Gonzalo Alonso Ramos-López Rubén Vázquez-Medina

Instituto Politécnico Nacional Instituto Politécnico Nacional Instituto Politécnico Nacional
CICATA Querétaro Querétaro, CICATA Querétaro CICATA Querétaro Querétaro,
Mexico Querétaro, Mexico Mexico ruvazquez@ipn.mx
memo_luque88@hotmail.com gramos@ipn.mx 0000-0002-6210-4097
0000-0002-2911-6416 0000-0001-9047-0580

Abstract—In this work, the finite element method (FEM) is I. I NTRODUCTION

used to perform a thermo–acoustic analysis of apples when
dehydrated in an electrical system of convection dehydration
assisted by ultrasound signals. First, the heat and wave equations
are defined for an electric convection dehydrator assisted by
transducers that radiate ultrasound signals considering two case
studies. In the first case study, one piezoelectric transducer is
installed at the bottom-center of the dehydration chamber; mean-
while in the second case study, three piezoelectric transducers are
installed uniformly distributed at the bottom of the dehydration
chamber. In both case studies, the electric convection dehydrator
is assumed in thermal equilibrium at 60 ◦ C, the apple samples
are 5mm-plate apples, and the dehydration chamber has five
drying racks. Then, for the two case studies, the temporal and
spectral behaviors of the apple dehydration system are analyzed
by estimating the temperature changes in the apple samples
as a function of radiation time and frequency of ultrasound
signals. From the 2-D spectral analysis, and considering a
frequency range of (20 kHz, 1 MHz) for ultrasound signals,
the spatial distribution of the sound intensity level (SIL) of
the ultrasound signals applied to the apple samples is shown.
Thus, the optimum frequency of ultrasound signals for the apple
dehydration is determined from the average pressure generated
in the dehydration chamber. Using this frequency, the thermal
behavior for the apple samples is estimated as a function of the
radiation time. Finally, the thermo-acoustic behavior for the two
proposed case studies is compared.
Index Terms—Thermo-acoustic, FEM, ultrasound signals, food
dehydration, Ultrasound-assisted dehydrator
The authors thank Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN-México) for finan-
cial support under grant numbers SIP–20220531 (Rubén Vázquez–Medina),
SIP–20220572 (Omar Jiménez-Ramírez), and SIP-20220933 (Gonzalo Alonso
Ramos-López).
Foods has an expiration date for human consumption, since
over time they can lose a significant amount of nutrients or
deteriorate to levels that are fatal to health. Food spoilage may
be due to factors such as contamination by microorganisms, in-
sect infestation or endogenous enzymatic degradation, or also
because physical and chemical changes may occur in them that
favor their degradation. In view of the above, methods have
been developed for food preservation, such as dehydration,
refrigeration, fermentation, canning, pasteurization, freezing,
irradiation, and the incorporation of chemical additives. On an
industrial scale, the most prominent food preservation methods
are canning, freezing, and dehydrating.
This work is focused on food preservation by dehydration
processes. Dehydration is a common and reliable method
of preserving food through the removal of moisture. Due
to the dynamics of today’s life, dehydration due to food
exposure is not practical since it is difficult to control hygiene
and temperature conditions. For this reason, a large number
of food dehydration systems have been developed, whose
effectiveness can be described, among other aspects, by the
amount of moisture removed, the speed of removal of that
moisture and the time at which the deterioration of dehydrated
foods begins. Currently, food dehydration is conceived as a
controlled process that seeks to eliminate as much moisture
as possible in a food in the shortest possible time, thus
helping to preserve its structure, content, and quality over time.
According to Ozcan-Sinir et al. [1], the efficiency of food

978-1-6654-7087-2/22/$31.00 © 2022 IEEE

dehydration processes is generally very low. Therefore, the
need for more effective dehydration processes has arisen and,
according to Wang et al. [2], ultrasound-assisted dehydration
has shown promise in terms of its efficiency. In addition, it
must be considered that the application of ultrasound signals
to foods during the dehydration process can change the internal
microstructure of the material, reducing its resistance to water
diffusion and increasing its temperature. Ultrasound assisted
dehydration has significant advantages as it improves drying
efficiency and shortens processing time; therefore, it has been
used in the dehydration of food and agricultural products (Fan
et al., 2017, [3]).
Due to the aforementioned, it is relevant to analyze and
understand the acoustic-thermal behavior of foods when they
are being dehydrated by means of a dehydrator assisted by
ultrasound signals. For this purpose, in this work, two case
studies have been defined to observe the temperature changes
that foods experience while they are being dehydrated, previ-
ously identifying the intensity and frequency of the ultrasonic
signals that have the greatest influence on the process.
The food dehydration is an energy intensive process, which
employs 20-25% of total energy consumed by food industry
[4]. Therefore, it is relevant to consider that energy con-
sumption, together with the quality of dehydrated foods, are
two critical parameters for the design, implementation, or
selection of a dehydration process [5]. An alternative that
has emerged to achieve this goal is the use of ultrasound-
assisted dehydration systems. The use of ultrasound signals
in dehydration processes has demonstrated that reproducible
food dehydration processes can be performed in seconds
or minutes, reducing the cost of processing, providing an
adequate nutritional quality of the final product, avoiding the
subsequent treatment of wastewater, and avoiding the use of
additional energy to that required by conventional processes
[6]. Currently there are many works that report systems like
these [7], [4].
Regarding works reporting some kind of analysis about
ultrasound-assisted food dehydration, some works review and
examine the influence of ultrasound signals on dehydration of
apple [8] estimating the effective moisture diffusivity. Also,
there are others works related to the energy and environmental
analysis of ultrasound-assisted food dehydration, in which the
process was simulated at industrial scale some vegetables
[4], [9]. Also, other works related to parametric studies on
the ultrasound-assisted food dehydration process have been
reviewed, which consider the effect of air flow rate, ultrasonic
power and mass loading on hot-air drying assisted by an
ultrasonic system [10], [11]. In view of this offer of scientific
studies, it was decided that this work would deal with the
thermo–acoustic analysis of apple in an ultrasound-assisted
convection dehydrator by using the finite element method
(FEM) implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics𝑇 𝑀 . In this
way, the temporal and spectral behaviors of the sample dehy-
dration are analyzed when the apple samples are dehydrated
in an ultrasound-assisted convection dehydrator, in which the
temperature changes in the 5mm-plate apples are estimated
as a function of radiation time and frequency of ultrasound
signals, as well as a function of the location of the apple
samples inside the dehydration chamber. From the 2-D spectral
analysis, and considering a frequency range in (20 kHz, 1
MHz) for ultrasound signals, the spectral components influ-
encing the apple dehydration are determined, and the spatial
distribution of the sound intensity level (SIL), of the ultrasound
signals applied to the apple samples, is shown when the apple
samples are located in five racks uniformly inside dehydration
chamber. From the thermo-acoustic analysis performed in this
work, it can be shown that, in order to improve the efficiency
of ultrasonic dehydration processes, the optimal frequencies
and pressures of operation should be identified. This condition
can reduce the dehydration time and avoid the structural and
nutritional damage of food samples.
The rest of the paper is organized as follows. Section II
describes the features of dehydration chamber, the case studies,
and simulation conditions considered in this work. Section
III provides the mathematical model used to perform the
spectral analysis considering the mass, momentum, and energy
conservation inside of the dehydration chamber. Section IV
shows the results obtained from spectral and thermal analyses
performed for the food dehydration process. Finally, Section
V is devoted to conclusions.
II. M ATERIAL AND METHODS
A. Case studies
In order to study the ultrasound signals behavior and
their thermal effects on apple samples, two case studies
are considered. Firstly, it should be noted that the proposed
geometry shown in Fig. 1 includes a dehydration chamber of
size (27cm×20cm×20cm), a piezoelectric transducer of size
(0.5cm×4cm), and (0.5cm)-plate apples located at 5 racks with
3 cm of separation between each of them.
Drying chamber
Apple
y= 27 [cm]
Tdc Qu(t)
Q1(t) Q3(t)
Ta Apple Ca
Ra 1 Ra 3
Ra 2 Q2(t)
3 [cm] Drying chamber
Transducer
z= 20 [cm]
Fig. 1. Proposed geometry for the thermo-acoustic simulation of apples .
For the second case study, the geometry shown at Fig.
1 is modified by adding three piezoelectric transducers of
size (0.5cm×4cm) located at the dehydration chamber base.
In both cases, it is assumed that the dehydration chamber is
in equilibrium conditions at a temperature of 60 ◦ , and the fluid with losses. Then, in order to include those losses, it
results obtained for the thermo-acoustic analysis are reported is considered that 𝑢 depends on the energy dissipation in a
in section IV. three-dimensional viscous medium [14]. Now, considering that
the wave number 𝑘 = 𝛽 + 𝑗 𝛼 is used to calculate a solution
B. Simulation considerations by a time harmonic, from (5) the expression shown in (6) is
In order to perform the FEM analysis for apple dehydration obtained,
inside the ultrasound-assisted convection dehydrator, Table
I summarizes the physical parameters of the apple such as 𝑢 = 𝑢 0 𝑒 − 𝛼𝑥 𝑒 𝑗 (𝑤𝑡 −𝛽 𝑥 ) , (6)
density, sound propagation velocity, heat capacity, thermal
conductivity, and acoustic absorption coefficient [12], [13]. where 𝑢 0 is the wave amplitude in 𝑡 = 0, 𝛼 is the absorption
coefficient, and 𝛽 is the wave cycles number per unit of
TABLE I: Physical parameters of apple
distance.
Physical parameters In a similar way, solving (5) for 𝑃, (7) is obtained.
Name Value Units
Density (𝜌𝑎 ) 840 [kg/m3 ]
Sound speed (𝑐) 49.89 [m/s] 𝑃 = 𝑃0 𝑒 − 𝛼𝑥 𝑒 𝑗 (𝑤𝑡 −𝛽 𝑥 ) , (7)
Thermal capacity (𝐶 𝑝𝑎 ) 3810 [J/(kgK)]
Thermal conductivity (𝑘𝑎 ) 0.418 [W/(mK)] where 𝑃0 is the wave pressure in 𝑡 = 0.
Acoustic absorption coefficient (𝛼) 0.22 [dB/m] Therefore, (6) and (7) determine the changes in wave
intensity and pressure inside the dehydration chamber and the
III. T HEORY AND CALCULATION apple samples. Now, analyzing an apple sample, according
to Rodriguez [15], an approximation of the thermodynamic
A. Mathematical model
model of the apple is obtained. For this purpose, it is con-
The mathematical model used to describe the propagation sidered the equilibrium equation that describes the thermal
of ultrasound signal is based on a reduction of the equations system assuming the first law of thermodynamics, where the
of mass, momentum, energy, and state conservation, and heat transfer system does not generate work and the system
the wave equation. According to Leclaire in [14], the mass, dynamics is a function of heat flow and temperature. The
momentum, energy, and states are defined by (1), (2), (3), and description of the system variables considering the heat flows,
(4), respectively. temperatures, thermal capacitances, and thermal resistances
are shown in Fig. 1, where, 𝑄 𝑢 is the heat flow generated
𝐷𝜌 𝜕𝑢
+𝜌 =0, (1) by the ultrasound signals, 𝑄 1 , 𝑄 2 and 𝑄 3 are the heat fluxes
𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑥 leaving the system, 𝑅 𝑎1 , 𝑅 𝑎2 , 𝑅 𝑎2 , and 𝑅 𝑎3 are the thermal
𝐷𝑢 𝜕𝑃 resistances of the external surface of the apple, 𝐶𝑎 is the apple
𝜌 + =0, (2) thermal capacitance, which depends on the density, thermal
𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑥
capacity, and the area of the apple sample (𝐶𝑎 = 𝜌 𝑎 𝐶 𝑝𝑎 𝐴),
𝐷𝜖 𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑞 𝑇𝑎 is the apple temperature, and 𝑇𝑑𝑐 is the drying chamber
𝜌 +𝑃 =− , (3)
𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥 temperature.
" # Considering the heat fluxes, the thermal resistances, and
 2
𝐵 𝛿𝜌 𝐶 𝛿𝜌 the temperature of the apple sample and its environment, the
𝑃= 𝑐20 𝛿𝜌 1+ + + ... , (4) equations of the elements that describe the heat fluxes in the
2!𝐴 𝜌0 3!𝐴 𝜌0
system are established in (8), (9), and (10).
where 𝜌 is the medium’s density, 𝑃 is the medium’s
pressure, 𝜖 is the medium’s internal energy, 𝑞 is the heat flow 𝑄 1 𝑅 𝑎1 = 𝑇𝑎 − 𝑇𝑑𝑐 , (8)
inside the dehydration chamber, 𝑐 0 is the sound speed, 𝛿𝜌 is
the density excess (𝛿𝜌 = 𝜌 − 𝜌0 ), and 𝐴, 𝐵, and 𝐶 are the
coefficients of the Taylor series for 𝑃. 𝑄 2 𝑅 𝑎2 = 𝑇𝑎 − 𝑇𝑑𝑐 , (9)
Also, according to Leclaire [14], the wave equation defined
by (5) is used considering that it idealizes many types of wave
motion produced in an isolated medium that does not exchange 𝑄 3 𝑅 𝑎3 = 𝑇𝑎 − 𝑇𝑑𝑐 . (10)
energy, momentum, or mass with its environment.
Thus, assuming the first law of thermodynamics, we estab-
𝜕2𝑢 lish the equilibrium equation to define the system behavior
𝑐 2 ∇2 𝑢 − 2 = 0 , (5)
𝜕 𝑡 from the incoming and outgoing flows, considering that there
where 𝑢 represents to acoustic signals, ∇2 represents the is heat transfer, but no work is generated. This equilibrium
Laplacian applied to 𝑢, 𝑐 is the wave speed, and 𝑡 is the time. equation can be written as shown in (11).
It should be noted that the mathematical model given by d𝑇𝑎 ∑︁ ∑︁
(5) is not enough when describing the waves behavior at a 𝐶𝑎 = 𝑄 𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑢𝑡 − 𝑄 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑝𝑢𝑡 , (11)
d𝑡
 where 𝑄 𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑢𝑡 represents the incoming heat fluxes, and
𝜕𝑇𝑎 𝛼𝑃 𝜕 𝜀¯ 3𝑘 𝑎
𝑄 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑝𝑢𝑡 represents the outgoing heat fluxes. = − ∇𝑇 𝑓 . (20)
Since the equilibrium equation is a function of the incoming 𝜕𝑡 𝜌 𝑎 𝐶 𝑝𝑎 𝐴 𝜕𝑡 𝜌 𝑎 𝐶 𝑝𝑎 𝐴
and outgoing heat fluxes, each of them must be defined From the wave equation and the thermodynamic modeling
considering each system element. In the system the incoming particularized for an apple sample, we perform the FEM
fluxes will only be given by 𝑄 𝑢 and the outcoming fluxes will analysis of the thermo-acoustic behavior inside the ultrasound-
be described from the element equations as shown in (12), assisted convection dehydrator.
(13), and (14).
IV. R ESULTS
𝑇𝑎 − 𝑇𝑑𝑐 A. Spectral analysis
𝑄1 = , (12)
𝑅 𝑎1
For the spectral analysis by FEM, a frequency sweep with
𝑇𝑎 − 𝑇𝑑𝑐 a bandwidth of 20 kHz - 1 MHz is performed. The frequency
𝑄2 = , (13) sweep is realized assuming that the acoustic sources generate
𝑅 𝑎2
a constant pressure of 2 Pa at each spectral component. Figure
𝑇𝑎 − 𝑇𝑑𝑐 2a shows the principal spectral components as a function of
𝑄3 = , (14)
𝑅 𝑎3 the average pressure. In this way, for the proposed 0.5cm-plate
Substituting the heat fluxes in the equilibrium equation and apples the spectral components are the following: 22 kHz, 30
taking as output the rate of change of the food temperature as a kHz, 32 kHz, and 34 kHz. Note that the spectral component
function of time, the equation describing the system dynamics at 34 kHz has the highest average pressure.
is written as shown in (15). From the principal spectral components, and using one and
three piezoelectric transducers, the spatial analysis at each
d𝑇𝑎 𝑄 𝑢 3 3 frequency (22 kHz, 30 kHz, 32 kHz and 34 kHz) is performed
= − 𝑇𝑎 − 𝑇𝑑𝑐 , (15)
d𝑡 𝐶𝑎 𝐶𝑎 𝑅 𝑎𝑇 𝐶𝑎 𝑅 𝑎𝑇 as a function of the sound intensity level (see Fig. 2. Note that
where, 𝑇𝑎 is the apple temperature, 𝑡 is the time, 𝑄 𝑢 is the the acoustic field affects unequally to apple samples radiated
heat flux produced by the ultrasound signals, 𝐶𝑎 is the apple with a single piezoelectric transducer, where the ultrasound
heat capacity, 𝑅 𝑎𝑇 is the total thermal resistance generated by signals at 22 kHz and 30 kHz show the best distribution for the
the apple surface and 𝑇𝑑𝑐 is the temperature in the dehydration acoustic field in the five levels of apple samples. Meanwhile,
chamber. using ultrasound signals at 32 kHz and 34 kHz the acoustic
In this case, 𝑄 𝑢 = 2𝛼𝐼, where 𝛼 is the local acoustic field is concentrated only in the first apple sample. On the
absorption coefficient of the food, and 𝐼 is the local sound other hand, when the apple samples are radiated with three
intensity. In the same way, 𝐶𝑎 = 𝜌 𝑎 𝐶 𝑝𝑎 𝐴, where 𝜌 𝑎 is the transducers, we observe a better distribution of the acoustic
apple density, 𝐶 𝑝𝑎 is the apple specific heat, and 𝐴 is the field inside apple samples at the four frequencies, where 34
transverse area of the apple. Thus (15) is expressed as, kHz shows an almost homogeneous distribution of the acoustic
field in the five racks of apple samples.
d𝑇𝑎 2𝛼𝐼 3 3 B. Thermal analysis
= − 𝑇𝑎 − 𝑇𝑑𝑐 . (16)
d𝑡 𝜌 𝑎 𝐶 𝑝𝑎 𝐴 𝜌 𝑎 𝐶 𝑝𝑎 𝐴𝑅 𝑎𝑇 𝜌 𝑎 𝐶 𝑝𝑎 𝐴𝑅 𝑎𝑇
From the results obtained by the spectral analysis, the
Now, considering that (16) is lumped, 𝑅 𝑎𝑇 = 𝑘𝑒𝑎 , 𝑒 = Δ𝑥 is thermodynamic analysis considering the radiation frequency
the thickness of the apple sample, and 𝑘 𝑎 is the apple thermal allows to determine the temperature changes on the apple
conductivity, then, (17) should be written as, samples when the acoustic field is at a frequency of 22 kHz,
30 kHz, 32 kHz, and 34 kHz. Note that the temperature
d𝑇𝑎 2𝛼𝐼 3𝑘 𝑎 Δ𝑇 𝑓
= − , (17) change rate can be visualized in the temporal and spatial
d𝑡 𝜌 𝑎 𝐶 𝑝𝑎 𝐴 𝜌 𝑎 𝐶 𝑝𝑎 𝐴 Δ𝑥 domains considering that the dehydration time for the apple
where Δ𝑇 𝑓 = 𝑇𝑎 − 𝑇𝑑𝑐 , and 𝐼 = 𝑅𝑒 12 𝑃𝑣, where 𝑃 is the is approximately 40000 seconds when the temperature change
pressure generate by the sound wave and 𝑣 is the particle from 60 ◦ C until 70 ◦ C. In order to reach 70 ◦ C, we establish
velocity defined according to (18). a constant acoustic pressure in the dehydration time.
In order to identify the rate of temperature change at the five
𝜕 𝜀¯ levels of apple samples, in Figs. 3c, 3d, 4c , 4d, 5c, 5d, 6c and
𝑣= , (18)
𝜕𝑡 6d, each sample is denoted with the spatial coordinates inside
and 𝜀¯ is expressed by (19). dehydration chamber (see Fig. 1). Starting from the sample
closest to the acoustic source, the coordinates are given as
𝜕 𝜀¯ 𝜕 𝜀¯ 𝜕 𝜀¯
𝜀¯ = 𝑥ˆ + 𝑦ˆ + 𝑧ˆ . (19) follows (z,y): (0 cm, 6.7 cm), (0 cm, 9.7 cm), (0 cm, 12.7
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧 cm), (0 cm, 15.7 cm) and (0 cm, 18.7 cm).
By substituting (18) in (17), we obtain that the temperature Fig. 3 shows the temperature change rate in apple samples
change rate in apple sample as a function of time can be when they are irradiated by using one and three piezoelectric
defined by (20). transducers at 22 kHz. Note that when irradiated by using a
 9.0

Average pressure [Pa]

Sound Intensity Level [dB] Sound Intensity Level [dB]
7.5 28 28
130 140
6.0
110 120

y[cm]

y[cm]
4.5 90 100
14 14
3.0 70 80
50 60
1.5
0 30 0 40
0.0
20000 30000 40000 50000 -20 -10 0 20 10 -20 -10 0 20 10
z[cm] z[cm]
Frequency [Hz]
(b) (c)
(a)
Sound Intensity Level [dB] Sound Intensity Level [dB] Sound Intensity Level [dB]
28 28 28
150 140
120
130 120
100
y[cm]

y[cm]

y[cm]
100
14 14 110 14
80 80
60 90 60
40 70 40
0 0 0
-20 -10 0 20 10 -20 -10 0 20 10 -20 -10 0 20 10
z[cm] z[cm] z[cm]

(d) (e) (f)

Sound Intensity Level [dB] Sound Intensity Level [dB] Sound Intensity Level [dB]
28 28 28
150 150
140
130 120 130
y[cm]

y[cm]

y[cm]
110 100 110
14 14 14
80 90
90
60 70
70
40
0 0 0 50
-20 -10 0 20 10 -20 -10 0 20 10 -20 -10 0 20 10
z[cm] z[cm] z[cm]

(g) (h) (i)

Fig. 2. Spectral analysis: a) Principal spectral components b) SIL at 22 KHz using one piezoelectric transducer, c) SIL at 22 kHz using three
piezoelectric transducers, d) SIL at 30 kHz using one piezoelectric transducer, e) SIL at 30 kHz using three piezoelectric transducers, f) SIL at 32 kHz
using one piezoelectric transducer, g) SIL at 32 kHz using three piezoelectric transducers, h) SIL at 34 kHz using one piezoelectric transducer, and i) SIL
at 34 kHz using three piezoelectric transducers.

single piezoelectric transducer (Fig. 3a) at a pressure of 85
kPa, temperature change rate affects the apple sample to a
greater extent when it is closer to the transducer, causing it to
reach 69.45 ◦ C much earlier than the other samples (see Fig.
3c). On the other hand, when the apple samples are radiated
with three piezoelectric transducers at a pressure of 52 kPa
the temperature change rate is higher compared to when they
are radiated with only one piezoelectric transducer (Fig. 3b).
However, only the sample closer to the acoustic source reaches
70.9 ◦ C, showing that at this frequency the acoustic field is
not able to generate similar changes in temperature for all five
apple samples (Fig. 3d).
When the apple samples are radiated at a frequency of 30
kHz the temperature change rate when they are radiated with
one piezoelectric transducer at a pressure of 110 kPa is similar
to what the system showed at 22 kHz (see Fig. 4a) reaching
70.33 ◦ C only in the sample closer to the acoustic source. On
the other hand, when the apple samples are radiated with three
piezoelectric transducers at a pressure of 42 kPa (Fig. 4b), it
is observed that the apple samples located at (0 cm, 12.7 cm)
and (0 cm, 15.7 cm) show a notable increase in temperature
compared to the case when they are radiated with a single
piezoelectric transducer having a maximum of 69.31 ◦ C (Fig.
4d).
At 32 kHz, the system behaves the same as at 22 kHz and
30 kHz when the apple samples are radiated with a single
piezoelectric transducer at a pressure of 130 kPa (Fig. 5a).
That is, only the temperature increases until 69.77 ◦ C in the
first apple sample. However, when the samples are radiated
by using three piezoelectric transducers at a pressure of 32
kPa (Fig. 5b), the dynamics of the system are similar to when
the apple samples are radiated by using a single piezoelectric
transducer. That is, only the first apple sample reaches a
temperature of 69.9 ◦ C in the dehydration time (Fig. 5d). This
frequency turns out to be the least efficient in the two case
studies since, despite there being a difference in the energy
required to reach temperatures close to 70 ◦ C, this is only
reached by the sample closest to the radiation source.
 Temperature [°C] Temperature [°C]
28 28
68.9 69.8

67.1 67.7

y[cm]

y[cm]
14 65.1 14 65.6

63.1 63.4

61.2 61.3
0 0
-20 -10 0 20 10 -20 -10 0 20 10
z[cm] z[cm]

(a) (b)
72 72 (0,6.7)
(0,6.7)
(0,9.7)
Temperature [°C]

Temperature [°C]
(0,9.7)
(0,12.7)
70 (0,12.7) 70 (0,15.7)
(0,15.7)
(0,18.7)
(0,18.7)
68 68

66 66

64 64

62 62

60 60
0 10000 20000 30000 40000 0 10000 20000 30000 40000
Time [seconds] Time [seconds]
(c) (d)
Fig. 3. Temperature changes for apple samples: a) at 22 kHz using one piezoelectric transducer and 85 kPa, b) at 22 kHz using three piezoelectric transducers
and 52 kPa, c) at 22 kHz using one piezoelectric transducer, and d) at 22 kHz three piezoelectric transducers.

Temperature [°C] Temperature [°C]

28 28
69.5 69.3

67.4 67.3
y[cm]

y[cm]

14 65.4 14 65.3

63.3 63.3

61.2 61.2
0 0
-20 -10 0 20 10 -20 -10 0 20 10
z[cm] z[cm]

(a) (b)
72 72
(0,6.7) (0,6.7)
(0,9.7) (0,9.7)
Temperature [°C]

Temperature [°C]

70 (0,12.7) 70 (0,12.7)
(0,15.7) (0,15.7)
(0,18.7) (0,18.7)
68 68

66 66

64 64

62 62

60 60
0 10000 20000 30000 40000 0 10000 20000 30000 40000
Time [seconds] Time [seconds]
(c) (d)
Fig. 4. Temperature changes for apple samples: a) at 30 kHz using one piezoelectric transducer and 110 kPa, b) at 30 kHz using three piezoelectric
transducers and 32 kPa, c) at 30 kHz using one piezoelectric transducer, and d) at 30 kHz using three piezoelectric transducers.

Finally, when the system is ultrasound-radiated at 34 kHz by using a single piezoelectric transducer at 80 kPa (Fig. 6a),
 Temperature [°C] Temperature [°C]
28 28
69.2 69.3

67.2 67.3

y[cm]

y[cm]
14 65.2 14 65.3

63.2 63.3

61.2 61.2
0 0
-20 -10 0 20 10 -20 -10 0 20 10
z[cm] z[cm]

(a) (b)
72 (0,6.7)
72 (0,6.7)
(0,9.7) (0,9.7)
Temperature [°C]

Temperature [°C]
70 (0,12.7) 70 (0,12.7)
(0,15.7) (0,15.7)
(0,18.7) (0,18.7)
68 68

66 66

64 64

62 62

60 60
0 10000 20000 30000 40000 0 10000 20000 30000 40000
Time [seconds] Time [seconds]
(c) (d)
Fig. 5. Temperature changes for apple samples: a) at 32 kHz using one piezoelectric transducer and 130 kPa, b) using three piezoelectric transducers at
42 kPa, c) at 32 kHz using one piezoelectric transducer, and d) at 32 kHz using three piezoelectric transducers.

as well as at 22 kHz, 30 kHz, and 34 kHz, the apple sample
that has the highest temperature change rate is closer to the
source of acoustic radiation, reaching a temperature of 70.62
◦ C (Fig. 6c). When the apple samples are radiated by using
three piezoelectric transducers at a pressure of 52 kPa (Fig.
6b), it is observed that the temperature change rate at five racks
of apple samples is more uniform, since the acoustic field in
the dehydration time affects the apple samples in a similar way
(Fig. 6d). Among the four frequencies identified, at 34 kHz
the system is more efficient than in other frequencies, since it
increases the temperature in the five racks of apple samples
uniformly.
V. C ONCLUSIONS
From the thermo-acoustic analysis for 0.5cm-plate apple
samples inside a convection dehydrator assisted by ultrasound
signals, and considering the physical dimensioning of the
dehydration chamber, the physical parameters of the apple, and
the approach of the wave and heat equations, it was possible to
determine the spectral behavior and the temperature changes
on the apple samples. On the other hand, considering the
performed analysis, four frequencies were identified: 22 kHz,
30 kHz, 32 kHz, and 34 kHz by taking into account the average
pressure exerted by the ultrasound signals in (20 kHz-1 MHz).
Using these operating frequencies, it was possible to perform
the spatial analysis when the ultrasound-assisted dehydrator
implemented with one and three piezoelectric transducers
radiating a test acoustic field at 2 Pa. Thus, from spatial
analysis, it was observed that when a single piezoelectric
transducer is used, the acoustic field is not uniform with
ultrasound signals at all operating frequencies. However, the
spectral analysis showed that using ultrasound signals at 22
kHz, the acoustic field was more uniformly distributed when
apple samples were radiated with one transducer. On the other
hand, when three piezoelectric transducers were considered,
the acoustic field was distributed more uniformly on the five
racks of apple samples at 22 kHz, 32 kHz, and 34 kHz.
In addition, considering the distribution of the acoustic field
in the two cases study, the temporal analysis to obtain the
temperature changes inside the apple samples at four test
frequencies was performed. The results obtained showed that
when the five racks of apple samples were radiated, only
the temperature of sample closest to the piezoelectric trans-
ducer was increased, while the remaining samples remained
unchanged in temperature. It should be noted that for the case
of a single piezoelectric transducer, the pressure levels ranged
between 80 kPa and 130 kPa to reach a temperature close to 70
◦ C. For the case study in which three piezoelectric transducers
were used, a more uniform temperature change was observed
at 30 kHz and 34 kHz, being that at 34 kHz the system showed
a similar temperature increase in the five racks. Under these
conditions the apple samples reached temperatures between
68 and 70 ◦ C. When apple samples were radiated with three
piezoelectric transducers using a pressure between 29 kPa and
52 kPa, less energy was required than when the samples were
radiated with one transducer using a pressure between 80 kPa
 Temperature [°C] Temperature [°C]
28 28
69.8 69.9

67.7 67.8

y[cm]

y[cm]
14 65.5 14 65.6

63.4 63.5

61.3 61.3
0 0
-20 -10 0 20 10 -20 -10 0 20 10
z[cm] z[cm]

(a) (b)
72 72
(0,6.7) (0,6.7)
(0,9.7) (0,9.7)
Temperature [°C]

Temperature [°C]
70 (0,12.7) 70 (0,12.7)
(0,15.7) (0,15.7)
(0,18.7) (0,18.7)
68 68

66 66

64 64

62 62

60 60
0 10000 20000 30000 40000 0 10000 20000 30000 40000
Time [seconds] Time [seconds]
(c) (d)
Fig. 6. Temperature changes for apple samples: a) at 34 kHz using one piezoelectric transducer and 80 kPa, b) at 34 kHz using three piezoelectric
transducers and 52 kPa, c) at 34 kHz using one piezoelectric transducer, and d) at 34 kHz using three piezoelectric transducers.

and 130 kPa. Thus, from the FEM analysis, it was possible
to determine the optimal operating conditions at which an
ultrasound-assisted dehydrator can operate most efficiently
based on its spectral and thermodynamic behavior in the space
and frequency domains.
VI. F UTURE OPPORTUNITIES
From the thermo-acoustic analysis developed in this work
and the results obtained, the design and physical implementa-
tion of the electric convection system assisted by ultrasound
will be carried out, starting from the optimal frequencies found
and the pressure levels that allow us to reach 70 ◦ C in the apple
dehydration, and thus be able to quantify the efficiency of the
convection system when it is assisted by ultrasound signals.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Daniel Aguilar Torres (CVU 829790), and Guillermo Lúque
Zúñiga (CVU 717933) thanks for scholarship provided by
Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (México).
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